We'll soon be off to Cornwall again for two weeks of relaxation in the sunshine. Ok, maybe relaxation isn't the word as we'll have our Springer Spaniel with us, but I'm sure we'll have a good time.
Our last trip proved to us that Cornwall was a fairly dog friendly County, with many pubs and shops happy to allow the dog in, and plenty of beaches and nice walks if you know where to find them. Whilst dog bans do exist there are plenty of alternatives.
There are lots of sites which list dog friendly beaches in Cornwall such as www.thecornishcoast.co.uk
If there are any sat nav users out there I have created a waypoint/POI file of dog friendly beaches in cornwall which you can upload to your GPS. The waypoints are in a .loc file.
If you want a copy of the file leave a comment and I'll mail it to you
If you do use the GPS files, just double check the signs when you get to your destination. On some beaches it's just part of the beach that is open to dogs.
Happy holidays! We'll think of you when we're high on the cliffs, gazing out at the sea, listening to the distant sound of the waves washing the shore.
Keep safe!
You are responsible for your own safety and that of your dog. The walks listed in this blog are not detailed guides. Plan your route! Click the landrover image for safety advice from Bowland Pennine MRT.
Friday, August 24, 2007
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Cuerden Valley Park Revisited
I'm sure every dog and their owner has a favourite spot. Ours is Cuerden Valley Park, close to the junction of the M6, M61 and M65, just South of Preston. The Park has open meadows, a stream, woods and a lake. What more could a dog want?
Our normal route starts near to Cuerden Hall but today, for a change, we parked at the car park on Sheep Hill Road. We walked through the gate from the car park and through the meadow to the right of the stream. The grass had recently been cut, allowing the dog to hone his sniffing skills looking for his ball buried in the loose cuttings.
After half a mile or we joined the main gravelled path leading through the Park, and took the footpath leading off up the hill to the left through Gravel Hole Wood. The path winds its way through the woods, crossing a wooden bridge high above a small stream, before descending down to the Lake.
There are some picnic tables by the lake, so if you're dog is a scavenger like ours, watch out! This morning we only had some fishermen for company so quickly passed by down to a meadow by the steam, next to a small stone bridge. Once again, there are picnic tables here so on a sunny day make an early or late visit if your dog is likely to harass feasting picnickers.
If ever there was a spot designed for dogs the meadow next to the stream is it. The stream is generally shallow, so safe for splashing around in. The meadow is great for a game of fetch, with long and uncut grass at one end ideally for sniffing around in. Best of all, the meadow lies at the junction of all main routes through the park so you can rest a while while your dog is entertained by every other visiting dog.
We returned to the car park walking along the bank of the stream for much of the way, foolishly hoping that the dog would dry off by the time we got back to the car. Needless to say, he ran in to the water less than 100 yards from our final destination so needed a good towel dry before leaving for home.
What more could a dog want? Click here for map
The Park does not receive any funding from local or County Councils to fund the up-keep of the Park, or from wildlife charities and trusts to maintain wildlife habitats. The Trustees welcome any help Park users can offer, including volunteering, making a donation to the Park directly or by joining the 'Friends' group. The Friends annual subscription is just £15.00 per household; visit the Friends page for more details.
We love this place. Doggy rating 9/10
Our normal route starts near to Cuerden Hall but today, for a change, we parked at the car park on Sheep Hill Road. We walked through the gate from the car park and through the meadow to the right of the stream. The grass had recently been cut, allowing the dog to hone his sniffing skills looking for his ball buried in the loose cuttings.
After half a mile or we joined the main gravelled path leading through the Park, and took the footpath leading off up the hill to the left through Gravel Hole Wood. The path winds its way through the woods, crossing a wooden bridge high above a small stream, before descending down to the Lake.
There are some picnic tables by the lake, so if you're dog is a scavenger like ours, watch out! This morning we only had some fishermen for company so quickly passed by down to a meadow by the steam, next to a small stone bridge. Once again, there are picnic tables here so on a sunny day make an early or late visit if your dog is likely to harass feasting picnickers.
If ever there was a spot designed for dogs the meadow next to the stream is it. The stream is generally shallow, so safe for splashing around in. The meadow is great for a game of fetch, with long and uncut grass at one end ideally for sniffing around in. Best of all, the meadow lies at the junction of all main routes through the park so you can rest a while while your dog is entertained by every other visiting dog.
We returned to the car park walking along the bank of the stream for much of the way, foolishly hoping that the dog would dry off by the time we got back to the car. Needless to say, he ran in to the water less than 100 yards from our final destination so needed a good towel dry before leaving for home.
What more could a dog want? Click here for map
The Park does not receive any funding from local or County Councils to fund the up-keep of the Park, or from wildlife charities and trusts to maintain wildlife habitats. The Trustees welcome any help Park users can offer, including volunteering, making a donation to the Park directly or by joining the 'Friends' group. The Friends annual subscription is just £15.00 per household; visit the Friends page for more details.
We love this place. Doggy rating 9/10
Friday, August 03, 2007
Keswick and Friars Crag (Cumbria)
We seem to have spent all of our days out in the Lake District over the past month or so, despite the weather! Today we had a run up to Keswick for a wander round the shops, a nice along the shores of Derwent Water, followed by fish and chips - who could want more!
We parked up at the Central Car park in Keswick and had a good wander round the nearby shops. The centre of Keswick is pedestrianised so it makes life easy wandering round with the dog. Some of the shops, such as Cotswold, were happy to welcome dogs.
After a bit of lunch we followed the clearly signed route to the Lake, passing the Lakeside car park before arriving at the shores of Derwent Water and numerous landing stages.
A good path leads along the lake shore for half a mile or so to the wonderful viewpoint of Friars Crag. Even though it today was wet and wild the views across to Cat Bells were great. The jaws of Borrowdale were well hidden in the mist though! There are places along this path where you can access the lake shore and some dogs were off lead having a good run round the "beach" and a swim. We didn't risk an off lead run here.
After admiring the view from the crag, retrace your steps a little way and follow the path right, continuing along the lake shore. Passing through a gate we entered a large field adjoining the lake. There were no livestock around today so we could let the dog off lead. It's great place for a good run around, game of fetch and a paddle. Fortunately, he didn't manage to get too muddy and we continued along the path through Ings wood.
This path ultimately leads to the Borrowdale road and you can follow it, adjacent to the road, and back to the landing stages via Cockshott Wood. We didn't fancy the roadside walk so retraced our steps, with another quick run in the field on the way.
The day ended with huge portions of fish and chips at the "old Keswickian" chippy next to the Moot Hall.
Visitors to the blog may think our lives consist of shopping, dog walking and eating...at the moment you'd be right!
Click here for a useful Lake District National Park link "miles without stiles". It's obviously aimed at those with wheelchairs or buggies but looked like a nice set of relatively short dog walks.
Doggy rating 6/10
We parked up at the Central Car park in Keswick and had a good wander round the nearby shops. The centre of Keswick is pedestrianised so it makes life easy wandering round with the dog. Some of the shops, such as Cotswold, were happy to welcome dogs.
After a bit of lunch we followed the clearly signed route to the Lake, passing the Lakeside car park before arriving at the shores of Derwent Water and numerous landing stages.
A good path leads along the lake shore for half a mile or so to the wonderful viewpoint of Friars Crag. Even though it today was wet and wild the views across to Cat Bells were great. The jaws of Borrowdale were well hidden in the mist though! There are places along this path where you can access the lake shore and some dogs were off lead having a good run round the "beach" and a swim. We didn't risk an off lead run here.
After admiring the view from the crag, retrace your steps a little way and follow the path right, continuing along the lake shore. Passing through a gate we entered a large field adjoining the lake. There were no livestock around today so we could let the dog off lead. It's great place for a good run around, game of fetch and a paddle. Fortunately, he didn't manage to get too muddy and we continued along the path through Ings wood.
This path ultimately leads to the Borrowdale road and you can follow it, adjacent to the road, and back to the landing stages via Cockshott Wood. We didn't fancy the roadside walk so retraced our steps, with another quick run in the field on the way.
The day ended with huge portions of fish and chips at the "old Keswickian" chippy next to the Moot Hall.
Visitors to the blog may think our lives consist of shopping, dog walking and eating...at the moment you'd be right!
Click here for a useful Lake District National Park link "miles without stiles". It's obviously aimed at those with wheelchairs or buggies but looked like a nice set of relatively short dog walks.
Doggy rating 6/10
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