Visiting Prior Park with your dog

Our pawprint rating system

We’ve been working on making it easier for you to find out how dog-friendly your visit will be before you and your four-legged friend arrive. To help with this, we've created a new pawprint rating system and given all the places in our care a rating. You can find this information in the National Trust members’ handbook.

Prior Park is a one pawprint rated place

Dogs are welcome here, but facilities are limited. They’ll be able to stretch their legs in the garden and walk in the nearby open spaces, depending on the season. Read on to discover exactly where you can take your dog.

Where can my dog go at Prior Park?

There are no inside areas at Prior Park so dogs are welcome throughout the garden, at visitor reception and in the Tea Shed area. Cattle graze on the Meadow for a few wweks at a time between April and November each year, dogs are not permitted in this area when cattle are grazing.

Prior Park is home to three lakes by the Palladian Bridge and the Serpetine Lake at the top of the garden. We ask that dogs remain on short leads throughout the garden and do not swim in any of the lakes.

What facilities are available for my dog?

Water bowls can be found by the Tea Shed and dog waste bins are located by the toilets at the top of the garden near visitor reception.

The Canine Code

We’ve worked with our partner Forthglade to come up with this Canine Code, which helps to make sure everyone can enjoy their day:

• Keep them close: using a short lead helps to keep your dog from disturbing ground-nesting birds and farm animals. It's essential to use a short lead around sheep. But if cattle approach you, it's best to let your dog off the lead, and call them back when it's safe to do so.
• Pick up the poo: please always clear up after your dog. If you can't find a bin nearby, take the poo bags home with you.
• Watch the signs: keep an eye on local signs and notices wherever you're walking. They'll tell you if a beach has a dog ban, for instance, or if a path has been diverted, or if you're in an area where dogs can run off-lead.
• Stay on the ball: remember that not everyone loves dogs, and some people fear them. So make sure your dog doesn't run up to other people, especially children.

Keeping control of your dog

Our definition of close or effective control is: ​

• Being able to recall your dogs in any situation at the first call
• Being able to clearly see your dog at all times (not just knowing they have gone into the undergrowth or over the crest of the hill). In practice, this means keeping them on a footpath if the surrounding vegetation is too dense for your dog to be visible
• Not allowing them to approach other visitors without their consent
• Having a lead with you to use if you encounter livestock or wildlife, or if you are asked to use one