Visiting Polesden Lacey with your dog

Pooch Passport

We're taking part in the Pooch Passport scheme, which runs between 1 September 2026 and 28 February 2027. Pick up a Pooch Passport on your next walk at Polesden Lacey and collect stamps from participating places to gain a treat from our partners at Forthglade.

You can find out more about the Pooch Passport by clicking here, including how to collect stamps and ideas for other places to visit with your passport.

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.

Polesden Lacey is a two pawprint rated place. 

You’ll be able to take your dog to most areas, including into the gift shop and small coffee shop for a cup of tea and a treat. There are clearly signed dog zones around the grounds, as well as dog-friendly experiences to enjoy. Read on to discover exactly where you can take your dog.

Where can my dog go?

Margaret Greville, Polesden Lacey’s last owner, was a great dog lover and we continue to welcome dogs across a large part of the grounds. Dogs are NOT allowed in the formal gardens, café, mansion or second-hand bookshop. Dogs ARE, however, allowed to browse in the gift shop with you and enter the small coffee shop by the main entrance. You can download the Polesden Lacey dog walker's map to see all the areas in the pleasure grounds that dogs can access, or pick up a copy when you arrive.

Where can't my dog go?

We ONLY allow assistance dogs in the café, mansion, second-hand bookshop, formal gardens and some parts of the pleasure grounds. Please make sure your assistance dog is wearing their identity harness.

What do I need to be aware of at Polesden Lacey?

The 1,600-acre estate is the perfect place to explore with your four-legged friend. However please bear in mind that there are working farms on the estate. 

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 avoids tripping up other visitors and 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

Facilities available for my dog

We have water bowls outside the small coffee shop and café. Dogs are welcome inside the coffee shop and there is outdoor seating by the café.

Please help to keep the countryside lovely by picking up after your dog. There are waste bins in the car park, by Golf Course Field and inside the pleasure grounds near the water tower, just past visitor reception.

Car park

There is very little shade in the car park, so please do not leave your dog in ytour vehicle. Don’t forget that you can take your dog into most of the grounds and across the estate, so there’s no need for them to miss out.