Our top dog-friendly trips

We are wagging our tails with excitement about our new, and some classic dog-friendly trips at The Natural Adventure. Living a happy life with your dog is given even more of a boost when you can bring it on holiday with you. We know that many of our adventurers love canine companionship on their travels, especially our solo travellers, from watching them romp along the Rheinstag to ambling alongside you over the Alps. So, take a look at a few of our dog-friendly holidays below and pamper your pooch the natural way – because every dog should have its day. 

Andorra with your adored one

If you open Andorra’s box, you’ll get nothing but a rush of prettiness, Pyrenees and princely history. If we were to brand it, we’d even dare to call it P-Andorra’s box, as there are so many adjectives beginning with p that you could put before its name. It’s petite and perfectly poised between Catalonia and France, and with a plethora of pics, as they’re called locally. You can also add pooch to the mix, because you can explore this Pyrenean paradise with your dog on both our eight day, self-guided walking holiday, and our short break. There are no trains in Andorra, however, so you will have to bring your dog on the bus for a while to access the starting point.  

The Via Francigena with your favourite companion

The Via Francigena is an ancient pilgrimage route that opens up the sacred heart of Italy’s much worshipped interior. Originally, it was a route taken by the ecclesiastical elite between Canterbury, Rome and the sacred town of Santa Maria di Leuca. Today, it’s broken into various segments within Italy, and four of these have dog-friendly accommodations en route. All of them are Tuscan, be it the trail from the Northern Tuscan town of Pontremoli to Lucca, or on the connecting trail to the stunning city of Siena. From Siena, explore Southern Tuscany’s idyllic hilltop villages to Acquapendente or combine sections of north and south Tuscany on this longer segment between San Miniato and Buonconvento. The first two of these tours are accessible by rail, with train stations in both start and finish towns. The others need some bus combos, if you’re travelling to Italy without flying.

The Lake District with your dog

William Wordsworth described England’s largest national park as “The loveliest spot that man hath found.” And there are few better places to bring man’s best friend than the Lake District, although thankfully in modern times we include women in this beautiful picture too. Our Lake District walking holidays are not only dog-friendly but also perfect for solo travellers, and we know that many of our solo women travellers love to bring their dogs along. Choose between a Keswick-based walking holiday, where each day brings another lakeland landscape, ranging from the heights of Skiddaw (931m) or Honister Pass to the iconic and idyllic circuit of Derwentwater. Or, if you prefer a self-guided itinerary, walk from Pooley Bridge to Coniston, the former on the shores of Ullswater and the latter perfectly positioned between Coniston Water and Old Man Coniston, where you can take on the iconic trek to the highest point of Lancashire at 801m. 

Saunter along the Via Spluga, Switzerland and Italy

Traditionally, the four-legged companions traversing this ancient trail would have been mules, but dogs are more than welcome on this 70km Via Spluga long-distance trail between Switzerland and Italy. Although this is most definitely alpine walking, it’s a moderate walking holiday, so you don’t have to push your pet to the limit. The highlight is the Spluga or Splügen Pass (2,115m) in the Lepontine Alps, connecting these two countries with the most beautiful of borders. After that, your dog can delight in a descent through the forests and meadows of Val San Giacomo all the way to Chiavenna in the northern Italian region of Lombardy. As with all our dog-friendly trips in this blog, Spluga is perfect for solo travellers. 

Bring your hound on the High Passes of Valais

You don’t need a St. Bernard to bound over the eponymous pass, one of the highlights of the High Passes of Valais walking holiday in Switzerland. You and your dog can ramble and gambol to your hearts’ delight in the Valais region. With 41 mountains over 4,000m, in winter it looks like the peaks on a perfect Christmas cake. But in summer months, when these mountain landscapes between the Simplon and Grand St Bernard passes do their big reveal of flower-rich meadows, larch forests, emerald lakes and panoramic views, the Valais is verging on velvety. Walk the complete section between Brig and Grimenz in ten days, or divide it up into either the east in six days or the west section in seven days, all accessible by train too. 

River rambles on the Lechweg Trail

Be prepared for much splashing and dashing on the Lechweg Trail, a long-distance 125km waymarked way following the alpine Lech River through Austria and Germany. Walk the complete Lechweg Trail in ten days between Lech am Arlberg in Austria’s Arlberg Mountains range and Füssen in Bavaria. Walking through Lechtal Nature Park in Tirol, this is a landscape of waterfalls, winding woodland trails, alpine foothills and villages. As well as being a dog-friendly trip where our local hoteliers welcome you and your best friend, it’s a luscious, cooling one in the height of summer. As well as the complete trail, you can opt for the Lechweg Trail highlights in eight days, or a Lechweg short break in six days. 

Bring Rover on the Rheinsteig

The Rheinsteig is one of our top walking holidays in Germany, a 320km walking trail that hovers above the great river, allowing you to enjoy its twists, turns, ravines and, vitally, Rieslings. This is a short five day saunter on the steig, but you can take a longer eight day holiday with even more castles and vineyards along the way. Both holidays start and finish at train stations, which is much easier for dog owners and also great value given some of the special offers that Deutsche Bahn likes to run. In between, enjoy one splendid Schloss after another, a cable car up into the Middle Rhine Valley’s exquisite elevations, and plenty of other hund havens along the way. 

Roamin’ Hadrian’s Wall Path 

Dogs played an important role in Roman homes, and you will certainly be given a fine welcome at our dog-friendly accommodations along Hadrian’s Wall Path. With most itineraries, you start your trip in Newcastle on the North Sea and complete the Roman ramble of 135km at Solway Firth on the Irish Sea with your personal sentry by your side all the way. Also a UNESCO site, walking Hadrian’s Wall Path is a journey not only to historical sites such as Vindolanda and Housesteads Roman forts but also through natural triumphs such as Northumberland National Park. We have a selection of holidays along the Path, which are dog-friendly, avoiding some of the more challenging sections. 

These are just a few of our dog-friendly trips so please don’t hesitate to contact us with any canine queries. For more information on taking your pet abroad, see our blog Top tips on hiking with your dog. In addition, the best UK resource is Gov.uk and, for Ireland, Gov.ie. You may also enjoy reading Helen Mort’s book, Never Leave the Dog Behind: Our love of dogs and mountains, which features in our recent blog on best travel books.