Dog Days at Freshwater East

We visited the cc site at Freshwater East in Pembroke during April, before the rains came.  The last time we went there was just after the foot and mouth epidemic, so that many of the footpaths were still closed or restricted.  So when planning our trips for the year it seemed a good idea to return and walk some of the most beautiful coastal paths in the UK.  The weather was mixed, although having just returned from a fortnight on Exmoor where it rained constantly, not too bad!

The site is well looked after by the wardens who explained that the grass pitches were currently closed; as we prefer hard standing, this was not a problem.

We chose an end pitch, beyond which were two grass pitches and a tent area.

We soon noticed, that whilst the majority of dog owners walked their dogs past the area, a few would allow their animals to stop and defecate on the grass.  Some would then turn round and head back to their pitch, so I assume that was all the walk their dogs would get.

We did not see anyone leave the mess, they all picked up and took it away.  However, having owned dogs ourselves, we are aware that you can’t always leave the ground completely clean.

We spoke to the wardens, who told us it was a constant problem, and whilst they did their best, the problem was always present.

Like us, they were concerned that in a couple of weeks time, these pitches would be in use by members, possibly with children.  The disease known as Toxocariasis, carried by worms in some dogs can cause blindness in young children.

We do not currently have a dog, but when we did, we made sure she had plenty of walks so that she was never desperate to go and would walk happily at heel until we told her “be quick”, ( a command my wife taught her).

The fact that there is no dedicated dog walk at Freshwater East is mentioned in the handbook entry; There are plenty of places on the perimeter of the site. 

Is this just laziness on the dog owner’s part?  Or is it unclear that grass pitches exist there?

Would we recommend Freshwater East to other members?  We certainly would;  it’s a lovely site ,close to the beach and on one of the best bits of coastline in Britain.