Visiting Parke with your dog

A visitor walking their dog on a path between trees at Parke — A tranquil woodland walk at Parke | © National Trust Images/Trevor Ray Hart

Dogs are welcome all year round at Parke and there are plenty of places to explore. Find out where you can walk, what facilities are available and how you can help everyone to enjoy their visit.

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.

Parke 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. 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 at Parke?

Dogs are welcome across the estate under effective control.

During bird nesting season, 1 March to 31July, please keep Paws on the Path and give wildlife and livestock the space they need to thrive. We suggest using a short lead if your dog needs help staying close by.

Please keep dogs on a short lead in the car park, the Walled Garden, and in the Long Room of Home Farm Café - accessed through the café side door.

There is a fenced area for off-lead play between the river and disused railway line. More information below.

The walks around Parke estate are great to explore with your dog all year round. You can take a walk along the river and return either along the disused railway track or the wooded hillside. You can also explore the expansive low parkland or the top fields by the orchard, though be aware of livestock grazing in these areas.

Parke map

What do I need to be aware of?

Please keep Paws on the Path during bird nesting and lambing season, 1March to 31 July.

Cattle and sheep are used for conservation grazing across the Parke estate all year round. Look out for signage and keep dogs on a lead when around livestock. The Countryside Code recommends you let your dog off the lead if you feel threatened by livestock so that you can both reach safety more easily.

Please do not to leave dogs in cars, the car park has limited shade.

What facilities are available for dogs?

A great place for your dog to run and play. The field is enclosed but please keep an eye on your dog. Follow the directions below or use the what3words location.

From the Parke car park:

Walk past the Welcome van down the path to Home Farm Café. Continue walking down the hill to Parke bridge. Go over the bridge then up the path to the disused railway line and turn right towards Bovey Tracey. After a short distance turn right down towards the river. You will see the access gate on the left.

what3words: ///acted.headlight.lunge

From Bovey Tracey via Mill Marsh Park path:

On entry to Parke, walk along the disused railway line taking the first left after the Bovey Parke Gauging Station. Walk down the steps, the access gate is on the right.

what3words: ///hoops.stunt.inhaler

Gateway into fenced dog off-lead area with signs at Parke, Devon — Dog off-lead area at Parke, Devon | © National Trust/Emma Jones

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