Visiting Kingston Lacy with your dog

Visitor with therapy dog from the group Caring Canines at Kingston Lacy, Dorset — Visitor with therapy dog from the group Caring Canines | © National Trust Images/James Dobson

We love dogs at Kingston Lacy. As long as they're on a lead, your four-legged friend can join you in the car park, the parkland, on woodland walks, and in the courtyard at the Stables restaurant. Find everything you need to know about visiting the historic estate with your dog below.

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.

Kingston Lacy is a two pawprint rated place.

These places have water bowls, dog bins and dog-friendly walks. You’ll be able to take your dog into some areas, but not everywhere. If there’s a food and beverage outlet, you can have a cup of tea with them, probably outside. Read on to discover exactly where you can take your dog.

Where can my dog go?

Dogs on leads can access the car park, parkland, and the courtyard at the Stables restaurant (but please keep them off the chairs and tables).

All types of dogs and their owners are also welcome to explore the miles of paths, bridleways and woodland walks around the 8,500 acres of the estate. There are plenty of trees to sniff and lots of grass to roll in.

Assistance dogs only are allowed into the cafe, house and garden. Please make sure they're wearing their identity harness.

Where can't my dog go?

The formal garden, immediately behind the house, is a dog-free area. This is where families are encouraged to play games and picnic.

What facilities are available for dogs?

Water bowls can be found in the courtyard of the Stables cafe and at Visitor Welcome.

Pop into the shop to find doggy treats for sale (and a free treat from our dog-loving staff!).

What do I need to be aware of?

Please help keep the estate enjoyable for everyone and safe for nature by keeping your dog on a lead and picking up after them.

Also, dogs are welcome in the courtyard at the Stables cafe. However, please keep them off the chairs and tables.

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