Visiting Wightwick with your dog

Published:: 01 March 2023

A woman and child walking thier dog on a lead, through the Formal Garden at Wightwick Manor. The flower beds are in full summer bloom and the Manor can be seen in the background. — Enjoy a stroll around the gardens at Wightwick with your dog | © National Trust Images/Chris Lacey

Wightwick’s gardens are the perfect place for a day out with your dog, with 17 acres to explore. We've put together some simple tips for visiting with your four-legged friend.

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.
Wightwick Manor and Gardens is a one pawprint rated place.

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

Where can my dog go?

We welcome dogs on short leads in most of our outdoor areas. Well-behaved dogs are also welcome in the stables end of our tearoom.

Assistance dogs are allowed inside in all buildings and all outside areas, including the Old Manor Shop, the tearoom, the Manor, Gallery, bookshops and throughout the gardens.

Where can’t my dog go?

Dogs are not allowed in the Manor, Gallery, main tearoom area, the Old Manor Shop or bookshops. This is for the comfort and safety of other visitors and the collections.

We also ask that dogs are not taken into our working Kitchen Garden.

What facilities are available for dogs?

There are water bowls situated outside our Visitor Reception and tearoom, with an outdoor tap in the tearoom outdoor seating area.

Dog waste can be deposited in our general waste bins by Visitor Reception and outside the tearoom.
Visitor Reception can also provide poo bags on request – they may also ask if your four-legged friends wants a biscuit too!

You are advised not to leave your dog in your car, as the car park offers limited shade.

An image showing a section of the animal frieze in the Night Nursery at Wightwick Manor, showing four Jack Russel type dogs running to the left. On a dresser in front of the wall sits a soft toy dog. — Dogs on the wall in the Night Nursery, designed by Cecil Aldin | © National Trust Images/Chris Lacey

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