Great place to have off-lead capers in attractive woodlands and ball-throwing fields

I found this walk on here when looking for a place to stop around half way between Warrington and Reading so I could have a good stretch of the legs and Roger - a good run around. After researching further online and looking at Google maps, I figured this would be a good choice. (Visited in October 2019)

I parked in the car park as far along the road past the pub as I could get. It was just before the playing fields and is large, no cost to park and also has a decent adventure play area next to it too (should you have kids)

I then walked in the direction of Leam Valley Nature Reserve and had the place completely to myself which was perfect. It was a lovely walk - turning left when I reached the river and walking all the way along to the bird hide, beyond which are fences signalling the extent of the reserve. There are several different paths back and I wove around a lot, just wandering really (and following the paths Roger chose to go down, lol) and eventually ended up back where I started.

I was there about an hour and half but you can easily do circular walks that are less, or add more by walking back towards Leamington or out the back/top of the car park onto the old golf course. It really is a great place to exercise dogs. I can highly recommend it!

And it worked - Roger slept the rest of the way to Reading! (I did somehow lose his lead somewhere in the nature reserve though, so had to go via Pets at Home on leaving Leamington. Luckily there was one in town)

Great Post Covid-19 Lockdown Walk - Easy to socially distance

This was the first walk we did once the lockdown restrictions were lifted and we could travel a bit further afield. Having never been before, I was impressed with how easy it was to socially distance on. Paths are wide, flat, well surfaced and accessible. The board walk section which allows you to get amongst the peat bog is now one way.

Despite it being a nature reserve, dogs are fine to be off-lead as long as they are under control.

The paths and routes are well signposted and a map on the board by the visitor centre details different trails. There's a great wooden sculpture trail around the site too - I particularly loved the bear sat on one of the benches.

Worth noting that the visitor centre/toilets are not currently open due to Covid.

Very dog-welcoming, excellent food, but pricey

I've been here for Sunday lunch a few times and it is always excellent - very tasty and large portions. The desserts are epic!

The prices are on the more expensive side compared to other pubs in the area, but it is a lovely place with more of a upmarket restaurant feel.

Sitting out on the terrace is very pleasant and dogs are made to feel welcome with water, treats and beds on hand.

Great circular route from the hall to the canal

Haigh Hall Country park is a lovely spot for dog walks and if you have young children as well, there's a lot here to entertain them at the same time. In fact, the country park as a whole have a nice variety of things to see and do including formal gardens, woodland walks, adventure golf, ropes course, playgrounds, adventure play area and food court.

The best dog walking area is down past the Hall - I particularly like walking down to the canal - to do this follow the tarmac-d access road until you pass the miniature railway, then fork right on a wide gravel path which leads downhill to the canal.

Cross the bridge and turn left onto the canal path here. Follow the path to the next bridge then take the path back up the hill here.

Once you are back in the thick of the woodlands turn left onto one of the wooded footpaths and you'll weave your way through trees back to the miniature railway and the main leisure area. Just follow the general noise of children playing...

There's a good picnic spot at Haigh Hall if you bring refreshments with you, or there's nice food on offer including gorgeous ice cream in the food courtyard. Dog bowls with water are available here too.

Lovely small and easy to navigate country park for off lead capers.

Great place to stop along the M62 for a half hour bimble! Dogs can be off-lead from the car and there's lovely views across Cheshire and towards Manchester. There can be some road noise from the motorway depending on wind direction but otherwise a lovely place to walk! Car park is free too - always a bonus for a country park!

One of the best dog walking areas in Cheshire

I absolutely love Alderley Edge, or as it's known locally as just "The Edge" and I've been walking there all my life as I am lucky to live near by. My dog absolutely loves it here too as it is prime squirrel chasing countryside. He goes berserk and has a wail of a time exploring in the woodlands and I regularly lose sight of him (Don't worry - he always comes back)

There are literally hundreds of criss-crossing paths through the woods so you could go many times and do different routes each time. It gets very muddy in winter or after lots of rain however so dress appropriately and expect a very muddy dog afterwards.

There are 2 different escarpments where you get fantastic views across Cheshire, to the Pennines and towards Manchester. Most of the routes that take in these viewpoints take about 45 minutes to walk. There is also a longer walk that goes down the hill and past a waterfall, skirting round the base of the National Trust land towards the village of Alderley Edge and back up the hill past the Wizard's Well. (don't try this after lots of rain as you'll end up knee deep in mud and in these conditions the route past the waterfall is practically impassable)

Check out the National Trust Website for details of walks in the area.

Car parking is free for NT members - just remember to scan your card at the machine for a ticket.

Parking charges for non-members is £4.00 for 3 hours / £7.00 all day (correct as from beg of 2020)

The tea room is lovely and does excellent cakes and light meals. Dogs are welcomed inside too, as they are in sections of The Wizard Pub next door. Also tasty food!

One of the best dog walking areas in Cheshire

I loved this country park for walking my dog - there's a lot to see and lots of different habitats for them (and us) to explore. The arboretum is very pretty and I love the reed walk around the western side of the lake to a lovely viewpoint. Roger was fascinated with the smells in the watery reed areas. The woodlands are full of squirrels so he had great fun chasing them and trying to climb trees! Also, a very attractive place to see in autumn when all the trees are changing colour. Would recommend anyone to stop here.

The food truck is excellent and serves epic breakfast balms all day as well a lovely range of loose leaf tea!

Great to see so many dog bins - a big plus. And the toilets are well serviced too!

Oh and there's a small dog agility area there which I had great fun trying to get Roger to attempt! Can't wait to return...

Fabulous quality home cooked food in an attractive country pub

I booked a table here for Sunday lunch today with friends, child and dog in tow and was very impressed with the food. I rarely order roast dinners out as they are never as good as I can do at home and they always over cook vegetables; however on arriving I saw some come out and they looked fabulous so we all ordered one, and they were delicious: just perfect! As was the white chocolate bread and butter pudding! They also have great local beers on tap by the Tilford Brewery.

Dogs are made to feel very welcome and the footpaths going off from immediately opposite the pub and from the end of the road alongside are ideal for a quick wander, or as I've seen from OS Maps can easily be made into bigger circular walks. The child in our party had great fun in the playground too.

I would definitely return here again when in the area! Oh and I was excited to see the Driving With Dogs window sticker in the pub entrance.

Excellent quiet place to walk your dog

I am so glad I've found this place as its so close to where I live and absolutely perfect for an hour's jaunt (or less if its a quick pit stop along the M6)

The old railway line track is perfect for flat walking - you can walk out on this and on the return, take the higher woodland path that overlooks it.

If you have an OS map to hand, then there are so many different paths signposted off the track that I'm sure would make for lovely circular routes across fields. Unfortunately the information boards in the car park are badly damaged and hard to read. The ranger cabin has never been open when I've visited, so don't rely on being able to acquire the walks leaflets that are mentioned in the description above. Also a shame that there aren't toilets here as it seems like the kind of place that should.

Keep an eye out for the carved benches along the track, many of them overgrown and very weathered! They're so cute. And there's a lovely floor mosaic on the opposite side of the track-bed to the car park hidden in the trees - depicts the old railway station that would have been here.

Well worth stopping here for a walk!

Vast beach with plenty of quality running space for ball chucking!

So many people have recommended Talacre Beach to me over the last couple of years as perfect for dogs, and having now finally been myself, I would happily recommend it to anybody. It is easily one of the best dog-friendly beaches I've been to as for starters there are no limitations on use by dogs in the summer.

Talacre is a vast open beach and even at it's busiest you'll still feel like you have the place to yourself for much of the time. If you have a dog that loves to run, you'll easily have plenty of space for ball-chuckers without impinging on other beach users. The sand is lovely to walk on with bare feet and is clean and litter free. Water is still cold though, ;)

There are plenty of amenities conducive to a great day out on the approach road to the beach including a great pub: 'The Point' which allow dogs inside and a cafe which sells the Cheshire Ice Cream Farm ice-cream. Yummy...

If only it was a bit closer than an hour and 20 minutes away, I'd be there all the time!

Perfect off-lead dog walking woods and wide open canal path

As a local to Sankey Valley Park, this is one of my all time favourite places to walk my dog. We go back time and time again! As well as the linear canal tow path, there are numerous criss-crossing paths through the woods around the Gulliver's World area of the park, all perfect for off-lead adventures. The canal tow path is wide with open space alongside and grass/vegetation between the path and the water.

If you park in the car park just off 'Waterways', accessed from Cromwell Avenue, then turn left up the canal from the car park and when you reach the end of the canal basin, the woods beyond are the ones I refer to and which my dog adores! Full of squirrels, I regularly lose sight of him, lol!

If you want a drink or food while you're visiting, I can recommend The Maltings Pub which is incredibly dog-welcoming: situated on Ledyard Close (just outside the park). Their car park is accessed from Bewsey Farm Close.

Excellent dog-welcoming pub with own doggy menu!

I was pleasantly surprised with how lovely the interior of this pub was and just how dog-welcoming it is! Staff are super friendly and were very attentive - nothing was too much trouble. They even turned the TV to show our sport of choice which was perfect as we were visiting during Wimbledon, so we got to catch up on the tennis!

The food was excellent with very generous portions; however the best bit (as I'm sure our dogs will confirm) was the doggy menu! With all sorts on it including roasted meat, they were spoilt rotten - check out the photos for the chicken and sausage dinners we ordered for them!

My only quibble with the place is the Tap Room is a small bar area so if you happen to visit when there's a few others with the same idea, you might not get a table. Just bear this in mind if you decide to call on speck.

Note: If you want to give your pooch a stretch of their legs - wander over the road and to the left and go down the road next the church. This takes you down to the River Eden where there's a grassy area for them to run around, or you can pick up the riverside path on the other side of the footbridge.