Local dog free and dog friendly summer beaches

Local dog free and dog friendly summer beaches
We are lucky to live in a district that has 23 miles of beaches. So, whether you are looking for a dog free, or dog friendly, beach, there is somewhere ideal for you.

Dogs are allowed on all of our beaches from 30 September to 1 May

Dog free summer beaches - from 1 May to 30 September there are seven beaches where dogs are not allowed. See the links to maps below

Year-round dog friendly beaches - we have plenty of other beaches where you can walk your dog in the summer, so please respect our summer dog free beaches. See the links to maps below

Remember, that at all times owners must pick up and throw away dog mess in the bins provided. Keep a plastic bag handy when walking your dog and always tie the bag before putting it in the bin to avoid flies and smell. Never throw away bags into hedges or the sea. The penalty for failing to do this is £50 and we will fine owners.

Click on the links below for maps of our dog free and dog friendly summer beaches. Orange marks the summer dog free beaches and yellow marks the boundary where dogs are allowed. Other than the beaches marked in orange on the maps below, all other areas are year-round dog friendly beaches

• Folkestone - Sunny Sands
• Sandgate - from Sandgate Castle to Sea Road (the Seaview footbridge)
• Hythe - Twiss Road to St Leonards Road
• Dymchurch - Sycamore Gardens to the Martello car park
• St Mary's Bay - the Fairway to river outfall
• Littlestone - water tower at Madeira Road to Clark Road
• Greatstone - Jolly Fisherman car park to Seaview Road

Lead on - Even the best behaved dogs can cause problems and frighten people when running loose. There are more than 130 areas throughout the district where dogs must be on a lead. These include some public open spaces like he Leas in Folkestone, certain parks and built up areas.

Look out for the signs and make sure you observe the bylaw.

The name game - When your dog is in a public place, it must wear a collar and tag with your name, address and telephone number or identity tag. Shepway District Council also recommends micro-chipping which involves implanting an identity chip the size of a grain of rice under the dog's skin. We will automatically scan any stray dog we pick up, however dogs must still wear an identity tag on their collar. This will avoid the upset of your pet being picked up as a stray and a possible prosecution and fine of up to £5,000