Visiting Stagshaw Garden and Ambleside with your dog

Close-up view of a brown and white dog, held on a lead, with fallen leaves on the ground, at Clent Hills, Worcestershire — There are some great dog walking routes around Ambleside | © National Trust Images/James Dobson

Stretch your legs with your four-legged friend at Stagshaw Garden and Ambleside. Find out where you can and can't take your dog, and discover recommended walking routes.

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.

Stagshaw Garden and Ambleside is a one pawprint rated place.

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

Where can I take my dog?

Dogs are very welcome on leads at Stagshaw Garden and Skellghyll Woods in Ambleside. We also have some great walking trails in the wider area, take a look at our Things to Do page for inspiration.

Where can't I take my dog?

Only assistance dogs are allowed inside Bridge House.

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