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Walks
A guide to dog friendly walks every month
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Dog Friendly Walks For The Winter - And Beyond!
Looking to enjoy a winter's walk with your dogs, family and friends? Fancy exploring somewhere new? You can find details below on some great walking ideas - courtesy of Woodland Trust and the National Trust - designed to inspire us to get out and enjoy the countryside during the winter months!
Woodland Trust - Celebrity Winter Woodland Walks
The Woodland Trust has asked some top celebrities where their favourite UK walks are and then provided all the details you need to get out and try the walks for yourself this winter, the walks include:
•Simon King - Dartmoor
•Dame Judi Dench - Yorkshire
•Sir Matthew Pinsent - Norfolk
•Ben Fogle - Greater london
•Adrian Chiles - Worcestershire
•Nick Nairn - Scotland
•Iolo Williams - Wales
•Tony Robinson - Herefordshire
Find out more on the Celebrity Winter Woodland Walks website
National Trust Winter Wonderland Walks
The National Trust has selected six walks as examples of great 'walking in a winter wonderland' strolls - and the great news is, they're dog friendly too!
From Somerset to the Peak District, Worcestershire to Bedfordshire, Yorkshire to Northern Ireland, get out and enjoy a winter stroll with your canine companions this December!
Visit the Walking in a Winter Wonderland page on the National Trust website to download the walks.
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Previous walks of the month
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The Forestry Commission has recently declared that autumn has come early this year with many parts of the UK already starting to enjoy autumn colours throughout forests, parks and woodland.
The Forestry Commission has put together its Top Ten Spots to enjoy the autumn colours and, great news, they are dog friendly too!
Top spots include:
1.Westonbirt Arboretum, Gloucestershire
2.Friston Forest in East Sussex
3.Bedgebury Pinetum in Kent
4.The Wye Valley in the Forest of Dean
5.Salcey Forest, near Northampton
6.Maulden Woods in Bedfordshire
7.Grizedale Forest, Cumbria, North West England
8.Castle Neroche near Taunton, Somerset
9.Bolderwood, New Forest
10.Mendip sites, Somerset
This year you can also follow how quickly woodlands are changing colour using the Forestry Commission's interactive online autumn colour map. It’s easy to find the best colour near you, as each wood is rated from green to golden. As the leaves change colour visitors can leave comments and rate their local woodland.
Why don't you add your autumn photos to the Forestry Commission's facebook page or send a gorgeous autumn e-card to your friends and family? Check out the new autumn website pages at www.forestry.gov.uk/autumn
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September Dog Walking Inspiration From Plus 2 Dogs
This month we are focusing on dog friendly places to walk in glorious Wales.
National Trust
The National Trust has a page on its website dedicated to walks in Wales and 20 of them are dog friendly walks which you and your canine companions can explore and enjoy. Find out more on the walks via the National Trust Wales Walks webpage
Discover Carmarthenshire
This user friendly and informative Discover Carmarthenshire website has a selection of 7 dog friendly walks in this beautiful county.
Explore Gower
The Enjoy Gower website has information on 13 beaches in this stunning part of Wales which are dog friendly all year round, so if you and your canine companions fancy a run about on the beach then be sure to visit the Enjoy Gower website which includes information on Rhossili Bay Beach apparently voted as the UK's No 1 dog friendly beach by The Times.
Visit Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire has lots of dog friendly places to walk and explore and there's a whole section dedicated to information on dogs on beaches, walks and in the countryside on the Visit Pembrokeshire website.
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Walks With Your Dog Summer 2011
If you're heading off on your holidays with your pets in July or August and are looking for ideas on places where you can walk them at your destination, then the Woodland Trust has a special page on its website with lots of information on dog walking plus a postcode woodland locator so you can just type in your holiday postcode and get a handy list of great dog friendly woodlands in that area.
For more details visit the Woodland Walkies page
August
Dog Walks With A Difference
August is a great month to get out and about exploring coast and country with family, friends and, of course, your dogs.
If you're looking for days out ideas that will suit all members of your party or looking for a day out that includes a great dog walk, some lovely scenery and then a leisurely ride back to where you started from, then try combining a walk with a ride on a steam railway.
Plus 2 Dogs has scoured the websites of many steam railways and selected a few choice ones that welcome dogs and could offer you the opportunity to walk one way and then catch the steam train back; some of the railways even have information on local walk routes which will tie in with their train service. Whilst dogs travel free on many services, others charge a nominal fee per dog, ranging from £1 up to £2.50, check individual websites for details.
Wales:
Brecon Mountain Railway
Bala Lake Railway
Midlands
Battlefield Line
Peak Rail
South
Bodmin & Wenford Railway
South Devon Railway
Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway
East
Poppy Line, North Norfolk Railway
North
Lakeside & Haverthwaite Railway
North Yorks Moors Railway
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Dog Walking Inspiration For June 2011
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Woodlands
The Forestry Commission has a Top Spots For Cool Dogs list of great forests and woods in England where dogs can enjoy a walk on a hot sunny day in a cool shady environment - places on the Top Spots list include:
- Haldon Forest Park near Exeter
- Sherwood Pines Forest Park, Nottinghamshire
- Thetford Forest, Norfolk/ Suffolk border
- The New Forest, Hampshire
- Delamere Forest Park, Cheshire
- Hamsterley Forest, County Durham
For more shady dog walking ideas visit the Top Spots For Cool Dogs page on the Forestry Commission website.
Plus 2 Dogs Recommends:
Our Labradors Tobi & Meg have put together their own list of great walks where a dip in the water is a great way
to cool those paws down…
- Scotland - Dumfries & Galloway, Brighouse Bay Beach near Kirkcudbright
- Northumberland - Bamburgh Beach
- Wales, Anglesey, Aberffraw Bay
- Norfolk, Holkham Beach
- Cumbria, Grasmere Lake
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May Walks
Bluebells Walks With Dogs
According to the recent Springwatch Easter Special the bluebells have arrived early- by as much as 2 weeks! May is a great time to get out with your canine companions to your local woods and seek out and enjoy the sight of these brilliant blue flowers carpeting the woodland floor.
Where can I find bluebells?
The Woodland Trust has a section on its website to help you find bluebell woodlands in the UK and the Forestry Commission has done likewise. On the National Trust's website you can join its Bluebell Watch campaign and discover where bluebells have been spotted around the UK.
I wandered lonely as… Daffodil Walks With Dogs
Where to find dog friendly walks and enjoy the daffodils this spring…
Spring flowers really cheer up the countryside (and us!) so when it's a sunny day it's great to get outside and enjoy those pretty wafting daffodils in all their wonderful yellowy-ness!
The following are great dog friendly walks where you can delight in the daffodils:
Wales - Wentwood Forest, Gwent
South
- Devon - Dunsford Wood
- Sussex - West Deans Wood
North
- North Yorkshire - Farndale
- Cumbria - Grasmere
Midlands
Golden Triangle / Daffodil Way - in Gloucestershire & Herefordshire around the village of Newent and Dymock.
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Snowdrop Walks With Dogs
The sight of pretty snowdrops brightening up the wintery woodlands and landscape puts us all in the mood for spring so here are Plus 2 Dogs ideas for places to get out in the February & March sunshine with your friends, family & dogs and enjoy these gorgeous little flowers in a garden, woodland or parkland near you.
Scotland - Scotland celebrates its Snowdrop Festival with a whole variety of woodland and gardens all over the country, to find a snowdrop walk near you visit the special Snowdrop Festival page on the Visit Scotland website
www.white.visitscotland.com
England
- Painswick Rococo Garden in the Cotswolds
- Walsingham Abbey, Norfolk
- Lytham Hall Snowdrop Walks, Lancashire
- Hartland Abbey & Gardens, Devon
- Mere House, Kent
www.mere-house.co.uk
Wales
- Chirk Castle, North Wales
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-chirkcastle
National Trust properties throughout the UK:
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-visits-snowdrops.htm
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Winter Walk Inspiration
A number of organisations run winter walks festivals, especially around the Christmas & New Year periods, so if you fancy heading out for some fresh air with your dogs try the following for ideas and inspiration:
Enjoy England - The English Tourist Board has teamed up with Hills Pet Nutrition to conduct a survey on the top dog walks in England and the results include walks in Norfolk, Derbyshire, Devon, Lake District and Dorset.
The Enjoy England website also has information on dog friendly beaches and some winter walk ideas.
National Trust Winter Walks - from a stroll in the estate grounds at Attingham Park in Shropshire to a wander along Studland Beach in Dorset the National Trust has some great destinations for winter dog walking.
Scotland - one of the most amazing places to enjoy truly spectacular winter scenery whilst walking your dog is Glenmore Forest Park near Aviemore in the Scottish Highlands. This Forestry Commission forest is home to a number of trails of varying lengths.
Ramblers Festival Of Winter Walks - The Ramblers are running a Festival of Winter Walks around the Christmas & New Year holidays. Their website has details of walks of all lengths and styles throughout the UK but do check the details on walks of interest to you as dogs are welcome on many but not all of them.
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Unexplored Autumn Colour At Westonbirt
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Dogs are welcome at Westonbirt (though there are some areas where access is restricted) and they and their owners are invited to explore the Silk Wood, which covers some two thirds of the arboretum, as well as The Downs area - all off lead!
Visit www.forestry.gov.uk/westonbirt for more ideas for your visit this autumn.
Follow the autumn colour updates at www.fowa.org.uk from 1 October.
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September Plus 2 Dogs Walks
This month Plus 2 Dogs is inspired by walking by the water. All over the UK there are walks and trails galore that meander around lakes and reservoirs in some stunning settings. Here's some ideas for water walks to try in September...
South
Dartmoor Forest, Devon - the South West Lakes Trust look after numerous lakes and leisure activities in this area including the Burrator, Roadford and Tamar lakes. For details of walks and trails click here
Wales
Welsh Water has put together a downloadable booklet, A Guide To Recreation Around The Reservoirs of Wales, packed full of walk ideas, for details click here
Midlands
Carsington Water, Derbyshire - Severn Trent Water look after this popular reservoir, set near Ashbourne in south Derbyshire, which you can walk all of the way around if you wish, the circuit is approx 8 miles. For more details click here
Scotland
Loch Lubnaig, Strathyre Forest - this loch, north west of Callander, off the A84, enjoys a stunning location in the Queen Elizabeth Forest overseen by the Forestry Commission. There are numerous trails and picnic spots around the loch and in the surrounding forest. For more details click here
Thirlmere Reservoir in Cumbria is under the wing of United Utilities and can be found just off the A591 between Grasmere and Keswick in the Lake District. For more details click here
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Plus 2 Dogs: August Dog walks
National Parks in the UK are great places to get out and explore with your dogs and make the most of the last of the summer weather while it lasts! National Parks are there for everyone to enjoy, free of charge, 24/7, 365 days of the year. There are 15 members of the National Parks family:
Wales - Brecon Beacons, Pembrokeshire Coast, Snowdonia.
England - Dartmoor, Exmoor, Lake District, New Forest, Northumberland, North York Moors, Peak District, South Downs, Yorkshire Dales. The Broads is also classed as a member of the National Parks 'family'.
Scotland - Loch Lomond & The Trossachs, Cairngorms.
Walk Ideas - To celebrate National Parks Week, Plus 2 Dogs has put together a few dog friendly walking ideas, simply click on the links below for details:
Scotland
Loch Lomond National Park
Wales
Brecon Beacons
England
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Walk Ideas For July 2010: Plus 2 Dogs Heads For The Beach
Now that summer has well and truly arrived in the UK we thought it would be a great time to head for the beach with your canine friends…
Holkham Bay Beach Walk, Norfolk
Located in North Norfolk, close to the seaside town of Wells-next-the-Sea, Holkham Bay Beach has miles of sand for you and your dogs to explore, all year round. You can opt to wander for half an hour and have a bit of a paddle or follow the walking routes suggested on the Holkham Hall Estate website, for details click here
You can even make a day of it if you prefer and explore the estate's country park where various designated trails guide you around the 3000 acres and dogs on lead are welcome. For details of the park estate and the walking routes click here
St Cyrus Beach, Montrose, Scotland
Located on the east coast of Scotland close to the town of Montrose is gorgeous St Cyrus Beach & Nature Reserve, for details click here
Rhossili Beach, Gower Peninsula, Wales
According to Enjoy Gower the Gower Peninsula is very popular with dog owners thanks to many of the beaches in this area of outstanding natural beauty allowing year round access for dogs and their owners. Rhossili Beach is said to be a real stunner and was recently voted the UK's No. 1 dog-friendly beach by The Times.
A full list of Swansea Bay and Gower beaches which allow year-round access for dogs can be found on the Enjoy Gower website, for details click here
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Walk Ideas For June
Kielder Forest
June is the month of the longest day and a great excuse to head off for some truly leisurely walks in gorgeous countryside. This month Plus 2 Dogs has selected the Forestry Commission’s (FC) Kielder Forest on the north west edge of Northumbria, close to the Cumbrian and Scottish border as its dog walking recommendation. The FC website lists loads of dog friendly walks in the forest and throughout the North East of England. For more general information on Kielder Forest click here
Sponsored Walks For Dogs
The RNIB is running its ‘Go Walkies’ fundraising campaign throughout the year, with a large proportion of the organised walking events taking place in June and July. The idea of ‘Go Walkies’ is that it’s your dog who’s sponsored to enjoy a walk (with you of course!) at lots of venues all around the UK. If you wish you can even get some friends and their dogs together and organise your own sponsored walk. To find out more click here
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Walk Ideas for May
Bluebell Walks
May is a great month to get out, enjoy a walk with family, friends and dogs and see some beautiful bluebells in UK woodlands. The National Trust has a "Bluebell Watch" page on its website with lots of ideas on Bluebell Woods.
Plus, if you're in the East Sussex area then head for Arlington Bluebell Walk, open until 23rd May - dogs welcome.
"Plus 2 Dogs Forest Walk for the Month of May"
Haldon Forest Park, near Exeter
The Forestry Commission manage Haldon Forest Park's 3500 acres of woodland and dogs are positively encouraged to explore the numerous trails ( with their owners of course!).
