The Five Pilchards Inn

If you and your dog love a proper walk, here’s a pub stop with bragging rights. The Five Pilchards Inn sits on the slipway at Porthallow, a small fishing village on the eastern side of the Lizard Peninsula in Cornwall, and it marks the exact halfway point of the 630-mile South West Coast Path. Grace and George Ross run the inn, which has been looking out over this little cove since the mid-1800s and is open all year round.

There are five refurbished en-suite bedrooms tucked under the eaves above the pub, and one of them is a dedicated dog-friendly room. With only one to go around, it’s well worth booking early. Family rooms split into three single beds if you’re travelling with others, there’s free Wi-Fi, and breakfast is served downstairs in the bar. You’ll wake to the sound of the cove and be just a few steps from the coast path.

Dogs are welcome throughout the bar, so they can settle at your feet while you work through the rotating Cornish cask ales and local cider. The fire is lit through the colder months, which is just the thing after a blustery day on the cliffs. The kitchen serves pub classics, seafood when the boats are in, pizzas, Sunday roasts and Greek dishes on Saturdays.

The walking starts right outside. Head south for three miles to the pretty harbour at Coverack, go five miles north to the wooded Helford River, or pack a sandwich for a ten-mile day around Lizard Point. Whichever way you go, you can be back in the bar by the fire for a well-earned pint.

Book direct through the inn’s website for live prices and availability, using the link below, and mention your dog when you do, so you can check the dog-friendly room is free for your dates.