Visiting Bodnant Garden 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. You can find this information in the National Trust members’ handbook.

Bodnant Garden is a one pawprint rated place.

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

Walking your dog at Bodnant Garden

Dogs are welcome every day in autumn and winter, from 1 October to the end of March, and all day every Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday during the spring and summer, from 1 April to the end of September. Please note that dogs are not allowed into the garden on Bank Holiday Mondays between April and September.

Help us to care for the garden

Although most of our visitors with dogs follow our short leads policy and pick up after their four-legged friends, there are still, unfortunately, occasions when dogs are let off leads or roam further on an extendable lead. We will ask that any visitor with a dog not on a short lead at all times puts a short lead on before entering the garden. This includes the Old Park and woodland.

We have short leads available, just ask the team in the Visitor Reception building if you need one. Please help us to keep Bodnant dog friendly in the future by always following this regulation and bringing plenty of dog bags to pick up any waste. There are dog waste bins located around the garden.

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.