Visiting with your dog

Our pawprint rating

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.

Alfriston Clergy House is a two pawprint rated place.

You'll be able to explore the garden and our exhibtion room with your dog with plenty of cool, shady spots to sit. Only Assistance dogs are allowed to go in the house.

What facilities are available for dogs

Fresh water bowls and biscuits are available. If you run out of dog bags, reception are happy to supply you with bags so you can pick up after the dog. Thank you for helping to keep the garden clean for everyone to enjoy.

What do I need to be aware of?

Assistance dogs only are welcome in the house. Please don't leave your dog unattended. There are many benches in the garden where you can wait with your dog while other members of your party visit the 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