Visiting Penrhyn Castle 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.

Penrhyn Castle is a two pawprint rated place.

These places have water bowls, dog bins and dog-friendly walks. You’ll be able to take your dog into some areas, but not everywhere. If there’s a food and beverage outlet, you can have a cup of tea with them, probably outside. Read on to discover exactly where you can take your dog.

Where can my dog go at Penrhyn Castle?

Dogs are welcome across the garden and grounds at Penrhyn Castle. They can also be taken to the visitor reception area and both the Stables and Castle Café.

Only assistance dogs are permitted inside the castle.

Head on our Nature trail around the grounds or take a walk down to Ogwen River and to our Wooden Hide. For more information, speak to a member of the visitor welcome team.

What facilities are available for dogs?

There are water bowls in the visitor welcome centre, near the Victorian Kitchens and by the Stables Café.

Pick up a Pooch Passport

We’re excited to be part of the National Trust’s Pooch passport. Visit with your dog and collect stamps from participating places on your days out and each full passport gains a special treat.   

Pick up a Pooch Passport from one of the 137 participating places and every time you visit a different place together between 1 September 2026 and 28 February 2027, you can collect a stamp.  

Once you’ve collected five stamps, your dog can get a free packet of natural dog treats. When you collect ten stamps from your visits together, they can collect an exclusive Pooch Passport pin badge, subject to availability.

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