Wild, open beaches along the Military Road: surf, dinosaur fossils and unstable cliffs. Every beach with parking, dogs and water quality.
By Steve Dumas
Published
What counts: Wild, open beaches along the Military Road: surf, dinosaur fossils and unstable cliffs. 3 of the 22 beaches we cover qualify. 1 is mainly sand. None has lifeguards. 1 was rated Excellent for water quality in the latest Environment Agency classification. 3 allow dogs on at least part of the beach all year.
A quiet, undeveloped sand and shingle bay between Hanover Point and Brook Chine, best for fossil hunting, low-tide walks and dog owners, with dogs allowed all year and no facilities beyond a National Trust car park.
A long, firm sandy National Trust beach below the Military Road that suits swimmers, surfers and fossil hunters, with dinosaur footprints at Hanover Point and a summer dog ban on the main stretch.
A small pebble cove between chalk cliffs at the foot of Tennyson Down, good for kayaking, paddleboarding, low-tide rock-pooling and as the start of cliff walks, with a summer dog ban on the main beach.
| Beach | Type | Water quality | Lifeguards | Dogs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brook Bay | Sand and shingle | – | No | Allowed all year. The council lists Brook Bay among its year-round dog beaches for 2026, and the National Trust allows dogs between Hanover Point and Brook Chine all year. Keep dogs on a short lead around livestock on the downs behind. |
| Compton Bay and Hanover Point | Sand | Excellent (2025) | No | National Trust rule, not the council's: dogs are not allowed on the beach west of the Compton Bay (Hanover) car park from 15 May to 15 September. They are welcome all year on the beach between Hanover Point and Brook Chine, to the east. Compton is not one of the beaches in the council's 1 May to 30 September order. |
| Freshwater Bay | Pebbles | – | No | Dogs are banned from 1 May to 30 September in the council's marked zone, which covers the main beach in front of the promenade from the western end to just east of the slipway (council map E46). That is most of the beach. Allowed everywhere from 1 October to 30 April. |
From our beach data, last checked 2026-10-16. A dash means we haven’t confirmed it yet.
We use cookies to see which guides are useful. Privacy policy