1 Shoots and Leaves Café

20 South Main Street, Wigtown

SatNav: DG8 9EH

Web: www.glaisnock.co.uk

Tel: 01988 402249

The first 100% vegan and vegetarian café in Dumfries & Galloway is nestled in Scotland’s book town – and Wigtown is a rural idyll that seems to be almost as dog-friendly as it is book friendly. There are more than a few doggy welcoming spots in town, including a high proportion of the bookshops. Shoots And Leaves always offers bowls of fresh water and treatS to any customer who enters with a dog, and it sells handmade dog treats from a local company Stonehouse Pet Care. Like most cafes in Wigtown it doubles as a bookshop. It's possible to browse the paperbacks and shoot the breeze with a fellow customer, all while your dog chills.

2 Station House Café & Cookery School

St Mary St, Kirkcudbright

SatNav: DG6 4DN

Web: www.stationhousecookeryschool.co.uk

Tel: 07484 915709

Housed in the converted disused Kirkcudbright railway station and attached to Dumfries and Galloway’s first-ever cookery school, this café was set up by dog lover, food pioneer and former teacher of English in Ukraine, Nick Morris. Homemade dog treats, as well as water bowls, on offer. But there’s also the opportunity to enjoy some of the Station House’s dishes, from all-day breakfasts to game pie, Scotch eggs and Sunday evening pizzas. Nearby is the rock-dotted stretch of Dhoon beach – ideal for a run around on the sands.

3 Waterfront Café

Galloway Activity Centre, Loch Ken, Shirmers Bridge, Parton, Castle Douglas

SatNav: DG7 3NQ

Web: www.lochken.co.uk

Tel: 01556 502011

The whole of this activity centre is dog-friendly, including the accommodation. Indeed, it’s even been known for guests to take a pooch out on a kayak with them. The café, where it’s recommended dogs are kept on a lead, is a great place to fill up after a dog walk round Loch Ken, or even one of the more strenuous adventure activities – climbing, zip wire, watersports and others – the centre provides. Gourmet Burger Night on Saturdays, plus a regular menu which includes full Scottish breakfast, vegan breakfast, toasties, panninis, set lunches and a wide range of homemade dessert options. They can cater for a wide range of dietary requirements, including dairy-free.

4 Abbey Cottage Tea Room

26 Main St, New Abbey, Dumfries

SatNav: DG2 8BY

Web: www.abbeycottagetearoom.com

Tel: 01387 850377

In the picturesque village of New Abbey, Dumfries, right next to the ruins of 13th century Sweetheart Abbey, is a little tea room that just loves dogs. A special dining area in the gift shop welcomes dogs to sit while their owners enjoy a morning coffee, light lunch or afternoon tea – and there’s a delightful patio garden for them to hang out in too. Plus there are plenty of canine-themed gifts in the shop. All the baking is fresh from the kitchen and afternoon tea there includes a round of sandwiches, scone with jam and cream, cake and a pot of speciality tea. The cottage has been owned by the same family for three generations and opened as a tearoom in 1983. Keen walkers might try a hike up nearby Criffel, 570 metres high and with views not only over the Solway Firth but, on a clear day, all the way to Ireland.

5 The Green Frog

Hammerlands, Moffat

SatNav: DG10 9QL

Web: www.thegreenfrogmoffat.co.uk

Tel: 01683 221 220

At the Green Frog, they love dogs – and indeed many other animals, including their resident pet rabbits and guinea pigs. Fare at the café includes hot and cold wraps, soups, daily specials, curly fries and loaded fries. While you're there you can also pick up, from the shop, some biologically appropriate pet foods from Acana – all natural and with no ingredients that are bad for your dog. The Green Frog is one of those places that seems to have everything – soft play for the kids, fishing in its lochan, a caravan site, a gift shop and a garden centre stocking plants that thrive in a Scottish climate.

6 Courtyard Garden Café

Kailzie Gardens, Peebles

SatNav: EH45 9HT

Web: www.kailziegardens.com

Tel: 01721 720007

Not far from Peebles, Kailzie Gardens houses a café that has it all – doggy room, doggy beds, doggy treats, doggy bowls. You might even come across café manager Linda’s three gorgeous French bulldogs. The specially designated canine room is an old carriage room, which houses a log burner and opens on to a courtyard, and the enclosed gardens are also a perfect safe space in which to let your dog off lead. Fare includes homemade soups and breads, quiche of the day and the likes of Kailzie Kola ham with coleslaw, mac and cheese and the Black Bomber burger. It’s also a cake lover’s dream, selling scones, sponges and traybakes. But it’s not all about the food – explore the walled garden, contained by a magnificent 18ft high wall built in 1811, take a wander up the Laburnum walk or admire the formal rose garden.

7 Glentress Peel Café

Glentress Peel, Peebles

SatNav: EH45 8NB

Tel: 01721 724571

The lush Glentress forest isn’t just for the mountain bikers, it’s also for the walkers and their dogs as well. So it seems right that the Peel café welcomes dogs, enthusiastically and with water bowls – in fact, they say, regulars even get a sausage. Owners can re-energise with some homemade haggis or pork sausage rolls, or indulge in the irresistible tray bakes in this stunning, glass-walled building while looking out over the countryside. The building also houses bike hire shop, changing rooms and showers.

8 Nashy’s Coffee House

Old station building, Cardrona

SatNav: EH45 9HX

Tel: 07871169580

“It’s a bit like Crufts in here sometimes,” says Nashy. Partly that’s because this café in the corner of the village’s former railway station is prime dog-walking country. But it’s also because of the relaxed welcome they get, including water bowls. The menu, scrawled in chalk on a blackboard, includes soup, hot rolls, breakfast, cakes and lunch-time specials such as quiches, burgers and the likes of the “cheesey, eggy, bacony crumpet”. Laid back and comfy with excellent coffee. There’s a lovely network of walking trails in the nearby Cardrona Forest.

9 Greenhouse Café

6 Buccleuch Street, Melrose

SatNav: TD6 9LD

Web: www.greenhousecafemelrose.com

Tel: 01896 800360

There’s so much to bring the dog lover to Melrose – the walks in the fairy land of the Eildon hills, the glorious ruins of 15th century Melrose Abbey, which are open to the public and permits dogs provided they are on a lead. And then there’s the Greenhouse cafe just opposite the abbey, which has a relaxed contemporary feel and welcomes dogs, though restricting them to the front area of the establishment. The cafe is set in the heart of Melrose, just a stone’s throw away from the abbey itself. On the menu are handmade breakfasts, brunches, lunches and cakes, including an ever-changing specials board and gluten-free options. Outdoor seating is ideal on a sunny day for taking in a view of the abbey.

10 Brown Sugar Coffee Shop

12 Canongate, Jedburgh

SatNav: TD8 6AJ

Tel: 01835 863399

As soon as four-legged friends arrive they’re given gravy bones and water at this go-to spot for good coffee and great bread in Jedburgh. The food offering includes burgers, hot roast beef baguettes, morning breakfast rolls and a large selection of cakes and tray bakes. Ideal for a stop-off after a walk round dog-friendly Jedburgh Abbey.

11 The Cream Chimneys

15 The Square, Kelso

SatNav: TD5 7HH

Tel: 01573 228257

“Dogs welcome” is etched enthusiastically across the glass front door of this establishment – and there’s a good chance that before you even get through it you will be welcomed by resident golden retriever Piper, who on sunny days likes to occupy the front step for some serious people watching. The Cream Chimneys opened just two years ago as a café and gift shop, selling local crafts and artworks, as well as leather bags and wallets, and took home the new business award at the Scottish Business Awards last year. Locally roasted, freshly ground coffee, light lunches and delicious scones are on offer. There is also a wide range of cakes – including gluten and dairy-free – on the irresistible “Table of Temptation”. While you’re there maybe you could even treat your pooch to one of the stylish leads or collars they stock – either in leather or covetable Islay Tweed.

12 Hemelvaart Bier Café

High Street, Ayton

SatNav: TD14 5QL

Web: www.hemelvaart.co.uk

Tel: 07377 364266

Far from the madding crowds, in the little village of Ayton, is a destination continental-style bier café that welcomes dogs. Run by beer lover John Atkinson, who also vlogs on YouTube under the name The Artful Hopster, it’s not just about the IPAs, the batch beers and the stouts, but also about artisan food, coffee, and hosting live music nights. Here you can enjoy dry-cured bacon in freshly baked sourdough rolls, irresistible artisan donuts from the Kilted Donut in Leith, pies, locally sourced from Jarvis Pickle, and roasted speciality coffee from Northern Edge based in Spittal. Food served all day, including evening meals and snacks.

 

 

Read more articles in our dog-friendly Scotland series:

The Herald:

​Dog-friendly cafes

The Herald:

Dog-friendly pubs

The Herald:

Dog-friendly hotels