Holiday inspiration & travel tips

Lacock Abbey

10 dog friendly days out in Wiltshire

The words “dogs” and “Wiltshire” should start being included next to one another in the Oxford English Dictionary, given how the area is so accommodating and exciting for your furry companions!

This county in South West England encompasses all-things-natural and dog-friendly. 


Stonehenge

Stonehenge

Tourists flock from the world over to visit this famous historical landmark in Wiltshire, and there’s no reason why you can’t get your cultural-fix without having to leave the dogs at home. Though they are unlikely to grasp the majesty of the prehistoric ring of standing stones, the area is so beautiful that they’ll get all the scents they could dream of!

Dogs are not permitted in the monument field (unless they are assistant dogs), but there are numerous trails that you can enjoy with them, whilst taking in the area’s beauty and admiring the 13 feet high stone tribute. 

Visiting with dogs:

Dogs are not allowed in the Stone Circle Monument Field but dogs on leads are welcome outside the visitor centre, and in the surrounding National Trust fields.

Website: Stonehenge

English Heritage

Lacock Abbey

Lacock Abbey

This masterpiece of Gothic Revival architecture was built as a nunnery of the Augustinian order in the early 13th century by the Countess of Salisbury. This is a great historical representation of English county homes, which was once inhabited by William Henry Fox Talbot.

It is a National Trust property, so you can expect all the usuals when it comes to taking your dog with you: water taps, bins, car parks and so on. The only requirement is that you keep your dog on a leash, so as not to disrupt other guests, and stay within the wooded copse and out of the main park and garden.

Visiting with dogs:

Dogs welcome in the abbey grounds in winter season.
(1 November to 31 March).

Website: Lacock Abbey

Lacock Abbey

Avebury Stone Circle

Avebury Stone Circle

This area is not shy on incredible stone circles, so if you’re looking to explore them, your next stop should be the Avebury Stone Circle. There’s the ancient stone circle itself, a museum and a manor house and each are worth your time. The area is at the heart of the Avebury World Heritage Site and best yet: it is dog-friendly!

There are no limitations on where your dogs can explore, they’re even allowed in the cafe and Avebury Manor and Garden – they just need to be minded, kept on a lead and looked after. There are bins to make that an easy task. 

Visiting with dogs:

Dogs on leads are welcome across the site apart from the National Trust cafe and Avebury Manor and Garden.

Website: Avebury Stone Circle

Lacock Abbey

Stourhead House

Stourhead

Locals and tourists alike flock to the National Trust’s Stourhead if they’re looking for a way to enjoy the outdoors and exercise their dogs at the same time.

Dogs are welcome in the landscape garden, which is a loop that takes around 2 hours to complete, from March until October after 4pm, and then after 3pm in November and absolutely all-day-everyday from December to February. There are water bowls for dogs at the reception area, and a cafe for your personal refreshment needs (and maybe a nice scone, while you’re at it). Given the number of grazing farm animals, it’s important to keep your dogs on a lead. 

Visiting with dogs:

Dogs welcome:
After 4pm on short fixed leads March – October.
After 3pm on short fixed leads throughout November
Dogs welcome in the garden all day December – February

Website: Stourhead

Lacock Abbey

Ludgershall Castle & Cross

Ludgershall Castle & Cross

This castle in Ludgershall was a royal residence in the 12th and 13th centuries, now what remains is a great day out for the family to get a bit of a cultural experience alongside an outdoor adventure.

Dogs on leads are welcome. There are public toilets if you want to fill up a water bowl for your pets, and cafes to sit and enjoy the scenery with a nice piece of cake and coffee. Amidst the scenery and ruins, there is a medieval cross worth a look. If you plot a route prior to going, you can make it so that you do a large loop, enjoying everything this small but wonderful section of Wiltshire has to offer. 

Visiting with dogs:

Dogs on leads are welcome all year round.

Website: Ludgershall Castle & Cross

English Heritage

Dog friendly walking destinations in Wiltshire

Wiltshire is a landlocked county in South West England, which is flanked by the much-loved counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. If you know anything about all of these counties, it’s that they’re never lacking in the natural beauty department and therefore the dog friendly walking opportunities, and Wiltshire is no exception. 

Iford Manor

Iford Manor
Image credits – Mike Finn – (CC BY 2.0)

This historic venue is tucked up in Bradford-on-Avon and if you didn’t know it was there, you might assume it was just a luscious, overflowing haven of greenery and natural beauty.

Dating as far back as the Domesday Book, a documented record completed by order of King William the Conqueror in 1086, Iford Manor opens its gardens to you and your canine companion to explore the three miles of footpaths which intersect across the majestic estate. Be sure to keep them on a lead, and enjoy everything on offer from the ancient woodland of Friary Wood to the local wildlife and wildflowers. 

Website: Iford Manor

Address: Iford Manor, Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire, BA15 2BA


Stourhead Gardens

Dogs are welcomed to explore Stourhead’s countryside areas all year long, and in the world-famous landscape gardens when open. However, if you are planning on enjoying the latter, you must remember a lead and take responsibility for any mess.

There are five primary walks to be taken, each taking between 1 hour and 2½ hours to finish, so you will have plenty to do and ample ground to cover with your furry friend. Not much has changed in terms of preservation and exquisite maintenance since the house was opened in 1740s, and you’re in for a treat enjoying this Wiltshire adventure. 

Visiting with dogs:

Dogs on short leads are welcome in the garden all year round.

Website: Stourhead House & Gardens

National Trust

Address: Stourhead, Mere, Wiltshire, BA12 6QD


Old Sarum

No doubt you’ve heard of Salisbury, even if you aren’t a local, as it’s the location of the Neolithic site of Stonehenge. But you might not know that it’s also home to the historically enriching, once-bustling town of Old Sarum. While day-trippers to Salisbury will have Salisbury Cathedral on their to-do list, Old Sarum visitors will explore what is now a metaphorical shadow of Salisbury’s original cathedral.

Given these are essentially ruins, it’s also technically outdoors (unless you consider the shell of a royal castle to be indoors), meaning your four-legged travel buddy can soak up some history as well. It’s still busy and popular, though, so make sure to book in advance. 

Visiting with dogs:

Dogs are allowed in the castle on a lead and off the lead on the outer bailey, as long as they are kept under control. 

Website: Old Sarum

English Heritage

Address: Castle Road , Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP1 3SD


Lydiard Park

Lydiard Park is a fun and dog friendly walking destination in Wiltshire, and everything from the walled gardens to the 260 acres of historically rich landscape of lawns, woodlands, lakes and pasture will inspire awe.

Unfortunately, being inspired by the walled gardens is to be done from a distance rather than within when you’ve got a dog with you, as it is one of the areas they are not permitted to venture, along with: the children’s play area, the playing fields, Lydiard House, the cafe and the indoor areas of the Tea Rooms. This is on the assumption your dog is not an assistance dog.

Visiting with dogs:

Dogs are welcome in the grounds of Lydiard Park however between 1st April to the 30th September inclusive and the times of 10am to 6pm, dogs are kept on leads in the busiest areas of the Park.

These areas include outside the house, the main lawn, the barbecue area, and the sports and events field.

Website: Lydiard Park

Lydiard Park

Address: Lydiard Tregoze, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN5 3PA


Lacock village and countryside

of the best for both humans and pets. It’s also where the TV series Cranford was filmed, if your dogs are fans? The reason it’s so suitable for dogs is because the primary tourism element involves walking the streets of a quintessentially British village filled with traditional stone cottages, the old workhouse, the medieval tithe barn, the old lock-up and the village church.

Dogs are only welcome in the Abbey Grounds during Winter, but otherwise you’re just walking through a town, which we all know dogs are more than welcome to do! There is also, of course, the expansive woodland to walk through and admire the views (and mind the woodland creatures!)

Visiting with dogs:

Dogs on short leads are welcome in the Abbey grounds 1 September to 31 March only.

There is a dog-walking area adjacent to the main car park, and you can view dog walking routes around Lacock here.

Website: Lacock Abbey

National Trust

Address: Lacock Abbey, Lacock, Chippenham, SN15 2LG


When people think of dog-friendly days, they often overlook places like the above, because they don’t seem like obvious spaces for dogs to enjoy. Trust that that’s not the case, and that the change in format and scenery to just a straight-path walk is a great excitement for you canine companions. 


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