{"id":3497,"date":"2015-07-16T08:47:14","date_gmt":"2015-07-16T08:47:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.independentcottages.co.uk\/holiday-blog\/?p=3497"},"modified":"2022-07-26T09:01:23","modified_gmt":"2022-07-26T09:01:23","slug":"go-walkies-in-dog-friendly-herefordshire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.independentcottages.co.uk\/holiday-blog\/go-walkies-in-dog-friendly-herefordshire\/","title":{"rendered":"Herefordshire’s Top Dog-friendly Attractions For Your Holiday"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The wide open spaces, stunning scenery and mixture of woodlands, rivers and fields makes Herefordshire a perfect place to take your dog on holiday. Enjoy rambling down country lanes, strolling alongside the River Wye, or tackling the challenging Offa\u2019s Dyke path. Historians will be spoilt for choice with prehistoric settlements, medieval market towns and a number of dog friendly National Trust properties to visit. Or if you are just after a bit of time out, explore the picturesque villages dotted in between the rolling rural landscape of this unspoilt county.<\/p>\n

Herefordshire walking routes<\/h2>\n

Much of Herefordshire is protected with the Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) in the south, and the Malvern Hills AONB in the west. As well as containing some of Britain\u2019s best scenery, Herefordshire borders the\u00a0Shropshire Hills\u00a0<\/a>AONB, the Forest of Dean and Symonds Yat, and the\u00a0Brecon Beacons<\/a>\u00a0National Park. With such a huge area of fantastic countryside there are no shortage of walks for you and your four legged friend.<\/p>\n

If you are after a challenge you can embark on a section of one of the well-known long walking routes. The Herefordshire Trail<\/a>, which circles the city of Hereford, takes in five market towns and covers 150 miles of pristine countryside. If you fancy a mixture of hill and river walking near the Welsh border join a stretch of the Wye Valley Walk<\/a> or the world famous Offa\u2019s Dyke Path<\/a>.<\/u><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

There are also numerous\u00a0shorter circular waymarked walks<\/a>\u00a0around the county, many of which include local attractions or sites of historic interest. Whilst today Herefordshire is a serene oasis, you don\u2019t need to travel far to be reminded of the important role it played in the Industrial Revolution. If you are looking for a picturesque medieval village head to Weobly where you will find a number of traditional black and white half-timbered houses. Once you have finished admiring this beautifully preserved village enjoy the 3 mile Weobly circular walk<\/a>. You will find similar charming villages at Pembridge and Erdisland. Walk around Pembridge at your leisure and admire the dog friendly Westonbury Water Mill Gardens<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The impressive ruins at Wigmore Castle<\/a> are also worth exploring. If you fancy making a day of it there is a lovely 10 mile circular walk that starts and finishes in Wigmore<\/a>. Or venture into the delightfully named Golden Valley to\u00a0Arthur\u2019s Stone<\/a>. This Neolithic grave is more of a place to have a breather and a picnic on a walk rather than a full day out, but certainly worth the effort for the views.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

National Trust days out<\/h2>\n

There is no shortage of impressive National Trust properties, gardens and extensive grounds to explore in Herefordshire. The neo classical mansion at Berrington Hall<\/a> near Leominster<\/a> allows dogs in the grounds. With accessible trails, both the parkland<\/a> and lakeside<\/a> walks are a fun family activity at any time of year. You can also explore the beautiful gardens and grounds at the nearby Croft Castle and Parkland<\/a>.<\/u>\u00a0With 1,500 acres of farm, woodland and fields there are a huge number of walks<\/a> for you and your dog to choose from. Explore an Iron Age hill fort, meander along one of the woodland trails or have a go at the orienteering course. Any smaller members of the family will love playing on the mini castle or let them go wild in the natural play area.<\/p>\n

Another fantastic dog friendly National Trust property is the medieval manor house at Brockhampton Estate<\/a>.\u00a0Once you have explored this small but charming property you can let your dog stretch their legs on one of the six wayward marked walks<\/a> set in beautiful parkland and woods. Kids \u2013 and dogs \u2013 will love the natural play walk<\/a> which leads to a naturally designed play area for children aged 7 and older.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Other days out<\/h2>\n

Ross-on-Wye is a postcard-perfect town straddling the River Wye. It\u2019s just the spot for a lazy weekend, and a convenient base if you\u2019re staying for longer.\u00a0One of the best ways to admire the Wye valley is on the River Wye itself. At Wyedean Canoe Hire<\/a> and Wye Adventures<\/a> you and your four legged friend can hire a canoe. Either go for a short meander down the river or pack a picnic and make a day or it. Nearby, the romantic ruins of the medieval\u00a0Goodrich Castle\u00a0<\/a>accepts well behaved dogs on leads everywhere but the tearoom.<\/p>\n

Since so much of Herefordshire is agricultural it\u2019s no surprise that the local produce is simply amazing. Visit the Ross on Wye farmers\u2019 market for the ingredients to prepare a truly mouth-watering meal, or try out one of the numerous dog friendly eateries. You and your dog will be sure to receive a warm welcome at both King Charles II<\/a> and The Moody Cow<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Set in the foot of the Malvern Hills, on the edge of the Cotswolds, the enchanting Eastnor Castle<\/a> is super dog friendly. As well as having 5,000 acres of wooded Herefordshire countryside to explore, dogs are also welcome inside the castle itself. There are plenty of places where your dog can stop and have a drink of water and you will even be offered dog waste bags on arrival. Visit the Arboretum, walk around the lake or follow the tree trail. If your dog really wants to let off some steam there is a dedicated area where dogs can run freely off their leads. If you also have kids in tow there are plenty of themed activities for them to enjoy, as well as trees to climb, bugs to find and challenges to complete in the welcome booklet. The Castle Tearoom is a great place to refuel after a morning of fresh air and the ice cream parlour even sells old sock flavoured ice cream especially for dogs!<\/p>\n

Alternatively, head west until you are nearly in Wales where you can admire the stunning views of the Black Mountains. Any garden lovers should head to the dog friendly Hergest Croft Gardens<\/a> in Kington where you will find over 70 acres of rare trees, shrubs and flowers.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Getting to Herefordshire<\/h2>\n

Herefordshire is well served by main roads and public transport making it the ideal choice for a country break. There are major train stations in Hereford, Ledbury, Leominster and Colwall for four legged companions who travel well by train. While there is no \u2018best\u2019 place to enjoy a self-catering holiday in Herefordshire you\u2019ll find basing yourself near Hereford, Leominster, Ross-on-Wye or Hay-on-Wye<\/a>\u00a0gives you good access to a wide choice of walks, shops, restaurants, and attractions. There is also an impressive concentration of quality dog-friendly\u00a0holiday cottages<\/a>\u00a0in these areas.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

You and your dog are bound to fall in love with Herefordshire. The friendly locals, stunning scenery, endless walking opportunities and its central location makes hassle-free Herefordshire<\/a> a great choice for a dog friendly break at any time of the year. Take a look at our pet-friendly cottages in Herefordshire.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The wide open spaces, stunning scenery and mixture of woodlands, rivers and fields makes Herefordshire a perfect place to take your dog on holiday. Enjoy rambling down country lanes, strolling alongside the River Wye, or tackling the challenging Offa\u2019s Dyke path. Historians will be spoilt for choice with prehistoric settlements, medieval market towns and a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":6171,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[62,14,81,3,73,61],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.independentcottages.co.uk\/holiday-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3497"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.independentcottages.co.uk\/holiday-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.independentcottages.co.uk\/holiday-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.independentcottages.co.uk\/holiday-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.independentcottages.co.uk\/holiday-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3497"}],"version-history":[{"count":40,"href":"https:\/\/www.independentcottages.co.uk\/holiday-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3497\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9977,"href":"https:\/\/www.independentcottages.co.uk\/holiday-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3497\/revisions\/9977"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.independentcottages.co.uk\/holiday-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6171"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.independentcottages.co.uk\/holiday-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3497"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.independentcottages.co.uk\/holiday-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3497"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.independentcottages.co.uk\/holiday-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3497"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}