Visiting Lindisfarne Castle with your dog

Visitor with dog at the Northumberland Coast, Northumberland — Visitor with dog at the Northumberland Coast | © National Trust Images/John Millar

Visitors have been bringing dogs for walks on Holy Island for years – several old photos show residents of Lindisfarne Castle exercising their four-legged friends on the headland and in the field. Find out more about where you can walk your dog around Lindisfarne Castle today, the facilities available and more.

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.

Lindisfarne is a one pawprint rated place.

Dogs are welcome here, but facilities are limited. They’ll be able to stretch their legs on a lead. Assistance dogs only in the castle. Read on to discover exactly where you can take your dog.

Where can my dog go?

There are two well-trodden paths across the castle field that lead towards the Gertrude Jekyll Garden, as well as the road around the north of the castle itself. Both paths eventually lead you out of the field and onto the path leading to the east shore of the island. The road will take you to the lime kilns and headland.

Where can't my dog go?

Dogs aren't allowed inside the castle, except for assistance dogs.

Visitor with her dog on a walk at Lyme Park, Cheshire — Please keep dogs on short leads at Lindisfarne | © National Trust Images/Chris Lacey

What do I need to be aware of at Lindisfarne?

There are often sheep and ground nesting shorebirds across the site so please keep your dog on a short lead at all times.

Facilities available for my dog

There are water bowls by the admissions point (and sometimes doggy biscuits too). There are two bins on site: one just by the main entrance gate and another by the admissions point. The National Trust shop in the village has a great selection of snacks and doggy essentials too.

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