Dog walks @ National Trust Properties

[Parkmama]

Which National Trust properties are your favourite for walking your dogs? We have a family membership and a new lab has just joined our family and so looking for inspiration for dog friendly NT's! Can be anywhere in the UK . . .

Croome is lovely - the landscape means that you see everything differently as you move round the parkland

Hatfield forest so much to explore and if head away from main area can spend few hrs not seeing many people

Calke Abbey (Derbyshire) esp bluebell season but also other times lovely woods/lake/parkland/house views

Wimpole Estate, Cambridgeshire

Sizergh Castle has extended the walks in the estate and the cafe is outside the castle and gardens so you can eat/drink outside there as well as use their picnic tables.
Allan Bank In Grasmere allows dogs inside the house and in the grounds. Plenty of walks in the area can finish, start, or have it as middle point, although they only do tea, coffee and biscuits not meals.You can picnic in the grounds.

Ashridge in Hertfordshire

Clumber Park has a huge number of walks, but my favourite is a BrockHampton estate, as it’s one of the few NT sites that allow dogs off lead (in the Wood area). Croft Castle is nice too for walks, as is Nostell Priory in South Yorkshire

Forgot Rievaulx Terraces in North Yorkshire!

@IsletsOfLangerhans you can let your dogs off lead at ashridge except in rutting season when they put signs up (which idiots ignore not realising its for the safety of their dogs.... dogs get killed every year). There is a high deer population though, dogs do get lost somewhat frequently when people don't keep them close and they probably go off after deer.

@PrayingandHoping that is good to know for future reference 😃 My dog was chased by a stag last year (just appeared out of a wood and went for her - she was just running mindlessly round a field at the time!) so we are fully aware of the danger of deer 😱

Just check the rules about dogs before you visit any given property. The NT aren't consistent. Which is ironic given that they licence fox hunts to rampage over their land.

Blickling and Felbrigg in north Norfolk are both lovely. Loads of geocaches there too which keeps the kids occupied. They also both have dog friendly tea rooms which is a definitely plus!

Another vote for Clumber Park in North Nottinghamshire - the most visited NT property (I think) but has 1000's of acres of woodlands, Heath and lakes so you can walk and walk and not see anyone. Also has a cafe designed specifically for dogs - Central Bark!

Sheringham Park in North Norfolk, also second Felbrigg and Blickling.
Not National Trust but if you are in N Norfolk the beach at Wells-Next-The-Sea is half dog friendly all year round.

Avoid Stonehenge.

The NT have banned dogs from all the land around it except where the public footpaths cross it ( and they can't!)

We never go to NT properties to walk our dogs. They are generally very anti dogs and state that dogs have to be on leads.

Someone mentioned Clumber Park. While lovely there have been a lot of reports lately of dogs getting some kind of virus and dying! It’s something like fungus in the undergrowth causing it I think.

Love clumber but as a PP said it has had problems with SDI and alabama rot, so avoid between November and March. But well worth going away from those times - love the woods!

Blickling is lovely, just down the road from my parents. My spaniels start going wild as we get into Oulton as they know where we’re going!

We love Blickling, we’re nearly two hours away but we try and go up at least twice a year. The dog is off lead all the way round the park and we completely knacker him out. Always have a cream tea in the cafe by the car park on the way out.

Attingham park has good walks- some on lead but plenty of off- lead space too.
There is a dog friendly area in the cafe too.
Not Powys Castle though: no dogs allowed at all, even in the car park.

Charlecote Park just opened a new dog friendly cafe. Walks are nice, just watch for the masses of Fallow deer. Definitely on lead to avoid a "Fenton!!" moment 🤣