Dog-Friendly Motorhome Hire

For dog owners, the idea of leaving a beloved pet behind while you go on holiday is genuinely painful. Kennels are expensive, friends and family are not always available, and the guilt of driving away without your four-legged companion can take the shine off even the finest trip. That is why motorhome holidays are so popular with dog owners — and why, at Heath's Motorhome Hire in Pontefract, we have made it our business to welcome well-behaved dogs alongside their humans.

We operate a clear pet policy system that is designed to work for everyone. When you book with us, we will discuss your dog's size, breed, and temperament to ensure that the motorhome you hire is suitable. We ask that dogs are clean, well-behaved, and kept under control at all times — which, in our experience, is exactly how responsible dog owners already manage their pets. We may ask for a small additional cleaning deposit to cover the professional valet that takes place after every pet-friendly hire, ensuring that the next customer receives a spotless vehicle regardless. Our pet policy is straightforward, fair, and designed to make the whole experience enjoyable for dog owners and non-dog-owners alike.

A motorhome is, in many ways, the ideal way to holiday with a dog. Your pet has a familiar space to retreat to, with their own bed, their own food and water bowls, and the reassuring presence of their owners. There is no need to worry about whether the hotel accepts dogs, whether the restaurant has an outdoor area, or whether the holiday cottage has a garden. Your motorhome is your dog's home from home, and the surrounding countryside is their playground.

From our Pontefract base, some of the finest dog-walking country in England is within easy reach. The Yorkshire Dales offer miles of open moorland, riverside paths, and fell walks where dogs can run off-lead in many areas. Wharfedale, with its gentle riverside trails and swimming spots in the River Wharfe, is a particular favourite among our dog-owning customers. Bolton Abbey, Grassington, and Malham all offer walks of varying lengths that are perfect for dogs — and the pubs in these villages are almost universally dog-friendly.

The North York Moors are equally rewarding for dogs and their owners. The wide-open heather moorland is spectacular in late summer, and the coastal paths around Whitby, Robin Hood's Bay, and Staithes offer dramatic clifftop walking with sea views. Many of the beaches along the Yorkshire coast welcome dogs, particularly outside the peak summer months. Runswick Bay, just north of Whitby, is a beautiful sandy beach that is dog-friendly year-round and rarely crowded — a genuine hidden gem.

The practical advantages of motorhome travel with a dog are considerable. You control the environment completely — the temperature, the ventilation, the space available. On hot days, you can park in the shade and open the windows and roof vents to keep the interior cool. On wet days, you have somewhere dry and warm to retreat to after a muddy walk, with towels on hand and a washable floor that can handle the inevitable paw prints. Many of our customers bring a towelling mat or a dog guard to section off the cab area during travel, and we are happy to advise on the best setup for your particular vehicle and dog.

Campsites and caravan parks across Yorkshire are overwhelmingly dog-friendly. Most welcome dogs provided they are kept on leads around the site and are not left unattended in the motorhome. Many sites have designated dog-walking areas, and some are adjacent to public footpaths and trails that lead directly into the countryside. We can recommend specific sites that we know are particularly welcoming to dogs, based on feedback from our customers over the years.

For longer trips, a motorhome gives you the flexibility to break the journey wherever your dog needs to stretch their legs. Instead of being confined to a car for hours at a time, your dog can move around the motorhome's living space during breaks, drink fresh water, and have a proper walk at a service area or roadside layby. This makes longer journeys — to the Lake District, Scotland, Wales, or the south coast — far more comfortable for pets than a conventional car journey.

We find that dog owners who try a motorhome holiday once tend to come back year after year. The combination of outdoor adventure, comfortable accommodation, and the ability to keep their dog by their side at all times is simply unbeatable. Whether you have a boisterous Labrador who needs fell walks and river swims, a small terrier who is happiest on a gentle country stroll, or a retired greyhound who just wants a sunny spot to lie in, a motorhome holiday caters for every kind of dog and every kind of owner.

At Heath's Motorhome Hire, we are dog lovers ourselves, and we genuinely enjoy helping our customers plan holidays that include every member of the family — including the four-legged ones. If you have any questions about our pet policy, the best dog-friendly destinations, or which of our motorhomes is most suitable for your particular setup, please do not hesitate to get in touch.