Dogs on trains and buses
Getting to a walk without a car: the rules for the trains and buses from Lewes.
Can I take my dog on the train from Lewes?
Yes. On National Rail trains, including Southern from Lewes, each passenger can take up to two dogs free. They have to stay on a lead for the whole journey and in the station, and they can't go on the seats (National Rail Conditions of Travel, valid from 30 July 2026). On a rail replacement bus, Southern leaves it to the driver.
Can dogs go on the buses in Lewes?
Usually. Brighton & Hove Buses (the 28 and 29) carry dogs free, normally two per bus in all, on a lead and off the seats. On Compass Travel's village routes and Cuckmere's community buses it's up to the driver. All of them carry assistance dogs.
On the train
Lewes station is managed by Southern. Every train company follows the National Rail Conditions of Travel.
- Each passenger can take up to two dogs free of charge, unless a train company has set its own conditions on its website.
- Your dog has to stay on a lead for the whole journey, and on station property too.
- Dogs aren't allowed on the seats, ever.
- If your dog bothers other passengers, staff can ask you to take it off the train or out of the station.
From National Rail Conditions of Travel, condition 24, valid from 30 July 2026.
What Southern asks
On top of the national rules:
- Use a short lead, above all on platforms, escalators and lifts, and getting on and off.
- Carry your dog on and off the train if you can, so nothing goes wrong in the gap.
- Keep dogs out of busy aisles.
- If you, your dog or the lead gets caught in the doors, use the passenger alarm straight away.
- Bring fresh water on longer journeys.
- Rail replacement buses take pets only if the driver agrees, and some coach companies don't take animals at all.
- Assistance dogs are always allowed.
From Southern, Travelling with pets, undated page, read 25 October 2026.
Brighton & Hove Buses
The 28 (Brighton, Ringmer, Eastbourne) and the 29, 29A and 29B (Brighton, Uckfield, Tunbridge Wells, Heathfield).
- Dogs travel free.
- Normally two dogs per bus, counting everyone's, not two each. Any more is up to the driver.
- Dogs have to be on a lead and well behaved.
- Dogs can't sit on the seats, but they can sit on your lap.
- The driver can ask you and your dog to get off at any time.
- Assistance dogs are carried at all times and always come first.
From Brighton & Hove Buses, Dogs on buses, undated page, read 25 October 2026.
Compass Travel
The village routes from Lewes, such as the 121 (Uckfield), 122 (Barcombe), 123 (Newhaven), 125 (Alfriston and Eastbourne) and 166 (Haywards Heath).
- It's up to the driver whether your dog gets on. There's no set number.
- A driver may say no to a dog that seems dangerous, or likely to upset other passengers or animals already on board.
- Dogs mustn't sit on the seats.
- You have to keep your dog under control on a lead or in a suitable container.
- Assistance dogs, guide dogs and hearing dogs travel free.
From Compass Travel, Conditions of Carriage, updated 9 November 2021, read 25 October 2026.
Buses up to the Downs, and along the coast
Brighton & Hove's buses to the walks above Brighton, and the 13X along the coast. We found no separate dog rules for them, so expect Brighton & Hove's, above.
- The 79 goes from Old Steine in Brighton to the car park at Ditchling Beacon on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays: seven journeys a day, the first at 9.20am.
- The 77 goes from Brighton Palace Pier to Devil's Dyke on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays: eight journeys a day, the first at 8.50am.
- The 78 goes from the Royal Pavilion to Stanmer every day: nine journeys on weekdays from 7.40am, seven at weekends from 10am.
- The 13X goes from Brighton station through Peacehaven, Newhaven and Seaford to Seven Sisters, Birling Gap, Beachy Head and Eastbourne, every 20 minutes on Sundays and public holidays.
From Brighton & Hove Buses' timetables for the 77, 78 and 79, and for the 13X, from 27 September 2026, read 2 November 2026.
Cuckmere Buses
The volunteers' community buses, such as the 23 (Kingston, Rodmell, Southease, Piddinghoe and Newhaven), 25 (Alfriston and Eastbourne), 25X (Charleston and Berwick) and 21 (Sheffield Park), mostly on Sundays.
- Dogs go on with the driver's say-so, and are normally carried free.
- A dog has to be with a passenger who has paid their fare, and under proper control.
- Dogs travel on the floor, never on the seats.
From Cuckmere Buses, Conditions of Carriage, January 2025, read 2 November 2026.
The ferry from Newhaven to Dieppe
DFDS's crossing to France. Dogs can go, but not in the lounges.
- On foot, you have to book a kennel or a pet-friendly cabin through DFDS's customer care: it can't be booked online.
- By car, your dog can stay in the car, but you can't stay with it. Visits are arranged at the Guest Service Centre.
- No pets in the public areas, except assistance dogs. There's an outdoor area for pets.
- There are three pet-friendly cabins, each with four berths and room for two pets, and a few kennels (DFDS's pages say three in one place and five in another).
- Each way: £20 a pet in the car or in a pet cabin (on top of the cabin), £30 a dog in a kennel. Pets have to be at least 16 weeks old.
From DFDS, Travelling with pets, undated page, read 2 November 2026.
Papers for a dog going to France
The government's rules for taking a dog from Great Britain to the EU and back.
- Since 22 April 2026, people who live in Great Britain can't use a pet passport to take a dog into the EU.
- Your dog needs an animal health certificate from a vet, issued no more than 10 days before you arrive in the EU, and a new one for each trip.
- It needs a microchip, then a rabies vaccination (from 12 weeks old) at least 21 days before you travel.
- Coming back, a vet has to treat it for tapeworm between 24 hours and 5 days before you arrive in Great Britain.
From GOV.UK, Taking your pet dog, cat or ferret abroad, read 2 November 2026, with GOV.UK's news of 21 April 2026 on pet passports.
Rules change, so check before you go. Bus routes are those stopping in Lewes town centre on bustimes.org, 25 October 2026, and Cuckmere Buses' own route pages, 2 November 2026.