Dog-friendly Hayling Island: a weekend at Sandy Point with your dog

Hayling Island is an easy place to bring a dog, as long as you pick the right stretch of coast and a house that does not mind sandy paws. Sandy Point, at the eastern tip, is quieter than the main seafront, and Wittering Sands is a whole-house let where dogs are welcome — kept off the beds and sofas, with a boot brush by the back door for the walk home.

This is a practical guide to a dog-friendly weekend from our front door at 14 Wittering Road.

Are dogs allowed at Wittering Sands?

Yes. Dogs are welcome on an exclusive-use stay. We ask that they stay off the beds and sofas. There is outdoor space, parking on the driveway, and the boot brush is there for a reason — the lagoon walk and the shoreline are only a few minutes away on foot.

The house sleeps up to nine across four bedrooms and five beds, so a family group with a dog does not need to split across rooms elsewhere on the island.

Where can you walk from the door?

The short loop everyone ends up doing on the first morning:

• Around the lagoon past the RNLI lifeboat station and on toward Black Point. Keep dogs on leads near the water — the current at the harbour entrance can run hard.
• Hayling Island Sailing Club is next door. Visiting sailors are usually made welcome, but the dinghy park is not a free-run zone; treat it as someone else's workplace.
• For a longer, flatter walk, drive a few minutes to the Hayling Billy Coastal Path on the old railway line down the west side of the island. It is wide, open, and full of birds — the best long dog walk we have on Hayling.

Full local detail, with walk times from the house, is on Around Hayling.

Which beaches work with a dog?

Sandy Point itself is the closest shoreline: shingle above the tide line, sand as the water drops, and far quieter than Beachlands. It is excellent for a sniff and a paddle. It is not the place to let a dog swim out into the harbour entrance.

Eastoke Corner and the wider seafront are a short walk or a two-minute drive west. Rules and seasonal restrictions on dogs on the main beaches change through the year, so check the local council notices before you set out — especially in high summer.

West Wittering is the famous sand beach across the harbour. It is a drive around the top, and in peak season the car park fills early. Fine for a weekday; less so with a large group and a dog on a bank-holiday Saturday.

More on which stretch suits which day is in our beaches guide.

Where can you eat with a dog?

A few places we actually use:

• Ferryboat Inn at the western tip of the island — good on a blustery afternoon with a dog under the table.
• Inn on the Beach on the seafront for sunset, if you can get a terrace table (book ahead in summer).
• Square Rigger at Sparkes Marina for a late arrival when nobody wants to cook.

Hours and dog policies change, so check before you go. Gillian's fuller list is on Around Hayling.

What should you pack?

• A towel and a lead that can take salt water.
• Beach shoes for the shingle at Sandy Point.
• A foldable water bowl for the Billy path.
• Bin bags — there are bins on the main seafront, fewer on the quieter harbour edge.

How do you book?

Check dates on the direct booking calendar. Nightly rates typically fall between £750 and £1,850 depending on season and length of stay; the live calendar shows what is open.

If you are travelling with more than one dog, or with a trailer as well as a car, say so when you book so we can confirm parking.

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Beach dog restrictions and venue policies are seasonal — please check locally before you go.