# A dog-friendly place to stay in the South Downs, near Chichester > One of our three homes takes a dog: Barley Cottage, which sleeps four on one level and has its own gated patio and walled lawn. One well-behaved dog is welcome for £50 a stay, and a week is from £896. The farm is in West Marden in the South Downs National Park, about 10 miles from Chichester, and a footpath across the fields starts at the gate. - **Home:** Barley Cottage, sleeps 4 - **Dogs:** One, £50 a stay - **From:** £896 a week - **Walks:** From the gate ## Which home takes a dog Only [Barley Cottage](https://themarden.co.uk/stay/barley-cottage). We would rather say so here than have you find out at the booking stage. [Keepers](https://themarden.co.uk/stay/keepers) and [The Old Stables](https://themarden.co.uk/stay/the-old-stables) do not take dogs, apart from assistance dogs, which are welcome in all three. Barley sits at the entrance to the farm and is all on one level, so there are no stairs for an old dog to manage. It sleeps four in a king bedroom and a twin, with one bathroom. A gated picket fence leads to a paved patio, and beyond that is a walled lawn. The main window looks out to the footpath across our fields. It takes one dog, not two, and the charge is £50 for the stay, however long you are here. ## Walks from the gate You do not need the car to walk the dog. The footpath across the farm starts at the gate. The [West Marden loop](https://themarden.co.uk/local/octagon-walks) is 2.7 miles, takes about an hour and a quarter and finishes past the Victoria Inn. Two more waymarked walks start in Compton, half a mile and three quarters of a mile from the farm, and they are the ones to choose for a dog that needs a proper run. For a full day, the 15.2-mile Octagon Way passes a quarter of a mile from the homes. A path also climbs from the farm to a viewpoint at 183 metres, where you can see the Isle of Wight on a clear day. The yew forest at [Kingley Vale](https://themarden.co.uk/local/kingley-vale) is about 12 minutes by car, and dogs stay on a lead throughout the reserve. Our own farm is arable, but livestock graze some of the fields on these routes, so dogs go on a lead there. Some paths have stiles. From November to March the valley bottoms are muddy. ## Pubs and beaches with a dog The Victoria Inn is in the village, a very short walk from the door. Dogs are welcome in the bar but not in the dining room, so say you have one when you book a table. West Wittering beach is about 17 miles away, 35 minutes on a quiet day. Dogs are allowed on most of it all year. In summer, book the car park by 11pm the night before. See [beaches and the harbour](https://themarden.co.uk/local/beaches-and-harbour). - Barley Mow, Walderton: 2.5 miles. Dogs welcome. On a waymarked walk. Closed on Mondays. - Hare and Hounds, Stoughton: 3.6 miles, at the foot of Kingley Vale. Dogs welcome. - Royal Oak, Hooksway: 4.5 miles. Dogs welcome, and two log fires. In winter it opens at lunchtime only. - West Wittering: from May to mid-September dogs are kept off the main bathing beach in front of the beach huts, between groynes 14a and 18. Those were the 2026 dates, so check before you go. - East Head, the dunes at the western end of West Wittering: dogs welcome on a lead. - [Stansted Park](https://themarden.co.uk/local/stansted-park): about 10 minutes by car. Dogs under close control on the forest footpaths and bridleways. ## What to know before you come Tell us when you book that a dog is coming. The lawn is walled, but we cannot promise it will hold a determined jumper, so say if yours is one. Bring their bed and a towel for wet days. Barley has a washing machine. The nearest shop is in Rowlands Castle, five minutes by car, and the main supermarkets deliver to the farm. Mobile signal in the valley is poor on every network except EE, so use the wifi. The heated pool is open from mid-June to early September, Monday to Saturday. It is for people. ## When to come and how to book There is one dog-friendly home, so summer weeks in Barley go first. Autumn and winter are quieter and suit walkers: the paths are empty and the days end early. A week is from £896 and summer weeks run Friday to Friday. Outside the school holidays we take shorter stays, so ask us for a price. There is a three-night minimum over Goodwood events, Easter, half-terms and Christmas. There are no booking fees when you book direct. ## Questions ### Which homes at The Marden allow dogs? Only Barley Cottage. Keepers and The Old Stables do not take dogs. Assistance dogs are welcome in all three homes. ### How much does it cost to bring a dog? £50 for the stay, on top of the price of the stay. A week in Barley Cottage is from £896. ### Can I bring two dogs? No. Barley Cottage takes one well-behaved dog per stay. ### Is the garden at Barley Cottage enclosed? Barley has a paved patio behind a gated picket fence and a walled lawn. We cannot promise it will hold every dog, so tell us about yours when you book. ### Are there dog walks from the door? Yes. A footpath across the farm starts at the gate, the 2.7-mile West Marden loop starts in the village, and the 15.2-mile Octagon Way passes a quarter of a mile away. See [the Octagon walks](https://themarden.co.uk/local/octagon-walks). ### Are dogs allowed in the pubs and on the beaches nearby? The Victoria Inn in the village takes dogs in the bar but not the dining room. The Barley Mow in Walderton, the Hare and Hounds in Stoughton and the Royal Oak at Hooksway all take dogs. At West Wittering, about 17 miles away, dogs are allowed all year except on the main bathing beach from May to mid-September. ## Related - [Barley Cottage: the dog-friendly one, with a walled lawn](https://themarden.co.uk/stay/barley-cottage.md) - [Walks from the door: the Octagon Way and its eight short loops](https://themarden.co.uk/local/octagon-walks.md) - [Kingley Vale: the yew forest and the Devil’s Humps](https://themarden.co.uk/local/kingley-vale.md) - [Pubs near West Marden, nearest first](https://themarden.co.uk/local/pubs.md) - [Beaches near West Marden: West Wittering, East Head, Bosham and Emsworth](https://themarden.co.uk/local/beaches-and-harbour.md) - [A self-catering walking holiday in the South Downs, on the Octagon Way](https://themarden.co.uk/breaks/walking-holidays.md) ## Booking Book direct with The Marden at https://themarden.co.uk (no booking fees), or message us on WhatsApp: https://wa.me/447822026091. West Marden Farm, West Marden, Chichester, West Sussex PO18 9EN. Page: https://themarden.co.uk/breaks/dog-friendly-stays · Last updated 2026-11-14