Visiting Arlington Court 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.

Arlington Court is a three pawprint rated place.

Three pawprints shows the very best places you can visit for a day with your dog. You’ll be able to take your dog to most areas, including indoors for a cup of tea and a treat. There’ll be clearly signed dog zones and dog-friendly experiences. Read on to discover exactly where you can take your dog.

Where can my dog go?

We like to ensure every member of the family is included on your visit and so dogs on leads are welcome in the National Trust Carriage Museum, in the garden and on the wider estate.

Only assistance dogs are allowed in Arlington Court House itself and inside the Old Kitchen Tea-room, however, there are plenty of seats next door in our indoor additional seating area, the servants hall, as well as picnic benches outside the tea-room where dogs are very welcome.

The Vine Café, found behind the house, is also dog friendly, even serving doggy ice cream.

What do I need to be aware of?

Please keep your dog on a lead in the pleasure grounds around the house and in the Carriage Museum at all times.

On the wider estate, different rules apply at different times of the year:

• From 1 February–31 July: dogs must be kept on a lead everywhere to protect lambs and ground-nesting birds
• From 1 August–31 January: dogs may be let off the lead on the Lake Walk and the wider estate

Facilities available for my dog

There are four dog bins on site. These are located by the main car park, by the gates with herons on the way down to the Monkey Puzzle Avenue, by the Carriage Museum and behind Visitor Reception.

Please ask a member of the team if you would like any more information.

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