Visiting Basildon Park 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.

Basildon Park has a pawprint rating of two, which means dogs are welcome. We have water bowls, dog bins and dog-friendly walks. You’ll be able to take your dog into some areas, but not everywhere. You can have a cup of tea with your four-legged friend inside and outside of the tearoom, and dogs are welcome in the shop. Read on to discover exactly where you can take your dog.

Pooch Passport at Basildon Park

Pick up your free Pooch Passport at participating properties, including Basildon Park, and explore some of our top rated places for days out with dogs. Visit six different participating places between 1 September 2023 and 29 February 2024 to collect your free treat. Click here for terms and conditions.

Where can my dog go?

There are four parkland walks that are ideal for exploring with your dog year-round. The walks range in length from 0.5 miles to 3 miles. For a shorter walk take a stroll around the gardens towards the back on the house.

Please keep your dog on a lead while at Basildon Park. This is to make sure they don’t chase other animals including livestock and allows other visitors with more reactive dogs or those less confident around dogs feel comfortable walking around the estate at Basildon Park. During spring and summer, cattle graze the grounds and parkland, if they approach it may be appropriate to let your dog off the lead. There are livestock signs on each gate across the estate to let you know what to expect before entering.

Dogs are welcome at the tearoom at Basildon Park. The tearoom has outdoor seating with water bowls and some indoor seating available for visitors with dogs. To access the dog-friendly spaces in the tearoom, enter through the courtyard to the left to access the Old Kitchen, or to the right to use the Angkor Wat room. The main tearoom area accessed through the front doors and servery are dog-free spaces. We suggest you have at least two people in your group so one of you can take a seat with the dog, while the other orders your food and drink at the servery.

Your dogs are welcome in the shop where there are Forthglade treats and dog walking essentials available to purchase.

Assistance dogs are welcome inside the mansion house and children's play area.

Where can't my dog go at Greys Court?

Only assistance dogs are allowed into the mansion house, the servery area and main seating area of the tearoom, and children's play area - the 'ball run'.

Facilities available for my dog

The dog waste bin is located by Visitor Reception. Please bear this in mind when planning your walks.

You'll find water available in a dog bowl at Visitor Reception and outside the tearoom in the courtyard.

Dog friendly picnic spots

You’re welcome to bring your canine companion to any outdoor picnic table on the estate.

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

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.