Discover more at Ludshott Common
Find out how to get to Ludshott Common, where to park, the things to see and do and more.
Visiting Ludshott Common with your dog
Responsible owners and their dogs are welcome at Ludshott Common. Here’s some information to help you plan a visit here with your four-legged friend and ensure everyone has an enjoyable day.
Things to keep in mind
Ludshott Common is a popular site for dog walking, as well as for walkers and horse riders. It’s also a nature reserve, recognised as internationally important for its wildlife, and is grazed by cattle at certain times of the year to help preserve the heathland.
Please help us to protect this special site by following these pointers:
- Keep them close: at all times of year, please keep your dogs under close control on the common and stick to the footpaths. From 1 March until 31 July, the law says dogs must be kept on a short lead to prevent them disturbing ground-nesting birds.
- Pick up the poo: there are no dog bins on the common so please clear up after your dog and take the waste home with you. Dog waste can make the soil unsuitable for heathland plants and may carry a disease that could endanger the cattle that graze here.
- Look out for signs: be mindful of the countryside code and keep an eye out for warning and information signs around the common during your walk. We use these to communicate important and seasonal information.
- Stay on the ball: remember that not everyone loves dogs, and some people fear them. Make sure your dog doesn't run up to other people, especially children.
Why it's important to keep your dog under close control
Ludshott Common is recognised as internationally important for its wildlife, with SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest) and SPA (Special Protection Area) levels of designation.
The common is managed and legally protected as an open space because it provides much needed habitats for a range of rare bird species that depend on heathland landscapes.
It's important to keep your dog under close control year-round to avoid disturbing these birds and other wildlife – and between 1 March until 31 July, it’s a legal requirement to keep dogs on a short lead to protect ground-nesting birds.
Ludshott Common is also home to our native UK snake species, the smooth snake, grass snake and adder. Keeping your dog on the footpaths and away from the heathland will help ensure they don't get bitten.
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; if you are asked to use a lead by one of our ranger team; when the law requires it.
When must my dog be on a lead?
Between 1 March and 31 July, it’s the law to keep your dog on a lead no more than two metres long on open access land like Ludshott Common, even if there are no livestock on the land.
This is designed to protect ground-nesting birds like the Dartford warbler, nightjar and woodlark during breeding season.
Breaking this law could result in a fine of up to £1,000.
Dog bins
Due to the huge increase in dog walkers using Ludshott Common since 2020, we have struggled to keep up with the disposal of dog waste left in our bins.
Emptying the bins incurred heavy costs, and was still not keeping up with demand.
As a charity, we have limited funds for waste disposal so as a result the dog waste bins on Ludshott Common were removed at the end of September 2021.
Dangers of dog waste
Dog waste alters the chemical structure of the soil, turning it into nutrient-rich grassland and making it unsuitable for heathland plants.
Dog waste can also contain Neospora caninum, an incurable disease that can cause cattle abortion and brain damage. Because it is passed on through the mother, it can significantly reduce the size of a herd.
Please help us to protect this special habitat by taking your dog waste away with you.
Thank you for taking the time to read this article, we hope you enjoy your visit.
Our partners
We've partnered with natural pet food maker Forthglade so that you and your dog can get even more out of the special places we care for.
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Things to do at Ludshott Common
The heathland at Ludshott Common dates back 5,000 years and contains some of the few remaining areas of lowland heath in Europe. Discover some of the birdlife and wildlife you can see here, as well as similar heathlands and woodlands you can visit nearby.
Dog-friendly places in Hampshire
Bring your dog to Hampshire, for a fun day out: explore formal gardens, expansive estates and parkland, or simply wander across commons and among the woodland and heath of the New Forest.
