Visiting Tyntesfield 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.

Tyntesfield 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?

Please keep your dog on a short lead wherever you are on the estate. Dogs are able to expore almost everywhere on the estate at Tyntesfield. This includes:

• The large lawn areas, great for rolling
• Shaded woodland including Truckle woods
• The estate walks
• Orchards with tree sniffing opportunities
• Parkland for wide open spaces
• Paradise, an area full of trees from around the world
• Home farm visitor centre, where there's a dog-friendly section in the Cow Barn Café.
• The car park

Assistance dogs are welcome across the house, garden, and estate all year round. Please make sure they're wearing their identity harness.

Where can't my dog go?

Some more sensitive areas of the estate are dog-free areas, due to conservation or planting. The dog-free areas are clearly marked on the walking routes map, which you can view on arrival.

These include:

• Historic buildings on the estate, such as the house and shop
• The Rose Garden
• The Walled Garden

What facilities are available for dogs?

Water bowls can be found in the Home Farm are, which includes the café and shop outlet. You’ll also find water bowls at the Pavilion café near the kitchen garden.

What do I need to be aware of?

Help keep Tyntesfield enjoyable for everyone and safe for nature by keeping your dog on a short lead. There are livestock, small children, and occasionally estate vehicles moving around.

Tyntesfield is a haven for plants and wildlife, and dogs roaming off the path mean that plant diseases which may be brought in are more easily spread. By keeping your dog on a lead, on the paths, you can help us protect the fascinating things that grow at Tyntesfield.

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