Braunton Burrows with dogs

Braunton Burrows can suit a visit with a dog, but it is not a place to assume the same rules apply everywhere. This is a working, wildlife-rich dune landscape: current dog controls can apply to particular areas and times of year. Before setting out, read North Devon Council's current dog-controls information and PSPO map, then read every notice you see on arrival. If a sign requires a lead, use one. If an area is temporarily restricted or closed, choose another plan.

The important decision is not simply “are dogs allowed?” It is whether the part of the Burrows you plan to use is suitable under the rules and conditions that day. For the wider setting, history and practical overview, start with our Braunton Burrows guide.

Braunton Burrows is managed by Christie Devon Estates and sits at the core of the North Devon Biosphere Reserve. It is also a working estate, with grazing livestock and Ministry of Defence training activity among the uses that share the landscape. The estate asks visitors to respect its guidelines, including keeping dogs on leads in livestock zones.

That is why a relaxed “let the dog run” approach is not a safe default. A lead may be required by a sign, by the Council's mapped control, or by the circumstances around you. Even where no specific instruction is visible, keeping a dog close and responsive helps other visitors, livestock and the landscape. Avoid letting a dog range into vegetation or across ground that is not clearly intended for public use.

This is not about turning a visit into a list of prohibitions. It is about leaving room for the dunes, grazing and wildlife as well as for people. Bring a lead you can use straight away, enough bags to clear up after your dog, and water for both of you. Take waste away or use an appropriate bin where one is provided.

North Devon Council says its dog PSPO includes lead requirements in specified parts of Braunton Burrows at specified times of year. The accompanying order identifies those places and periods in its map, rather than treating the whole site as one uniform dog area. The Council also says a temporary restriction that is clearly marked and notified must be followed.

That makes a map-and-sign check more useful than an old blog, a social post or a remembered walk. Conditions on the ground can change because of grazing, conservation work, training activity or a temporary management need. Do not rely on this page to tell you which field, dune or path is available today.

• Open the Council's dog controls page and follow its link to the current Dog PSPO and map.
• Check Christie Devon Estates' Braunton Burrows information for land-manager guidance.
• On arrival, read notices at your access point and change your plan if they conflict with anything you read beforehand.
• Keep your dog on a lead wherever the map, a notice, livestock or the immediate situation calls for it.

Stay on clearly established public access where signs direct you, rather than making up a route through sensitive ground. Give grazing animals a wide berth, keep your dog close when passing people or other dogs, and do not approach animals or encourage your dog to do so. If your dog is unsettled by wind, open space or distractions, this may not be the day for a long Burrows visit.

Wildlife is part of what makes the place special, but it is not an attraction to chase or a sighting to promise. Keep distance, move on quietly and let signs or wardens set the boundaries. The most helpful dog-walker habit here is flexibility: turn back, shorten the outing or choose a different local walk if the conditions or notices make that the better call.

If you are travelling with children as well as a dog, our Braunton Burrows with kids guide helps with the family-side planning, while keeping the sensitive-landscape message clear. For a broader choice of places to walk, see North Devon dog walks and dog-friendly North Devon. If your plan is specifically for the shore rather than the dunes, use our North Devon dog-friendly beaches guide and check local signs there too.

Checked 15 July 2026. This page was drafted against North Devon Council's dog controls page, its current PSPO information, the Council's Dog PSPO document and map, and Christie Devon Estates' Braunton Burrows guidance. On-site signs and current land-manager instructions take priority over this evergreen guide.