Every dog has its day
Finding pet-friendly holiday accommodation can be a challenge but as Niamh Walsh discovered there are options...
WE may have a reputation as a nation of animal lovers with 61% of households owning a cat or dog, but bringing your pet pooch on holidays is still a bit of an annual challenge. Although the number and quality of petfriendly holiday accommodation is improving year on year, Ireland stills lags behind the UK when it comes to pet friendly holiday accommodation.
Putting the family pet into kennels or a cattery can be an expensive business.
And while the number of petfriendly hotels is increasing, there are still not enough of them. The hotels that do offer to accommodate your pet tend to be at the top of the market and offer great services including dog walking and grooming so owners can relax knowing the pet is nearby and well cared for.
Budget wise though, hotels are not an option for many families, particularly those with children. Self-catering offers a much more realistic option, both in financial terms as well as having the additional space and freedom that comes with a house.
For us, a holiday home is the only option given that our little rescue dog Millie is still afraid of humans and we would never leave her in a kennel.
Millie is a very special cocker spaniel whose story was picked up by TV and the newspapers, particularly by the Mail, when she went missing not long after we re-homed her from a horrific puppy farm two years ago. She was found after a nationwide search over 11 days that involved a drone, teams of volunteer searchers which included a Eurovision winner and her own Facebook page.
Suffice to say she is a very precious dog so when it comes to choosing holiday accommodation, Millie’s needs are our number one priority. In short, Millie is top dog.
Sykes Cottages is one of a number of self-catering holiday firms offering pet friendly accommodation in Ireland and the UK . A quick perusal of the site shows the range and quality of holiday lets, from quirky cottages to spacious bungalows on their own grounds, many beside the sea. They also offer fishing and farm holidays, some with swimming pools.
Wexford is a favourite destination of ours and particularly Curracloe with miles of white sandy beach stretching from Raven Point, a national forest, to Ballinesker beach which was made famous by the filming of the D Day landings in Saving Private Ryan.
Bradogue, a large four bedroom detached house ticked all the boxes: it has lovely gardens, is very near Ballinesker in a peaceful location and is bright and spacious. It is very well equipped and broadband and Sky come as part of the package.
Towels and bed linen are supplied in abundance, which is always a plus on holiday. The house is just outside Screen, a small village about five miles north of Wexford town and two miles from Curracloe village. The day we arrived it was quite cold so we were delighted to see an open fire, although the house also has central heating.
Luckily for us the sun came out the next day and lasted the entire week, allowing us to take advantage of the generous patio with sea views.
Curracloe is a picturesque village with a hotel, pubs, shops and a church. Raven Forest, very popular with dogs walkers and joggers leads to the beach via a board walk. We tended to start out early morning and were able walk for miles through the forest and the length of the beach without Millie seeing too many strangers. Even after two years of living with a family who love her, she freezes when she spots a stranger.
She loved the walks and ran up and down the sand dunes and scampered towards the water. We could only imagine the sense of freedom for a dog who was locked up most of her life.
Wexford, noted for the annual Opera Festival and Ireland’s first custom built opera house, is a very vibrant town with lots of good restaurants bars and shops. Further south, the Hook peninsula and Hook lighthouse are well worth the drive and there are lots of picnic areas if the weather holds.
The Wexford coastline is dotted with little fishing villages with restaurants offering great seafood, particularly the likes of Kilmore Quay and Rosslare Strand. Dunbrody Famine Ship and restaurant at the quay in New Ross is also worth a visit. John F Kennedy Park and Arboretum also in New Ross is very popular, particularly with overseas visitors, but although it has over 622 acres it does not allow dogs in, even on a leash.
It is hard to fathom why a small section of the grounds could not be designated dog friendly. JFK Park could follow the beautiful Newtownbarry House and Gardens’ lead, (no pun intended). Newtownbary just outside Bunclody allows dogs on leashes onto the grounds.
Wexford town has plenty of really good takeaways for those not inclined to cook.
The week we went was so warm and sunny we were able to eat outdoors with Millie curled up beside us on the patio. Heaven.