03 Sep 2026 Catgeory1
Finding somewhere that genuinely welcomes a dog, rather than tolerating one for an extra fee, is harder than it should be. We have a cocker spaniel called Mabel, so we set both of our Nairn cottages up the way we would want them ourselves. Both of them take dogs.
Keel Cottage is a three bedroom cottage in Nairn, beautifully refurbished, and it sleeps six. Mabels Cottage is a two bedroom cottage sleeping four, with a log burning fire, and it is named after our dog. Both are a short walk from the beach and both welcome dogs.
We did it that way because we travel with Mabel and we know what the search is like: you find somewhere you like, you read to the bottom of the page, and dogs are not allowed. So whichever of the two suits your group, the dog is not the thing that rules it out.
Being a few minutes from the sand matters more than people expect. You can get out early, let the dog run before the beach fills up, and be back without having driven anywhere.
Nairn Beach is a long stretch of sand on the Moray Firth and it is the obvious first walk. For something under trees, Culbin Forest runs along the coast west of the town, with pine woods that come right down to the sands. The Nairn River Walk follows the water from the town out towards the sea and makes an easy evening loop.
If you want a longer day, the Moray Firth coast is one of the better places in the country to spot bottlenose dolphins from the shore.
Nairn is a small town, so the beach, the shops and the places to eat are all close together. That makes a difference with a dog, because you are not constantly getting in and out of the car. Several places in town are relaxed about dogs outside, and the coastal paths are open all year.
Two golf links sit on either side of the town, Nairn Golf Club and Nairn Dunbar, if someone in the party plays and someone else would rather walk the dog.
Both cottages are booked direct with us rather than through an agency, so if you have a question about whether one suits your dog, or your group, you are asking the people who own it. If the dates you want are gone we will say so, and if the other cottage would work better for you we will tell you that too.
You can see both of our self catering cottages in Nairn and what is around them.
