Church Cove, Gunwalloewith a dog
A National Trust cove with a thirteenth-century church standing in the dunes at the edge of the sand, level access from the car park, and — for two months of the year — a better answer a few hundred yards round the headland.
Yes, except between 10am and 6pm from 1 July to 31 August
Cornwall Council’s order names “Church Cove, Gunwalloe” in the standard band — 1 July to 31 August, 10am to 6pm. The land is National Trust, and the Trust’s own dog page for Gunwalloe puts the useful half of the answer next to it: the restriction covers Church Cove, while Dollar Cove round the headland, reached from the same car park, is open to dogs all year round.
The rules, and when they apply
Two things to get straight first. There are two Church Coves on the Lizard: this one, at Gunwalloe near Mullion, is the one Cornwall Council’s order names. The other, at Landewednack near Lizard village, is a different beach and does not appear in the order. And the restriction here is beach-specific rather than site-wide — the next cove along has none.
| When | Where | What applies |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Jul – 31 Aug 10am – 6pm | Church Cove | No dogs. Cornwall Council order. |
| 1 Jul – 31 Aug before 10am / after 6pm | Church Cove | No restriction. |
| 1 Sep – 30 Jun | Church Cove | No restriction at any hour. |
| All year | Dollar Cove, round the headland | Open to dogs. The National Trust states dogs are welcome there all year round. |
| All year | The footpaths and the dunes | Open to dogs, but keep to the paths — the Trust asks this for ground-nesting birds and farm animals. |
What it’s actually like with a dog
St Winwaloe’s stands in the dunes at the edge of the sand — a grade I listed church built around the thirteenth century and named after an early Breton missionary, known locally as the Church of the Storms. Its bell tower is a separate structure from the church, built into the rock behind it. The churchyard holds the graves of shipwrecked sailors and of a German pilot from the Second World War. Very few beaches in Cornwall have a building of that age standing on the sand line.
The practical appeal is the ground. The National Trust records level access from the car park to the cove with only a slight gradient up to the kiosk: no cliff path, no steps, no descent. The back of the beach is gently sloping grassy dune rather than a wall, and a stream crosses the sand, which Cornwall Beach Guide calls the safer paddling for families and which is where a dog will head to drink.
The sea is a different matter. Church Cove sits outside the shelter of Mount’s Bay and is quite exposed to Atlantic swell — better for surfing than for swimming. The coast paths either side run along jagged cliffs, which is worth knowing if your dog does not hold a line.
Round the headland is Dollar Cove, reputed to hold lost Spanish treasure and, more usefully, open to dogs all year. The Trust signposts a 0.6 mile “little legs” walk from the car park past both coves.
Parking at Gunwalloe Church Cove, and getting on to the sand
Gunwalloe car park
sat nav TR12 7QE · National Trust · free to members, charged for everyone else
One car park serves both Church Cove and Dollar Cove, which is the whole reason the July and August answer here is so easy. Members park free. Everyone else pays through the JustPark app using location code 80584, or in cash at the cafe — worth knowing, because signal on this stretch is not reliable. Published rates move, so read the board. Toilets here, accessible and open all year according to the Trust, plus dog waste bins, and the seasonal kiosk with water bowls and free dog biscuits. Level access from here to the sand.
Facilities, access and what to watch
| What | Detail |
|---|---|
| Getting on to the sand | The National Trust records level access from the car park to Church Cove, with only a slight gradient up to the kiosk. No cliff path, no flight of steps, no long descent — the back of the beach is gently sloping grassy dune rather than a sea wall. Of the National Trust coves on this coast it is the least demanding, which matters if you are carrying a dog or walking one with bad hips. |
| Toilets | In the car park, accessible, and open all year according to the National Trust. Cornwall Beach Guide describes them as open daily between Easter and the end of October, so treat winter opening as check-on-arrival. |
| Food | A kiosk by the car park, open for the season from 1 April to 31 October, selling pasties, hot and cold drinks and ice cream, with outdoor seating. |
| Fresh water | Water bowls outside the kiosk and free dog biscuits at it. Dog waste bins in the car park. |
| Lifeguards | Cornwall Beach Guide records RNLI cover daily from 7 July to 2 September. The RNLI’s own site carries no page for this beach, so those dates are not confirmed by the RNLI and should be treated as indicative rather than relied on. |
| Swimming | Church Cove sits outside the shelter of Mount’s Bay and Cornwall Beach Guide describes it as quite exposed to the Atlantic swells — good for surfing, less good for swimming. A stream crosses the beach, which the same guide calls the safer paddling for families. It is also the obvious place a dog will drink. |
| The coast path | The National Trust flags jagged cliffs along the coastal paths either side of the cove, which is worth knowing if your dog leaves the path. The Trust also signposts a 0.6 mile “little legs” walk from the car park past the coves — a manageable loop in the restricted months. |
| Beyond the council order | This is National Trust land and the Trust’s rules run all year. Close or effective control: recall at the first call in any situation, the dog in sight at all times, no approaching other visitors without consent, a lead carried. Keep to the footpaths to avoid disturbing ground-nesting birds and farm animals, use a lead where there is livestock, a short lead around sheep, and if cattle approach, let the dog off the lead and recall it when safe. |
| Which Church Cove | There are two on the Lizard. This one is at Gunwalloe, near Mullion, and it is the one the council order names. The other, near Landewednack by Lizard village, is a separate beach and is not in the order — do not use one page’s dates for the other. |
Dog-friendly pubs and cafés near Gunwalloe Church Cove
Four places that state a dog policy of their own, starting with the one you can reach without getting back in the car.
The kiosk at Church Cove
By the car park · 1 April – 31 October · National Trust
Pasties, hot and cold drinks and ice cream, with outdoor seating. The National Trust states there is seating where dogs can sit with you, water bowls outside and free dog biscuits. Seasonal, so out of the summer half of the year there is nothing here.
Halzephron Inn
Gunwalloe TR12 7QB · about a mile · CAMRA-listed
A pub with a garden, food and rooms in the village. CAMRA lists it as dog friendly with a garden. It won Gold in the dog-friendly category at the 2019 Cornwall Tourism Awards and keeps what ITV called the all-important jar of dog biscuits, with two resident setters. Note the postcode is a different point in the same village from the car park.
Poldhu Beach Cafe
Poldhu Cove · about 2 miles south · dogs on a lead
On the sand at the next cove south. The National Trust states the cafe welcomes dogs and has water bowls outside; its own site adds that dogs must be on a lead on the cafe premises at all times. Open far more of the year than the Gunwalloe kiosk.
The Old Inn
Churchtown, Mullion TR12 7HN · about 3 miles south · dog-friendly rooms
A thatched pub with food and rooms. Its own site describes a welcoming, dog-friendly atmosphere throughout and offers dog-friendly en-suite rooms.
Local tips for Gunwalloe Church Cove
Signage changes, car parks fill, streams run dry. If you walk this beach, add what you know — which car park still has spaces at 11am, where the water is, which end stays quiet in August.
No tips yet.
Be the first — anything you’d tell a friend before they drove down.
Questions people ask
Are dogs allowed at Church Cove, Gunwalloe?
Yes, outside 10am to 6pm between 1 July and 31 August. Cornwall Council’s order names “Church Cove, Gunwalloe”. For the other ten months there is no restriction at any hour, and Dollar Cove next door is open to dogs all year.
Which beach at Gunwalloe allows dogs all year?
Dollar Cove, the next cove round the headland from the same National Trust car park. The Trust states dogs are welcome there all year round with no seasonal ban, so in July and August it is a few hundred yards’ walk rather than a drive to somewhere else.
Is this the same as Church Cove on the Lizard?
No. There are two Church Coves on the Lizard peninsula. This one is at Gunwalloe, near Mullion, and it is the one named in Cornwall Council’s order. The other sits near Landewednack by Lizard village and does not appear in the order at all.
Is there level access to Church Cove?
Yes, and it is rare on this coast. The National Trust records level access from the car park to the beach, with only a slight gradient up to the kiosk. There is no cliff path and no flight of steps, and the back of the beach is gently sloping grassy dune.
Is there anywhere to buy food at Church Cove with a dog?
The kiosk by the car park, open 1 April to 31 October. The National Trust states there is outdoor seating where dogs can sit with you, water bowls outside and free dog biscuits. Out of season, the nearest is the Halzephron Inn about a mile away in the village.
Are there lifeguards at Church Cove, Gunwalloe?
Cornwall Beach Guide records daily cover from 7 July to 2 September, but the RNLI publishes no page for this beach, so treat those dates as indicative. The cove is exposed to Atlantic swell and Cornwall Beach Guide rates it better for surfing than for swimming.
How much is parking at Gunwalloe?
The car park is National Trust: free to members, and charged for everyone else through the JustPark app using location code 80584, or in cash at the cafe — useful if there is no signal. Published rates move, so read the board on arrival.
Are the toilets at Gunwalloe open in winter?
The National Trust says the toilets in the car park are open all year and are accessible. Cornwall Beach Guide gives them as daily between Easter and the end of October, so if you are going out of season it is worth checking rather than assuming.
Nearby beaches with a dog
Poldhu
Next along the coast, south-east. Restricted 1 July – 31 August.
Porthleven
3 miles north-west. Town end restricted 1 Jul – 31 Aug; east of Blue Buoy open.
Kynance Cove
5 miles south. Restricted 1 July – 31 August.
Kennack Sands
5 miles south-east. Restricted 1 Jul – 31 Aug; the east beach is disputed.
All of Cornwall
The council’s full list of 49 restricted beaches, with dates and hours.
Dog-friendly places to stay near Gunwalloe Church Cove
Somewhere your dog is genuinely welcome rather than merely permitted — enclosed outside space, somewhere to rinse sandy paws, and no surcharge surprises on arrival.
Dog-friendly cottages in Cornwall →Report a correction
Restriction dates get revised, car parks change hands, signs go up without notice. Tell us what you saw and we’ll check it against the council and update this page.
Checked 1 August 2026. Dates and hours are transcribed verbatim from Cornwall Council’s Dogs on Beaches order, on which the beach appears as “Church Cove, Gunwalloe” with the 1 July to 31 August band, 10am to 6pm. That entry is the Gunwalloe cove near Mullion, not the other Church Cove near Landewednack, which the order does not name. The year-round position at Dollar Cove, the level access, the close-control rules, the kiosk’s water bowls and dog biscuits and the car park payment details are all the National Trust’s own, from its Gunwalloe pages. Lifeguard dates come from Cornwall Beach Guide rather than the RNLI, which publishes no page for this beach, and are flagged as such. No parking price is given here because the Trust’s published rates move. Restrictions are reviewed between seasons; this page records the position for the 2026 season. Reviewed by Dr Elizabeth Adey · Last checked August 2026 · Report a correction