HOPE COVE…. Already an alluring name but then you learn this South Hams gem comprises two villages – Inner Hope and Outer Hope – and you just know a visit is going to be a tonic for your spirit as well as a shiny-happy stroll for your dog!

First things first, we have to acknowledge the message from the local Harbour Master: Dogs are to be kept on a lead and under control at all times. Everyone is very respectful of this, keen to maintain harmony on these family-friendly beaches.

And so Bodie dutifully began our visit like this…

But as there was not a single soul around (we visited mid-week and off-season) he had a quick run around the rocks…

Which come in a stunning array of colours. First the black and tan…

Then these ones of a purple hue, mingling with pale onyx green…

Bodie was part mountain goat, part stumbling, but all joy!

This waterfall may be on the beach just across from the Hope & Anchor Inn but it puts me in mind of a Mayan temple! (Dogs allowed here October-April).

WHERE TO STAY IN DOG-FRIENDLY HOPE COVE:

The 11-room Hope & Anchor Inn has undergone a £1million refurbishment giving it a minty-fresh exterior and  stylish ‘contemporary coastal’ interior.

Bodie was greeted with starfish-shaped dog treats then we followed the creaky staircases and narrow corridors to Room 7…

Here our sunlit twin awaited – aqua and honeyed tones with a soft, light, super-snug duvet and tea/coffee/hot chocolate facilities and human biscuits!

The faucet design in the ensuite bathroom is one of the most confounding I have encountered but is more than compensated for by the room’s sea view!

You always feel close to the water here, whether you are out on the expansive deck, clustered on the front benches or inside the view-centric breakfast area…

Downstairs there’s an extra-long bar and an eating area popular with dog-owners – at one point I stepped outside to take a snap of Bodie and had to join a queue of three Labs in the front porch to get back in! The banquettes are a lovely weathered brown leather accented with crustacean-themed cushions…

Then there’s the Brewer & Bean cafe with a striking light design featuring swarthy fisherman’s rope from days of yore! (Perhaps lattes come frothed with sea foam?)

With dogs allowed ‘Everywhere except the kitchen!’ we happily conclude that the Hope & Anchor makes for an exceedingly relaxed and dog-friendly seaside stay!

HOPE & ANCHOR INN WEBSITE: www.hopeandanchor.co.uk

ADDRESS: Hope Cove, Kingsbridge, TQ7 3HQ

PHONE NUMBER:  01548 561294

PET POLICY: All rooms are dog-friendly, no additional fee.

Next door at The Cove Cafe Bar, abundant treats await your pup!

For a Miss Marple-esque Afternoon Tea, head up to the Cottage Hotel...

For once I forwent the cream tea in favour of a juicy slab of fruit cake (£4.40 including large pot of tea) and we settled into a velvet nook beside this brass-set fireplace.

From here you can take the Coast Path (also essential when the tide is in!) and follow a woodsy route up by the side of the old lifeboat building. The first bench you see says IN LOVING MEMORY OF DEREK JOHNSON – that’s my uncle! Take a pew and gaze out across the water – over to the left you can even see Burgh Island (look for the white art deco hotel that inspired Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None.)

Weaving back around you’ll see some delightful cottages…

By now your dog should be yawning. (Or laughing at a lobster joke, one of the two.)

We experienced all four seasons while visiting dog-friendly Hope Cove – at sunset I was in my pom-pom hat and Puffa with Bodie’s fleecy dog blanket clasped around my shoulders and I was still wincing at the chill, but the next morning we woke to glorious blue skies and discovered an idyllic sun trap at the end of the sea wall. This was my favourite spot of all – offering a double vantage point of the exquisite green waters and eliciting a big ole smile of approval from Bodie… We shall return!

Do you have any favourite dining experiences/dishes in dog-friendly Hope Cove?