A dog-friendly weekend in Hastings: an itinerary that actually works!
- TDFM
- Aug 1
- 5 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
Looking for a dog-friendly guide to Hastings? This ready-made weekend itinerary covers Hastings, St Leonards and nearby Battle, with dog-friendly places to eat where dogs are welcome inside and plenty to do together.
Hastings works particularly well for a weekend with a dog because you don't have to manufacture an itinerary to fill the time. There is the Old Town and seafront to wander, St Leonards just along the coast, clifftop walks when everyone needs some fresh air, and Battle close enough for an easy trip out.
This isn't an attempt to account for every waking minute. Think of it as a framework for the weekend, with a few good places to hang each day around and plenty of room for detours, naps and unexpectedly long pub stops.
Friday: Start in St Leonards
Once you've arrived and abandoned the bags, head towards St Leonards-on-Sea for an easy first afternoon.
The promenade gives you plenty of space for a walk without immediately requiring An Activity. St Leonards also has a growing collection of independent cafés, bars and places to eat, several of which welcome dogs indoors.
If you're there early enough, Cumbia Kitchen on the Marina is a lovely place to stop. Dogs are welcome inside and the menu leans towards colourful South American food, with coffee, cocktails and daytime dishes. It's open Thursday to Sunday, so it fits particularly neatly into a weekend visit.
For dinner, Bistro ALBO St Leonards is a good one to have in your pocket. Dogs are welcome inside and it has more of a relaxed evening-bistro feel than a quick café stop, which makes it a nice way to properly begin the weekend.
There's no need to add anything else. Have a wander along the front, eat something good and call Friday done.
Saturday: Hastings Old Town and the sea
Saturday is the day to spend around Hastings itself.
Start around the Old Town and The Stade, where the streets, fishing beach and seafront are interesting enough to provide most of the entertainment without much planning.
Top Pick: Eat @ The Stade
Eat @ The Stade is our Hastings café Top Pick and makes an easy breakfast, brunch or coffee stop while you're exploring this end of town.
Dogs are welcome inside, with water available, and dog treats and dog ice cream are sold too. It's right by The Stade, so you can eat and then carry on towards the Old Town or the seafront without getting back in the car.
From here, choose how energetic everybody is feeling.
Ride the East Hill Cliff Railway
The East Hill Cliff Railway is one of those Hastings things that's worth doing simply because it belongs here.
Dogs are welcome inside the carriage on a lead, and the railway takes you up towards the clifftop and Hastings Country Park without requiring the rather more enthusiastic climb on foot.
Once you're at the top, you can make the walk as short or as long as suits you. This is precisely the sort of place where the dog can decide whether today's expedition is a serious hike or a twenty-minute sniffathon.
Alternatively, stay closer to the seafront.
Top Pick: Hastings Adventure Golf
Hastings Adventure Golf is our Things To Do Top Pick. Dogs are welcome on lead across its outdoor courses, so this is one of the rare seaside attractions where the dog doesn't have to sit the fun out.
There are three 18-hole courses, but nobody is issuing medals for completing all of them. Pick one, embrace your questionable putting ability and carry on with the day.
You could easily combine the cliff railway and a round of golf if you want a fuller day, but you certainly don't need to.
Saturday evening: Hastings Old Town
Finish Saturday back in the Old Town.
Top Pick: The Albion
Our pub Top Pick is The Albion, a characterful old Hastings pub on George Street where dogs are welcome inside.
It's particularly known for its homemade pies, with meat, fish, vegetarian and vegan options regularly appearing, alongside Sussex ales and ciders.
After a day around the coast, it is exactly the sort of place where settling into a pub with the dog underneath the table feels like a perfectly respectable evening plan.
If you'd rather try somewhere else, Hastings has plenty more dog-friendly pubs and places to eat on the map, so there is no need to build the entire weekend around one reservation.
Sunday: Make Battle the main event
Sunday only really needs one anchor: Battle.
The 1066 Battle of Hastings, Abbey and Battlefield is close enough to Hastings to make an easy trip and substantial enough that it doesn't need several other attractions bolted onto the day.
Dogs are welcome on leads throughout the outdoor areas, including the battlefield and Abbey ruins. They can't accompany you into the indoor areas, so think of this primarily as a big outdoor historical wander rather than an indoor museum visit.
There's plenty of ground to explore, and this is one of those places where a dog actually improves the pace of the day. You notice more when somebody insists on investigating every third blade of historically significant grass.
Give Battle the time it deserves and then head back towards Hastings.
For a late lunch or early evening meal, The Crown Hastings in the Old Town is another useful option. Dogs are welcome inside and food is served daily, so you can finish the weekend somewhere warm without having to split the group.
Then you're done. No final compulsory viewpoint. No 5.15pm heritage experience. Just head home when you're ready.
Our Hastings Top Picks
🍺 Pub: The Albion
A proper Hastings Old Town pub, with dogs welcome inside, homemade pies, Sussex ales and plenty of character.
☕ Café: Eat @ The Stade
A brilliantly placed dog-friendly café by the fishing beach, with dogs welcome indoors and plenty happening nearby.
⛳ Things To Do: Hastings Adventure Golf
Three seafront courses where dogs can join you on lead, making it an unusually easy attraction to enjoy together.
If the weather turns
A Hastings weekend doesn't collapse just because the Channel has decided to throw itself sideways at the windows.
The Board Game Cafe in the Old Town welcomes dogs inside and has a large collection of games alongside coffee and cake. It's an excellent rainy-day fallback when everybody wants to go somewhere but nobody particularly wants to be outdoors.
There are also plenty of dog-friendly cafés, pubs and bars across Hastings and St Leonards where dogs are welcome indoors, which is exactly why we map them.
More dog-friendly places around Hastings
This is only a starting point.
The Dog Friendly Map currently has 63 dog-friendly places mapped around Hastings, including 23 pubs and bars, 21 cafés and restaurants, plus Things To Do, shops, garden centres and secure dog fields.
Explore them here:
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Price correct as of 20 July 2026.
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