Visiting Tredegar House with your dog

Child walking their dog in autumn at Tredegar House, Newport, Wales | © ©National Trust Images/Aled Llywelyn

We've always loved dogs at Tredegar House, from Lord Tredegar's beloved Skye terrier, Peeps, to our four-legged members of the team. There’s always a warm welcome for your dog and you, and we’re working hard to find different ways to welcome dogs here on site at Tredegar.

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.

Tredegar House is a three pawprint rated place.

Three pawprints shows the very best places you can visit for a day with your dog. You’ll be able to take your dog to most areas, including indoors for a cup of tea and a treat. There’ll be clearly signed dog zones and dog-friendly experiences. Read on to discover exactly where you can take your dog.

Where can my dog go at Tredegar House?

In short, almost everywhere. In fact, the only place where dogs can’t go is inside the house itself, except for assistance dogs.

Here’s all the places you and your dogs can explore together at Tredegar House.

Parkland

Our parkland is a dog walking haven. With 90 acres to explore, this is the best spot for letting them stretch their legs and chase a ball.

Formal gardens

With your dog on its lead, head for a wander through the formal gardens. We've found the Cedar Garden lawns are a favourite spot for dogs who like to bask in the sun.

Café

We have dog-friendly tables in our tea-room and feel free to mooch around our bookshop with your dog on its lead.

Visitors walking their dogs in the garden at Sizergh, Cumbria — We love seeing happy dogs at Tredegar | © National Trust Images/John Millar

Help us stay dog-friendly at Tredegar House

We love dogs, but it's always good to remember that not everybody does. Please follow our canine code and help us stay dog-friendly whilst considering all our visitors’ needs.

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

Visitors with two Jack Russell dogs at Flatford, Suffolk — Help everyone enjoy their visit to Tredegar House | © National Trust Images/Arnhel de Serra

Professional dog walkers at Tredegar House

We have recently started issuing our new compulsory dog walker permits. We have been planning this for some time and it's a way for us to all work together consistently and safely.

The permits do not have a fee for now but there are terms and conditions that need to be agreed and complied with.

If you currently walk dogs professionally at Tredegar House in the park, or plan to in the future, please get in touch by emailing tredegar@nationaltrust.org.uk