We love welcoming dogs to Treseren and completely understand that some couples cannot imagine their wedding day without their beloved four-legged friend at their side. In this two- part Journal series, we are covering all aspects of our dog friendly approach at Treseren. We specialise in small weddings, with guests made up of a gathering of close friends and family, meaning our venue is the perfect place to welcome your dog. You can read all about how our dog friendly stays work and the wedding day itself in our previous Journal Post.
Our wedding venue location for dog friendly walks
In this post we are exploring further, with our favourite local walks near to Treseren featured below. Because Treseren weddings feature a two or three night stay, there are plenty of opportunities to get out and about with your dog. We are lucky with our location, with two acres of gardens to roam around with your pooch, followed by country walks on our doorstep and the incredible South West coast path and beautiful beaches on the North Coast of Cornwall under 10 minutes away.
We have pre-recced all of these walks with our family dog, Acer an adventurous Sprocker Spaniel and we are delighted to share our favourite spots!
Sunrise Walk across Newlyn Downs
Distance from Treseren: 0 miles – on our doorstep!
Length of walk – 1 mile
Difficulty – Easy
Footwear – Wellies in Winter as the road can get a little muddy. Any walking / flat shoes or trainers in summer
The best place for an early morning stroll with your dog, this walk from Treseren is a lovely way to start your day. From the bottom of the driveway, turn left and walk up the road past the terraced cottages and fields (the way you have driven into the venue). You will need to keep your dog firmly on the lead as you cross the main road at the top, straight across this road you will see the pathway past the gate and stile that leads to Newlyn Downs. Once through the gate, the path opens up to fields and hedgerows and if you have a dog that prefers to be off the lead, this is the perfect place to let them roam free. With far-reaching views across the fields to our local village of St Newlyn East, and the wind turbines standing statuesque against the sky, this is a dramatic and interesting landscape. It looked incredible in the recent snowfall and changes with every season.
Walk in Captain Middleton’s Footsteps
Distance from Treseren: 0 miles – on our doorstep!
Length of walk – 3 miles
Difficulty – Easy
Footwear – Wellies in Winter as the road and paths can get a little muddy. Any walking shoes or trainers in summer
Venturing on from the Wind Farm on Newlyn Downs, there are country paths that lead down the valley towards the site of East Wheal Rose Mine, which was led by our very own real-life Poldark, Captain Middleton who resided at Treseren in the mid 1800s. We uncovered the history of Captain Middleton with a local historian and the Middleton family tree now hangs proudly in Loveday’s Cocktail Bar. Captain Middleton would have undoubtedly journeyed from the house, out across the Downs and through the valley to the Mine on horseback or on foot 200 years ago.
To walk in his footsteps, come to the crossroads on Newlyn Downs where there is an outlying wind turbine on the left. Take the path that edges the fields and winds down through the valley. Walking amongst the gorse hedges in this most Cornish of landscapes, you can see the chimney and stone engine house of East Wheal Rose in the distance. The mine is now part of Lappa Valley, a tourist attraction for families and children featuring diesel train rides, so can only be viewed close-up by paying the entrance fee and traversing by road a further few kilometres to the official entrance. Should you wish to do this, it is an impressive relic of Cornish history, interwoven with Treseren and its Mine Captain history and dogs are welcome at Lappa Valley. However, the walk with your dog to the rear entrance of Lappa Valley and back is a really good one in itself!
Beach Walk at Holywell Bay
Distance from Treseren: 4.5 miles by car
Length of beach walk – Just under 2 miles to the end of the beach and back to the car park
Difficulty – Easy
Footwear – Any walking shoes you feel comfortable with on sand
Holywell is our local beach and it’s a beauty! With rolling surf breaks and iconic twin rocks, it has been the scene for many film and TV productions including the BBC Poldark series, and more recently Game of Thrones. As a family, we have been taking Acer since he was a puppy!
Next to the entrance to the beach there is at a National Trust car park, so bring your card to scan and park for free if you are a member. From there, walk across the pathway to the dunes, across a little bridge and then either bear left by the stream that leads you on a flat walk onto the beach, or bear right on to the paths up and over the dunes. These are signed by the yellow arrow and acorn signs of the Southwest coast path, so you cannot lose your way and all paths lead through to the beach. On a busy summer’s day with lots of beach goers, this is the better way to walk with more space for your dog to roam.
At low tide it’s worth venturing to the far end of the beach to discover the rock pools and caves, the largest of which provide a fabulous photo opportunity silhouetted against the twin rocks. And if your dog likes to swim but is nervous of the waves and surf, the rockpools provide the perfect opportunity!
And finally, on the walk back to the car park there is a very well-placed pub – Gull Rocks Bar, with dog friendly beer garden open in the Spring and Summer months.
Coastal Path walk Crantock Bay to Polly Joke
Distance from Treseren: 5 miles by car
Length– 4.5 miles circular walk
Difficulty – Moderate / Some challenging, steep cliff paths
Footwear – Walking Boots / walking shoes you feel comfortable in. Some paths are very muddy in autumn and winter, but trainers are fine in summer
My personal favourite of our local dog walks, this route along the coast path takes in the incredible vistas looking out across Crantock Bay and Polly Joke beach, as well as Kelsey Head with coastal grassland rich in wildlife and archaeology. For coffee lovers, there is also a great coffee and lunch spot overlooking Crantock Beach and out to sea along the way!
It’s best to arrive early in the summer months to get a parking space, as the start of this walk is out of the National Trust car park at Crantock Beach – a very popular beach, and queues for the car park can form by 9am. From the top left of the car park, a gateway takes you up to grasslands behind the dunes known as The Rushy Green, where you join the coastal path.
As you reach the headland of West Pentire, keep to the outer path towards Vugga Cove where the views are panoramic. Cowslips and sea pinks feature on the cliff slopes in Spring and poppies and corn marigolds grow in abundance on West Pentire. In poppy season in early June, a show stopping red carpet on the cliff top fields overlooking Crantock Beach are a stunning feature half way through this walk. For nature lovers, off-shore islands are home to breeding sea birds such as guillemots and razor bills. And in the autumn months, seals can frequently be spotted off Polly Joke beach.
Follow the coast path around the headland where the view opens up towards Polly Joke beach. The paths are safe and away from the steep cliff edges, but you may want to put your dog on the lead in certain sections.
Polly Joke is a completely unspoilt cove, and because of its distance from car parks and facilities, it is always quiet compared to the larger beaches. It’s a wonderful spot to just enjoy nature and the perfect place for a swim. Safe and sheltered with smaller waves than neighbouring beaches Crantock and Holywell Bay, dogs love swimming in this cove and on a summer walk there is nothing better than getting in for a dip with your dog!
Acer loves swimming here with his friend, black lab Bo!
Out of Polly Joke, head up the steep path which leads from the exit to the beach, back across the fields of West Pentire. It’s a climb, but the path takes you to the entrance of C-Bay, where you can enjoy a well-deserved coffee or hot chocolate. This fabulous cafe is great for brunch or lunch and positioned overlooking Crantock Bay with spectacular views out to sea.
For the journey back from C-Bay, either take the coastal path the way you came, or at lower tide, you can take a path down through the cliffs with a little climb down at the end onto Crantock beach. The wide sandy bay leads you back to the car park where you began.
More Dog Friendly Walks near our wedding venue
Of course, there are many, many more walks and adventures to have within easy reach of Treseren. We recommend Iwalk Cornwall which features digital guides to many circular walks. You can download their app which guides you along the route using directions checked via GPS.
Dog Friendly information for Treseren
For more information about our dog friendly weddings and stays at Treseren, here are the answers to some frequently asked questions…
FAQS
Q: Are dogs allowed at Treseren weddings?
A: Yes! At Treseren we share lots of lovely photos and messages on our social media and the option to bring your dog features in our wedding brochure, but we still get asked the question, so we hope this blog post will be helpful to show how dog-friendly we are as a wedding venue.
Q: How many dogs do you allow for a wedding day?
A: We offer a two or three night stay to enjoy around your wedding and up to two well-behaved dogs can join and stay with you at the house and enjoy the wedding day with you.
Q: Do you have any restrictions about where our dogs can stay?
A: We ask that you bring their bed or crate, and dogs can stay in your preferred room on the ground floor, or if they are used to being with you at night, we do allow them in bedrooms. We want both you and your dogs to have a comfortable and relaxing stay. We just ask they do not jump up on the furniture or beds.
Q: Where shall we feed our dogs on the wedding day?
A: The main kitchen is always busy in the preparation and creation of food for your stay by the Treseren team and visiting chefs, so we ask our couples to prepare food for their dogs in the kitchen assigned to our guests, upstairs in Skye Cottage, attached to the main house. Dogs can be fed in Skye Cottage, or alternatively we can set up a feeding and water station on the ground floor in the main house.
