Dog-Friendly Quantock Hills (2026)

Wills Neck, the Holford combes, Coleridge country and Kilve's fossil beach - the best dog-friendly Quantock Hills walks.

The open heath of the Quantock Hills in Somerset, dog-friendly ridge walking
Updated
By Rob Griffiths18 June 2026 · 9 min read

The Quantock Hills were the very first place in England to be named an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and they remain one of the West Country's quietest treasures: a breezy ridge of open heath and red-deer combes running down to a fossil-strewn coast in west Somerset. You can stride the open top with views to Wales and Exmoor in the morning, drop into a wooded combe that inspired Coleridge in the afternoon, and finish in a dog-friendly inn in a thatched village. It is grazing country with wild red deer, so the lead matters, but dogs are warmly welcomed throughout. Here is where to go.

Are the Quantock Hills dog-friendly?

Yes, and they are one of the most relaxed and uncrowded places to walk a dog in the South West. The open ridge gives miles of free-roaming heath with huge views, the wooded combes offer shade and streams, the National Trust sites welcome dogs, and the surrounding villages are full of dog-friendly inns. Best of all, the Quantocks are far quieter than nearby Exmoor or the Mendips, so you often have the hill to yourself.

The thing to plan around is the wildlife and grazing. The hills hold sheep, free-roaming ponies and a herd of wild red deer, so a lead is essential near stock and the deer, particularly in the spring and the autumn rut when the deer are sensitive. The coast at Kilve has unfenced ledges, so keep your dog close there too. Otherwise the going is gentle and welcoming.

What are the best dog-friendly places in the Quantocks?

Quantock Hills dog-friendly highlights

CENTRAL · RIDGE

Wills Neck & the Quantock Ridge Editor's pick

Open-heath striding on the spine of the hills

  • Open ridge walking
  • Big two-coast views
  • Free-roaming heath
  • Type Open heath ridge
  • Dog access On-lead near stock, ponies & deer
  • Terrain Grassy ridge, heath, tracks
  • Highlight The summit of Wills Neck
The high spine of the Quantocks is glorious open access land, and the walk to Wills Neck, the highest point at 384 metres, gives one of the finest and least-known viewpoints in the South West, looking across the Bristol Channel to Wales and back to Exmoor. Broad tracks run the length of the ridge from car parks like Crowcombe Park Gate and Triscombe Stone, giving easy striding over heather and grass. Keep your dog on a lead near the grazing sheep, the free-roaming ponies and the wild red deer, especially in spring and the autumn rut.

HOLFORD · WOODED COMBE

Holford & the Combes

Shady stream-cut valleys in Coleridge country

  • Wooded combe walks
  • Streams and shade
  • Quiet and peaceful
  • Type Wooded valleys
  • Dog access On-lead near stock, stream paths
  • Terrain Combe paths, woodland, stream
  • Highlight Holford Combe and Hodder's Combe
The deep wooded combes that cut into the western flank of the Quantocks are the perfect contrast to the open ridge: cool, green and threaded with streams. From the village of Holford, walks lead up Holford Combe and the lovely Hodder's Combe, following the water through oak woodland alive with birdsong. This is the landscape that so inspired Coleridge and Wordsworth in the 1790s. It is a wonderful shaded dog walk on a hot day, with streams for paddling. Keep your dog on a lead where the combes open onto grazed hill.

NETHER STOWEY · VILLAGE

Nether Stowey & Coleridge Cottage

A literary village at the foot of the hills

  • Village base
  • Literary heritage
  • Coleridge Way start
  • Type Village & NT cottage
  • Dog access On-lead, village & cottage garden
  • Terrain Village, lanes, hill paths
  • Highlight Coleridge Cottage garden
Nether Stowey is the literary heart of the Quantocks, the village where Samuel Taylor Coleridge wrote some of his greatest poems. The National Trust's Coleridge Cottage welcomes dogs on a lead in its pretty garden (check access to the house). The village is the start of the long-distance Coleridge Way and has dog-friendly pubs, and footpaths climb straight from it onto the hills. It makes a charming, historic base for exploring the Quantocks with a dog, combining a village wander with a hill walk.

CROWCOMBE · SCARP

Crowcombe & Triscombe

Hilltop gates on the steep eastern scarp

  • Quick hill access
  • Ridge viewpoints
  • Pretty villages
  • Type Scarp villages & gates
  • Dog access On-lead near stock & deer
  • Terrain Steep lane, ridge path
  • Highlight The Triscombe Stone
On the steep eastern side of the Quantocks, the pretty red-sandstone villages of Crowcombe and Triscombe sit below high road-gates that give the quickest access onto the ridge. Crowcombe Park Gate and the Triscombe Stone are popular starting points for hilltop walks, with parking right on the open access land. The villages themselves are quiet and characterful, with a dog-friendly inn or two. It is the easiest way to reach the high tops without a long climb. Keep your dog on a lead near the grazing and the deer up top.

BROOMFIELD · NT WOODLAND

Fyne Court

The National Trust's Quantock visitor hub

  • Easy woodland trails
  • Family-friendly
  • Visitor centre
  • Type NT woodland estate
  • Dog access Welcome on the trails
  • Terrain Woodland and parkland paths
  • Highlight Waymarked estate walks
Fyne Court, the National Trust's gateway to the Quantocks near Broomfield, is the easy, family-friendly option: a former estate of woodland, ponds and meadows with waymarked walking trails, a cafe and a car park. The gentle, well-made paths make it a relaxed dog walk away from the open hill, good for an easier day or poor weather, and it links into the wider Quantock footpath network for longer outings. Dogs are welcome on the trails; keep them under control near the ponds and any livestock on the wider estate.

KILVE · COAST

Kilve Beach

A fossil beach at the foot of the hills

  • Fossil hunting
  • Rugged shore walk
  • Sea views
  • Type Rocky fossil beach
  • Dog access Dog-friendly, lead near ledges
  • Terrain Shingle, rock ledges, coast path
  • Highlight Ammonite fossils in the rocks
Where the Quantocks meet the Bristol Channel, Kilve Beach is a wild, rocky shore famous for the ammonite fossils embedded in its grey ledges. A short walk from the car park past a ruined chantry leads to the beach, where dogs are welcome to explore the rock pools and shingle. The coast is dramatic and quiet, with views across to Wales, and the West Somerset coast path runs through. Keep your dog on a lead near the slippery, unfenced rock ledges and the cliff edges, and watch the tide, which comes in fast over the flat rocks.

Can you walk a dog on the Quantock ridge?

Yes. The high spine of the Quantocks is open-access land and some of the best free-roaming dog walking in the South West, reached quickly from road-gates like Crowcombe Park Gate and the Triscombe Stone. Dogs are welcome, but the heath is grazed by sheep and free-roaming ponies and is home to a herd of wild red deer, so keep your dog on a lead near livestock and the deer, especially in spring and during the autumn rut. The tops are exposed, so carry water for the dog on a warm day.

Tips for visiting the Quantocks with a dog

Lead up for deer, ponies and sheep

The Quantocks have a wild red-deer herd plus free-roaming ponies and grazing sheep. Keep your dog on a lead near them, especially in spring and the autumn deer rut.

Reach the ridge from the road-gates

Crowcombe Park Gate and the Triscombe Stone put you straight onto the open top with minimal climbing, ideal for a quick high-level dog walk.

Head to the combes on hot days

Holford Combe and Hodder's Combe are shaded and stream-cut, perfect when the open ridge is baking and the dog needs to cool off.

Mind the tide and ledges at Kilve

Kilve Beach is rocky and the tide comes in fast over flat ledges. Keep your dog on a lead near the slippery rocks and check the tide times before you go.

Base yourself in Nether Stowey or Crowcombe

The villages around the hills have dog-friendly inns and footpaths onto the ridge from the door, and the Quantocks are far quieter than nearby Exmoor.

Frequently asked questions

Q01Are dogs allowed on the Quantock Hills?
Yes. The Quantock ridge is open-access land where dogs are welcome, and it offers some of the quietest free-roaming hill walking in the South West. Because the hills are grazed by sheep and free-roaming ponies and hold a wild red-deer herd, keep your dog on a lead near livestock and the deer, especially in spring and the autumn rut.
Q02Is Kilve Beach dog-friendly?
Yes. Kilve Beach, the fossil beach at the foot of the Quantocks, welcomes dogs to explore its rock pools and shingle. Keep your dog on a lead near the slippery, unfenced rock ledges and the cliffs, and watch the tide, which comes in quickly over the flat rocks. It is a wild, quiet shore with views across to Wales.
Q03Where are the best dog walks in the Quantocks?
For open hill walking, head to the ridge and Wills Neck from Crowcombe Park Gate or the Triscombe Stone. For shaded combe walks, try Holford Combe and Hodder's Combe near Holford. Fyne Court offers easy National Trust woodland trails, and Kilve gives a rugged coastal option.
Q04Are the Quantocks good for a quieter dog walk than Exmoor?
Very much so. As England's first AONB, the Quantocks have superb scenery but a fraction of the visitors of nearby Exmoor or the Mendips, so you often have the open ridge to yourself. That makes them a relaxed choice for walking a dog, though you should still lead up near the grazing stock and the wild red deer.

Related guides

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