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