13 Forse Of Nature

Forse House, Latheron, Caithness

SatNav: KW5 6DG

Web: www.forseofnature.com

Tel: 01593 741754

The Pictish icon that Forse House has chosen as its logo is a wild-looking fox. It gives just a hint of how canine-friendly the eco-friendly business at the heart of this magnificent 18th century mansion is.

A big reason to visit is the 24 acres of beautiful mature woodland it provides for your four-legged friends to tear around in. But it’s also the café, with its ever-ready jar of doggy biscuits and welcoming atmosphere.

Owners can tuck into sandwiches, paninis, toasties, soups and chips – as well as the Sunday Specials which include locally produced lamb burgers or pulled pork – then browse in the gift shop which stocks knitwear, needlework, jewellery, clocks, and artwork from local crafters. For those looking for somewhere to stay, their guesthouse is dog friendly too.

14 Cocoa Mountain

Castle Street, Dornoch

SatNav: IV25 3SN

Web: www.cocoamountain.co.uk

Tel: 01971 511233

A northern haven, not only for chocoholics and coffee lovers, but also for their doggy companions. This pioneering chocolatier was founded by Paul Maden and James Finlay in 2006, in Balnakiel, and, they claim, is probably the most remote chocolate producer in Europe.

Dogs are welcomed inside but, on dry days, a bigger pleasure is to sit outside and admire Dornoch Cathedral – whose interior is all the more amazing – while you sup what some say is the “best hot chocolate” in the country.

Cocoa Mountain also sells vegan and gluten-free products, and, for those without a sweet tooth there is even a good range of savouries, like their delicious tarts and filled French bread batons.

15 Slaughterhouse Coffee

Marine Terrace North, Cromarty

SatNav: IV11 8YL

Tel: 07494 492695

In a simple-looking wooden shed, with packing-crate seating outside, is a caffeine lover’s dream. One of the joys of this coffee house – set up by Australian Tony Vandyke, who also produces his own roast, Vandykes Bros coffee – is its location, next to the links, but also right on the water, at the tip of the Cromarty-Nigg ferry slipway.

Water bowls on offer for the dogs, and, for the humans, toast and sweet treats, for example baklava homemade by a local Syrian refugee. The coffee shop takes its name from the old slaughterhouse once next door.

Ian Rankin, perhaps not surprisingly, is a fan.

16 Jammy Piece

91b Telford St, Inverness

SatNav: IV3 5LE

Tel: 01463 239503

This fun-looking, turquoise-painted cafe is the ideal spot at which to finish off a walk along the Caledonian canal – and it’s a jammy dog that gets to try out the doggy treats at Jammy Piece.

Here, canines are offered not just biscuits but doggy cupcakes and doggy ice cream, made from natural yoghurt, peanut butter and mashed banana. Jammy Piece sells a wide range of human foods too, at good prices, from wraps to soup and salads, and brunch favourites like avocado, tomato and bacon to an array of home baked scones and cakes.

Cosy up to the wood burner at the back on cold days, or sit at the tables outside, in the sun, and watch the life of the canal.

17 The Wild Flour

Main Street, Newtonmore

SatNav: PH20 1DA

Tel: 01540 670975

Take note of the metal dog in the window has a sign saying “welcome”, because the owners of this place are real dog-lovers. They love to make a fuss of any visiting hound.

But it’s also a delight for owners, as almost everything here, right down to the flat bread, is home made in the kitchen, and it stocks fairtrade coffee and a range of gluten free cakes. An ideal refreshment detour on the way up the A9 or chill spot after a vigorous Cairngorm walk.

Watch out, while you’re there, for the Wildcat Experience trail of painted feline figures throughout the village, a tribute to Scotland’s increasingly endangered species.

18 Lily’s Kitchen Café

22 Seafield St, Cullen, Buckie

SatNav: AB56 4SH

Tel: 01542 488816

At Lily’s you can not only get an award-winning bowl of Cullen skink – championship winner 2018 – but also a warm welcome for your canine companion. A small but bright and cheery café with a seaside feel, it sells soup, burgers, sandwiches, takeaway breakfast rolls and plenty of cakes.

Ideal for a snack after a wild walk along the long, dramatic sweep of Cullen beach, taking a sniff at the giant iconic red rocks known as the “Three Kings”.

Of her championship Cullen skink, owner Lynne Watson says, “My recipe is just basic, no airs and graces, just good quality ingredients and that’s about it.”

19 Brew Toon

72A St Peter St, Peterhead

SatNav: AB42 1QB

Web: www.brewtoon.com

Tel: 01779 476211

Brew Toon describe themselves as “Peterhead’s pirate ship of brewing”, and batch craft beer is certainly at the core of what they do. The brainchild of oil and gas worker, Cameron Bowden, this relaxed space is on the site of an old brewery. It’s also a dog-friendly joint that is about so much more than the beer – their own blend of artisan coffee, sweet potato fries, aubergine rolls, tuna tataki, pumpkin ravioli and more.

Their small café-bar welcomes dogs with water bowls and treats, and it’s possible as you sup on your pint, to take a snoop through their giant window to the microbrewery and see how your pint of raspberry cream ale or your Weekend Hooker is made. It’s child-friendly too.

20 The Long Dog Café,

66 Claremont Street, Aberdeen

SatNav: AB10 6QY

Web: www.thelongdogcafe.co.uk

Tel: 01224 467979

The Long Dog is all about the coffee, the brunch, the cakes and the milkshakes, but also, as one would hope given its name, the pure dog love – and particularly the love of a dachshund called Big Gav who prompted its creation.

The story goes that his owners, Tom and Jamie, created the venture after Big Gav had been refused by too many a café and forced to stay out in the chill winds of Aberdeen. “All dogs are welcome,” their website says, “as long as they are accompanied by a well behaved owner.”

And they’re not just welcome to hang out in this eatery in what’s sometimes described as Aberdeen’s Little Chelsea, they’re also fussed over and given doggy treats. The Long Dog's highly Instagrammable freakshakes are also pure gastroporn.

21 The Foodstory

13-15 Thistle St, Aberdeen

SatNav: AB10 1XZ

Web: www.foodstorycafe.co.uk

Community, The Foodstory say, is right at the heart of everything they do, and that includes the canine members of our tribes – who are welcomed here and fussed over.

This chilled café, which has a simple Scandi vibe, bare walls and wooden furniture, began when a group of people launch a Kickstarter with a dream of “building a space where anyone of any age, any walk of life could not just eat great food but come in and feel part of a community”.

The menu here is vegan and vegetarian, based around local produce – hot pots, salads, vegan lasagne, scones and cakes.

22 The Bach

31 Meadowside, Albert Square, Dundee

SatNav: DD1 3DE

Web: www.the-bach.com

At The Bach (pronounced ‘batch’), dogs aren’t just welcomed, they’re even given their own bed and offered a bowl of water. The café, the brainchild of a New Zealand couple who bring to their food a distinctive antipodean twist, revolves around an offering of craft beer, good coffee, homemade burgers and sausages, house Habanero ketchup, vegan options, spicy Kiwi mince on toast and a dream weekend brunch.

It has a hipster, family-friendly vibe, and is ideal for a doggy stop-off in happening Dundee. The banter is great, too – and time it right and you might even catch one of their morning yoga sessions.

Coffee comes from some of Scotland’s best roasters, including Unorthodox Roasters from Kinross and Sacred Grounds Coffee Company from Arbroath.

23 Blend Coffee Lounge

274 High Street, Perth

SatNav: PH1 5QJ

Web: www.blendcoffee.co.uk

Tel: 01738 638088

Blend Coffee Lounge may be mostly about gathering, as they say, “round the campfire of coffee", but it also happens to have been the first dog-friendly coffee shop in Perth. Four-legged friends are greeted with enthusiasm.

For their human companions though, there’s not only a caffeine fix on the menu, but also milk shakes, paninis and sweet treats including chocolate indulgence cake and peanut butter crunch balls. Branches also in Dundee and Paisley.

24 Brew & Chew

51 High St, Perth

SatNav: PH1 5TJ

Web: Search on Facebook

Tel: 01738 248460

Brew & Chew demonstrate their passion for pooches on their Facebook page, which is more like a canine beauty parade than food voyeurism. Dogs are welcomed here and offered water bowls and sausages – but top dog is clearly Burach their resident sproodle. The menu for the dogs is nearly as exciting as the one for their owners – including sausages, popcorn, cookies and their popular doggy cupcakes.

Homemade soup, sandwiches and an excellent cake range for the humans. Valentine’s day, for instance saw them serving red velvet cupcakes for dog owners and suggesting that they show how their four legged-friends “how much you love them today by treating them to one of our amazing Iced Woofin Cupcakes”.

The owners run the Willows Coffee Shop too, which is also dog friendly.

Read more articles in our dog-friendly Scotland series:

The Herald:

​Dog-friendly cafes

The Herald:

Dog-friendly pubs

The Herald:

Dog-friendly hotels