Visiting East Sussex With A Reactive Dog

Travelling with a reactive dog can feel overwhelming, especially when so many staycation spots are filled with off-lead dogs and unpredictable encounters. But we’re on a mission here at Nervy Mutt to prove that holidays in the UK with a reactive dog are not only possible, but it can (and should!) be enjoyable.

In March, we packed up the car and travelled to East Sussex for a long weekend with our reactive rescue dog Newt, our senior Staffy Archie. We were lucky to find a peaceful, dog-friendly Airbnb in Dallington, and from there explored quiet beaches, woodland paths, and even a castle ruin with plenty of space to decompress.

Dallington – Oak Framed Mini Barn

We stayed in a beautiful little Airbnb called the Oak Framed Mini Barn, nestled in the countryside near Dallington. The location was ideal, surrounded by peaceful farmland and birdsong, with a private enclosed garden and access to a private field by request.

It’s worth noting the hosts do have two well-socialised Ridgebacks, but they’re more than happy to keep them inside or out of the way if you let them know in advance. For us, this was a huge relief, and they were incredibly understanding of Newt’s needs.

The metal gate to the garden is sprung to close, but if you have a dog that’s a bite risk through bars, it’s worth covering it (we used a blanket to block the view just in case we had to red four-legged visitors, job done!). The accommodation itself was a dream - cosy, clean, with floor-to-ceiling windows looking out across the fields. 

There’s a spiral staircase, which meant our dogs stayed downstairs (as the property requests anyhow), but they were quite content curled up by the radiator, gazing across the meadows. A fully equipped kitchen, lovely warm shower, and the kind of silence you don’t realise you’ve been missing made this the perfect base for nervous dogs and their humans.

Heads up though, if you’re over 5'6", the bedroom ceilings are rather low, and the shower is a little snug too. But for us (5'3" and under!), it was a perfect fit.

Rushlake Green 

As we awoke from our slumber the first morning, there's only ever one thing on my mind - tea. The only thing the kitchen didn't contain was milk, so a quick google to find the nearest shop open at 7AM led me to Rushlake Green, and my oh my, what a beautiful village dawned with the hard morning frost. 

The village shop was a hidden gem, packed with local produce and familiar staples. Before heading back for breakfast, it would have been rude not to explore a little, especially as dog mum was still in bed, so I used my OS maps app and found a public footpath just to the left of the shop, and while it started well, we wouldn’t recommend it for reactive dogs. The path is narrow and enclosed by bramble, with no clear visibility ahead. We encountered another walker with dogs within 200 yards and had to double back. Gasping for a brew, we called it quits and jumped in the car back to the Oak Framed Mini Barn. 

If you visit Rushlake Green, we’d suggest sticking to the village green itself or exploring the path to the right of the pub, though we saved that one for another time so we can't advise directly, looking at google maps the path looks much wider. 

Camber Castle

We followed the AllTrails route from Rye to Camber Castle, and once you’re out of Rye’s narrow pavements, the space opens up beautifully. Rye town itself is busy with tight footpaths, so we kept both dogs close and took skipped through the tough bits as quickly, but calmly as we could. Wearing our Give Us Space Hoodies gave us a little more confidence and lots of lovely people gave way to us to get to the wider paths. 

Once inside the castle grounds, it’s peaceful and open with great visibility - ideal for reactive dogs. The fields are part of a nature reserve and contain livestock, so on-lead walking is essential (which, let’s be honest, is the dream for many of us with reactive dogs). We spent nearly 3 hours gently exploring, taking in the views, exploring the castle and its history, and using the opportunity for engagement and obedience practice.

Note: if your dog has a strong prey drive, keep a keen eye out for birds and rabbits. We saw several!

We'll have a full blog coming on just this walk coming soon - we've got a few hints and tips to make it even better for nervous dog owners.

Oak Mini Barn Private Field 

Back at the Mini Barn, we made full use of their private field, with the owner’s permission. This was a rare treat for Newt, who is rarely off-lead in public, and a safe haven for Archie, who is now hard of hearing.

We used the field to build recall confidence, practice commands, and just let them be dogs without worry. There’s also a public footpath directly behind their paddock that leads to more open fields and rolling views. Assured by the property owners that they never see anyone else, they were also able to have a good run and explore even more land. We playing hide and seek to practice their check-ins and condition their distance limitations - but ultimately we just had fun! 

This mix of controlled off-lead space and quiet footpaths is what made this stay particularly reactive-dog friendly.

Seaford Beach

For beach lovers, Seaford Beach is a real gem. We parked on the roadside near Seaford Museum of Local History, thought we'd recommend parking at Buckle Public Car Park (free, with toilets), at the other more quiet end of the beach. 

The best part at either end though? Everyone we encountered respected space. Many dogs were on leads or longlines, and the few that were off-lead stayed neutral and didn’t approach. There’s a promenade path, or you can walk at the top of the pebble beach, but we tend to walk by the water, which we found less busy.

The beach is mostly shingle and pebble over sand, so cleaner paws too! If it’s windy, the shelters along the promenade offer a great place to do settle work and give your dog a breather. We even got chatting to another nervous dog owner and did some parallel walking, which made for a great experience. 

Final Walk in Uckfield & Heading Home

Before heading back to Devon, we stopped in Uckfield for a quick walk and goodbye with family. We found a quiet path and took a short loop around residential streets to give the boys a leg stretch before the 5-hour drive. Newt, who’s often anxious in the car, snoozed the whole way home, proof of a well-balanced break!

Our Nervy Mutt Rating

East Sussex gets a solid 4.5/5 for being a nervous and reactive dog-friendly destination.

What we loved:

• Peaceful and private accommodation with flexible hosts and enclosed outdoor space.
• Access to a private field for safe off-lead time.
• On-lead nature reserves like Camber Castle and respectful beach walks at Seaford.
• March was an ideal time to visit with quieter spaces and fewer off-lead dogs around.

What we’d change:

• Some footpaths (like near Rushlake Green) are too narrow for comfortable walking with reactive dogs.
• Low ceilings in the accommodation might not suit everyone.
• Rye is worth seeing but best navigated outside of peak hours due to its busy, narrow streets.

Looking for your next dog-friendly holiday with a reactive or nervous pup? East Sussex in early spring is one to add to your list.

Fancy somewhere else? Check out our blog Visiting Dorset With a Reactive Dog