Sand Bay is located in north Somerset, just above Weston Super Mare. It is dog friendly and horse friendly, all year round – making it a great little place to visit!
Parking:
There are three main car parks at Sand Bay. The one I parked in was called Sand Road, and it cost £1 for 2 hours and £2 for 10 hours. There was a toilet facility and dog water bowl area in the car park, and it was just a quick 2-minute walk to get to the beach, as the beach was the other side of the road. If you're thinking of parking here, I recommend that you arrive early – 8 am/9 am, as it fills up fast!
The other two car parks are called; Beach Road and Sand Point (they all sound very similar, so try not to get too confused!). I believe Beach Road was closed when I visited in September 2021, but that may have changed now. Sand Point is operated by the National Trust and costs £5 for all-day parking. It is located at the top end of the beach.
Beach Review:
We got to the beach at 8:30 am, and it was reasonably quiet with the odd runner and dog walker. It was spotless, which is always lovely to see! One important thing that I feel is vital to note is that when the tide is out – it's out! I wouldn't advise walking to the sea when the tide is out as it's pure mud, so you and your dog will get very dirty fast (trust me on this one!). If you want to go when the tide is in, you can find out here.
There are some logs to sit on if you feel like it; if not, I recommend that you bring a blanket, but there are benches that you can sit on that overlook the beach. It would take about 30/40 minutes to walk the entire length of the beach. There is a very nice coastal hill walk, near Sand Point car park, which has a great view.
My dog, Jessi, absolutely loved it! She loved playing in the water, seeing other dogs having fun and running on the golden sand. There were many friendly people with their dogs, and everyone seemed in a good mood there! I think your dog will definitely love it!
What Could've Been Better:
Sand Bay is the perfect beach for walking your dog on, as it's tranquil and secluded – which is a big difference from Weston Super Mare. Therefore, it's nice that it doesn't have many shops – just a pub, a cafe and a corner shop. However, the prices were a bit steep, so it would've been nice to have something a little bit cheaper.
The parking also could've been better, with the Beach Road car park open. However, like previously stated – it may have only been closed for a short while when I visited, and if so, then my point is irrelevant but just stay aware if you arrive late.
There weren't too many bins, so perhaps a few more may be beneficial in the future. There were also not many places to get shade, which isn't a problem for me, but maybe it may be for someone else. I also think that a few more benches would've been nice, as even in September (off-peak), many of the benches were taken.
Overall, Sand Bay is a stunning beach and a great place to walk your dog. Remember to bring a retractable lead so they can run freely, but you can still have control. It's very close to Bristol and Weston Super Mare, so if you're looking to get away from the busyness of it all, I thoroughly recommend you visit!
