Dog Friendly Tavistock: Where to Eat and Walk

Short answer: Tavistock is one of the easier Devon towns with a dog. The Meadows is a large free park by the river, Dartmoor starts at the edge of town, and the Cornish Arms takes dogs in the bar.

Why Tavistock works with a dog

It is a working stannary town on the edge of Dartmoor rather than a beach resort, which means no seasonal bans to navigate and no shuttered cafés in February. The moor is free, open and on the doorstep, and several of the best places to eat welcome dogs indoors.

Where to walk

In town, and free

The Meadows is a large free park between the River Tavy and the Tavistock Canal, with a zip wire, a playground and a BMX pump track. It is a short walk from the centre and it costs nothing to park there, which makes it the easy daily walk.

On the moor

• Dartmoor itself — 368 square miles of open access land, free to walk.
• Bellever Forest — forestry tracks, a shallow river and wild ponies, with toilets and a coffee trailer. Around £5 all day.
• Buckland Abbey, twenty minutes south — National Trust, dogs welcome in the grounds and woodland.
• Lydford Gorge, fifteen minutes north — dogs on leads, but steep and slate underfoot, and some sections are unsafe for them.

Where to eat with a dog

Indoors

• The Cornish Arms — near-Michelin cooking at pub prices, dogs in the bar.
• Granito Lounge on Brook Street — open nine till late, food until ten, comfortable and relaxed.
• Tavistock Pannier Market — dog friendly, covered, Tuesday to Saturday.

Not listed as dog friendly

The Annex on Drake Road and the Malthouse. Both are worth an evening when the dog can stay behind.

Keeping it safe on the moor

Dartmoor is working farmland as well as open country. Keep dogs on leads around livestock and ground-nesting birds, watch for ponies on unfenced roads, and remember the weather turns fast and the light goes by four in winter.