Unusual places to take your dog

For those of us whose family includes a dog (or two), finding beautiful places to walk around the UK is a ‘pawfectly’ normal thing to do. Some of us may even enjoy em-bark-ing on activities like paddleboarding, with our dogs or ticking items off the bucket list while spending quality time with them. 

However, if you’re longing to find somewhere new and adventurous to visit with your dog, here’s a little inspiration of ways to create lasting memories…

On a magical steam train  

While you won’t be able to attend Hogwarts in real life, you can take your dog for a ride on the train used in Harry Potter films! The Jacobite is a steam train that follows an 84-mile round trip that passes through Fort William, the Glenfinnan viaduct, and the village of Arisaig. On your spellbinding steam train journey, you and your dog would pass Ben Nevis (the highest mountain in Britain) and Loch Morar (the shortest river in Britain). 

Alternatively, you could hop onto a steam train to travel through the glorious setting of the Norfolk Broads, via the Bure Valley Railway. Meander through the beautiful patchwork countryside of the Bure Valley, while trundling along in a steam locomotive on a 45-minute trip with your canine companion. 

If you’re hoping to hop on a steam train a little closer to home, your dog is allowed to join you on the following railway excursions:

• Dartmouth Steam Railway and River Boat Company.
• Epping Ongar Railway.
• Stephenson Steam Railway.
• Talyllyn Railway.
• Lincolnshire Wolds Railway.
• Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway.
• Lynton and Barnstaple Railway.
• Bodmin Railway.
• Avon Valley Railway.
• Isle of Wight Steam Railway.
• Embsay and Bolton Abbey Steam Railway.
• Vale of Rheidol Steam Railway.
• Gwili Railway.
• Llanberis Lake Railway.
• Strathspey Railway.

On an indoor spending spree

A day’s shopping is always more fun with a friend – so, why not take your dog along to enjoy the venture with you?

Although your dog should stay on a short lead (so they don’t help themselves to items within reach!), a shopping spree could be an exciting adventure for your canine companion.

Thankfully, there are many shops around the country that welcome dogs, such as:

• Anthropologie.
• Burberry.
• CeX.
• Dobbies.
• FatFace.
• Fenwick.
• Flying Tiger.
• H&M.
• HMV.
• Hobbycraft.
• Homesense.
• John Lewis.
• Liberty.
• Lush. 
• Mountain Warehouse.
• Oliver Bonas.
• Pandora.
• Sweaty Betty.
• Waterstones.
• White Stuff.

Several indoor shopping centres allow dogs to visit as well, including:

• Culver Square Shopping Centre.
• Grosvenor Shopping Northampton.
• Festival Place Shopping Centre.
• McArthur Glen Shopping Centres.
• Westquay Shopping Centre.
• Friars Square Aylesbury.

After your shopping spree, you could treat yourself and your best fur-iend to a meal in a lovely, dog-friendly pub or restaurant. To find a local venue that can accommodate your canine companion, check out the following guides on dog-friendly pubs and dog-friendly restaurants across the UK.

On an historic adventure 

If you’re dreaming of a doggy day out with a difference, there are lots of wonderful historical sites and museums that welcome dogs!

Please be prepared to keep your dog on a short lead when visiting any historical site.

Whether you’d prefer to wander through ancient woodland or explore the storybook ruins of a castle, there’s a fascinating place to cater to everyone’s taste at stunning locations like: 

• Audley House and Gardens – dogs are allowed in the gardens, not the house.
• Caerlaverock Castle – dogs are not allowed in roofed areas.
• Caerphilly Castle – dogs can explore the castle’s ground floor levels.
• Castell Harlech – dogs can explore ground floor levels of the site.
• Castle Sween – dogs are welcome throughout.
• Dunnottar Castle – dogs are welcome, but beware of steep drops and steps.
• Huntly Castle – dogs are not allowed in roofed areas.
• Kenilworth Castle and Elizabethan Garden – dogs are welcome throughout.
• Marble Hill – dogs are welcome throughout, except in the children’s play area.
• Neath Abbey – dogs can explore ground floor levels of the site.
• St Fagans National Museum of History – dogs are allowed everywhere except galleries, historic houses, and cafés.
• Tantallon Castle – dogs are welcome throughout.
• Tintagel Castle – dogs are welcome, but beware of cliff edges and steps.
• Tintern Abbey – dogs can explore ground floor levels of the site.
• Whitby Abbey – dogs are welcome throughout.

For lists of dog-friendly historical properties and gardens across the UK, you can visit the following websites:

• English Heritage.
• National Trust.
• Cadw.
• Historic Scotland.
• Great British Gardens.

Remember: Wherever you go with your best fur-iend, you’ll need to follow proper dog poo etiquette! 

In case you’re hoping for an even more unusual place to visit with your dog (for a birthday ‘pawty’, perhaps?), then you could check out:

• The Big Barn – a venue offering indoor and outdoor playgrounds for dogs.
• Dragonfly Dog – an indoor soft play facility for dogs.
• Doggy Paddle – a swimming centre specifically designed for dogs.
• Picturehouse Cinemas – provide dog-friendly screenings of the latest films.
• Drove Orchards – allow dogs to join their owners for apple picking walks.