Visiting Erddig with your dog

A dog with curly hair sits on a stack of wood next to a colourful toy train and a '50 things' sign at Erddig, Clwyd — A dog sits beside a '50 things' display at Erddig | © National Trust Images/Vicki Coombe

Exploring the acres of parkland at Erddig with your four-legged friend is a great way to enjoy the beautiful landscape, and well-behaved dogs are welcome. Find out how to make the most of your visit with your dog on the estate at Erddig.

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.

Erddig is a two pawprint rated place. We have water bowls, dog bins and dog-friendly walks. You’ll be able to take your dog into some areas, but not everywhere. Read on to discover exactly where you can take your dog.

What's available at Erddig for dogs?

Erddig offers plenty of opportunities for bounding, jumping, sniffing and splashing throughout the country park.

Access through to the tea garden and midden yard for you and your dog, but not inside the house, gardens, restaurants and shops.
Water for drinking bowls.
Three dog waste bins; one just outside the tea garden on the path down to the cup and saucer;one on the other side of the estate by the Felin Puleston car park; one on the Erddig road entrance to the estate; and a normal Wrexham County Borough Council litter bin at Sontley car park.
Spare waste bags in case you forget yours.
An off-lead zone at Felin Puleston, see signs.

Walking near grazing animals

Our parkland is home to tenant farmers with a variety of livestock which could be grazing anywhere on the estate fields. We also have an abundance of wildlife that needs protecting. To prevent incidents and attacks to livestock and wildlife dogs must be kept on their lead, unless in our designated ‘off-lead area’ where they must still be kept under close control. Remember, even small friendly dogs can unintentionally scare sheep.

Pick up a free ‘Dogs at Erddig’ leaflet from our Ticket Office for a map of the best walking routes and to locate our ‘off-lead’ area.

Assistance dogs at Erddig

Dogs assisting visitors with disabilities are welcome inside the house, gardens, restaurants and shops. For more detailed access and facilities information visit our home page.

Visitors walking through the sheltered valley at Lockeridge Dene and Piggledene, near Marlborough, Wiltshire — Tails will be wagging | © National Trust Images/James Dobson

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

Little dog sat with tongue out looking excited to try the tub of Scoop's Ice Cream for Dogs being held by a girl at Dunster Castle, Somerset — Keeping cool | © National Trust Images/James Dobson

Top tips for an enjoyable dog-friendly visit at Erddig

Watch out for wildlife

The parkland is home to two tenant farmers with a variety of livestock and the estate is home to lots of wildlife. In areas where there is lots of wildlife, we ask you to keep your dog on a lead so that they feel safe.

Watch out for local notices

There may be restrictions in woodland or farmland at sensitive times of year, for example during the lambing season.

Keep them cool

Dogs can dangerously overheat if left in cars. We don’t recommend this at Erddig.

Forgotten the essentials?

We’ve always got a few spare dog poo bags at our visitor welcome office, so if you find you’ve forgotten them, pop over and we’ll be happy to give you a few to help keep our parkland clean and safe for others to enjoy.

Need a snack?

We’re only able to welcome assistance dogs into the buildings, including the Hayloft restaurant. On weekends and school holidays from February half term (weather permitting), the tea garden serves hot drinks and snacks to keep you going on your walk.

There are facilities to take food and drinks away from the Hayloft restaurant, so if you have a friend who can wait outside in the tea garden with your dog while you pop in to pick up your food, you can sit outside with your dog and enjoy a slice of cake and a cuppa after your walk.

Want to avoid the crowds?

The busiest times of day are generally between 11am and 2pm – you’ll also find increased visitor numbers during school holidays and on days where we have events. The estate walks are generally less busy, so if you’d like a peaceful stroll, why not explore these routes, or use alternative car parks at Felin Puleston and Sontley.