Pet-Friendly London: Parks and Apartment

London Eye on Westminster Abbey

London Eye looking onto Houses of Parliament

London is one of the world's most visited cities and with the recent changes in DEFRA's PETS policy, I expect that many more doggie travelers will be visiting there.  This is our pick for favorite spots and activities with dogs in London.

Greenwich Park and Views

Greenwich Park

Views from Greenwich Park

Greenwich, famous for Greenwich Mean Time, is a green suburb of London proper and a great place to stay with dogs because of the abundant greenspace.  Greenwich Park is a particularly charming location with huge green expanses near the Greenwich Maritime Museum

Abby at Greenwich Park Chewy at Greenwich Park
Chewy at Greenwich Park Views from Greenwich Park
Views of London from Greenwich Park Views of London from Greenwich Park
Views from Greenwich Park (and Abby searching for squirrels)

The fantastic views are only part of the attraction because, at times, it seems like every dog in London ends up at Greenwich Park.  On Christmas Day, in particular, we noticed tons of doggies hanging out with their parents at the park.  Despite the large number of dogs, there's an equally large number of squirrels and Abby had a complete blast hunting for squirrels at the park.

Green Chain Walk

Green Chain Park

Entrance to one section of the Green Chain Walk

If you've only ever seen gray and gloomy pictures of London, you might be in for a bit of a (good) shock when you arrive because London is one of the greenest cities we've ever seen.

Green Chain Walk

Abby running at the Green Chain Park

Green Chain Park Abby at Green Chain Walk
Abby at the Green Chain Network Abby Green Chain Walk
Abby playing at one segment of the Green Chain

In Southeast London, the city has connected a network of parks and greenspace together to develop almost 50 miles of green walking space!  We spent a lot of time wandering through the parks that make up the Green Chain and loved having this bit of countryside freshness in the midst of one of the world's largest cities.

Harrod's Pet Kingdom

Harrod's Pet Kingdom

Harrod's Canine bakery

Harrod's Pet Kingdom

Harrod's Pet Kingdom

If you're visiting London, then you must visit Harrod's for its gorgeous window displays .  And, if you have a dog, then you must step up to the Pet Kingdom.  Home to a fantastic canine bakery, dog groomer, and dog daycare, Harrod's is also home to some of the most luxurious pet accessories we've ever seen.

Harrod's Pet Kingdom

Harrod's Pet Kingdom

Harrod's leashes Harrod's pet boutique
Harrod's doggie Christmas pudding Doggie Christmas Crackers

Harrod's Pet Kingdom

We found $1,000 pet collars and leashes studded with Swarovski crystals, "Chewnel" and "Gucchewi" pet toys, and dog Christmas puddings to go along with the luxurious Christmas pudding we bought for ourselves.  Though it wouldn't be feasible to bring big dogs into Harrod's, you could definitely carry a small dog in.

Our London Apartment

London apartment

London apartment London apartment
London apartment London apartment

Greenwich apartment

We stayed in a lovely, large apartment for a month in Greenwich, a five minute walk from the Green Chain Walk, and about 45 minutes into central London.  The house was impeccably clean and beautifully organized, with tons of information about traveling and seeing sights in London.  In addition, it had a great backyard for the dogs and our host Krista was very gracious and helpful whenever we needed.  Though it is a bit of a trek into central London, it's a great base for a few weeks or a month.

Pet-Friendly Peak District: Cottage and Walks

Peak District

Views of the Peak District

The Peak District is a gorgeous area of northern England, often used in filming movies such as Pride and Prejudice and The Princess Bride.  We loved our two week stay in this emerald green part of the country and found it very pet-friendly, as well.

The Hayloft Cottage

Cottage Peak District

Peak District Cottage Peak District cottage
Peak District cottage

Peak District cottage

Views of the Hayloft Cottage

We stayed in the charming Hayloft Cottage near Bakewell , which was a comfortable and well-equipped small cottage, with an open floor plan, new furnishings, a spacious kitchen, excellent underfloor heating (perfect for chilly nights), and fast WiFi.

Chewy and Abby at the Peak District Cottage

Views from Peak District Cottage

Peak District Cottage
Peak District Cottage Chewy and Abby at the Peak District

Views from the Hayloft Cottage

Best of all, Chewy and Abby loved running and playing in the huge green (and sometimes snowy white) yard with views onto the Peak District.

Monsal Trail

Monsal Trail

Monsal Trail Monsal Trail

Monsal Trail

The Monsal Trail is an old railway that has been converted into an 8.5 mile walking and biking path.  It is mostly paved and flat, making it the perfect place for children and not-too-surefooted dogs to roam.

Arbor Low

Abby at Arbor Low

Arbor Low

Abby at Arbor Low

Arbor Low is one of those places that you would never find unless you went looking for it.  Like Stonehenge , Arbor Low is a Neolithic henge monument built sometime around 4000 BC.  Most of the huge and heavy stones are lying in the rough circle where they fell but the ditch and bank that defines all henges is clearly visible.

Arbor Low Abby at Arbor Low
Arbor Low Chewy at Arbor Low
Chewy at Arbor Low Chewy at Arbor Low

Chewy and Abby at Arbor Low

Today, Arbor Low is privately owned property and we walked through a farm, carefully avoiding horse and sheep manure, to reach the "Stonehenge of the North."  We were the only tourists and Chewy and Abby had a blast climbing up, down, and around the ditch and bank and stones.  We tried to explain the significance of Arbor Low but they weren't particularly impressed!

Walks and Pubs

Chewy and Abby at the Peak District pub

Rarebit at pub

Ploughman's lunch

Walk Peak District

Peak District walk

Peak District walk

Walks and pubs

In the Peak District, everyone expects that you will be walking through the green --- sometimes muddy, sometimes sloshy --- areas with your dog.  Dogs, and even muddy dogs, are welcome in most pubs.  We stopped in at The Rose & Crown in Brailsford after a walk on an overcast day and had an excellent Welsh rarebit and Ploughman's lunch with Chewy and Abby under our feet.

If you want to find dog-friendly pubs, head over to the excellent Doggie Pubs website --- one of our favorite pet-friendly resources in England.

Pet Friendly England: Cornwall Beaches, Castles, and Moors

Abby at Cornwall Beaches

Abby at a Cornish beach

Cornwall is famed for its beaches, gardens, castles, and moors . . . and its pet-friendliness.  So, we spent almost every day visiting amazing Cornwall with Chewy and Abby.  Here is what we saw:

Dog-Friendly Beaches

Chewy at Cornish beaches

Abby at Cornish beaches Chewy at Cornish beach
Chewy and Abby at Cornish beaches Chewy and Abby at Cornish beach
Dogs at the Cornish beach

Even on a sunny day in August, I wasn't willing to get rid of my long-sleeve fleece at the Cornish beaches.  It was cold and windy (at least for me) but the Britishers were sunning and romping through the water.  Either way, the beaches are a great place to take a walk and Chewy and Abby enjoyed crawling over and across the moss covered rocks at the seashore.

To find out which beaches are pet-friendly, I highly recommend checking The Cornish Coast, a great website that includes all leash laws for beaches in Cornwall.

Bodmin Moor and Dartmoor

Bodmin Moor

Dartmoor

Bodmin Moor and Dartmoor are wild untracked places, full of green moss-covered stones, strange neolithic stone huts and cities, wild ponies, and clinging crevices.  I can't imagine a better place for dogs to be dogs: romping, running, and swimming as they will.

Ruined Castles

Okehampton Castle

Restormel Castle

I've mentioned before how I love that dogs are allowed in so many places in England .  Well, unsurprisingly, dogs are allowed at many of the ruined castles in the country (and there are many of those.)

At the castle

Chewy at Restormel Castle Chewy at Restormel Castle
Restormel Castle Restormel Castle

Restormel Castle

Restormel Castle

The best way to determine which castles and ruins allow dogs is to get one of the English Heritage books which list all of the English Heritage sites and whether or not the site allows dogs.  Most of the ruined castles allow dogs so, if all else fails, you could always call up their office beforehand to doublecheck.

Okehampton Castle

Okehampton Castle

Okehampton Castle

Cotswolds Vacation Rental - The Rose Cottage

Cotswolds The Rose Cottage

Fresh raspberries Walk near the Rose Cottage

Walk near The Rose Cottage Rose Cottage
Walk near The Rose Cottage The Rose Cottage walkway

We stay at many, many, many vacation rentals.  Most places are very nice and we enjoy meeting the owners and getting to know them.  But, sometimes, we find vacation rentals that are just above and beyond amazing.  The Rose Cottage in Cornwall was one of those.  The house itself is a lovely remodel of a barn and, though small, the kitchen is fully furnished to a very high standard with ample space, utensils, and pots and pans to take advantage of the local produce in the area.  The bed was comfortable and we woke every morning to stunning views of the countryside.  The only negative is that there is no Internet access.

The walk right outside the door was one of the best walks we took in Cornwall.  We walked across a huge field with mile-long views of Dartmoor through a field with wildflowers and into a thickly wooded forest.

And, last but certainly not least, Carolynn warmly welcomed and hosted us.  We arrived to a lovely cream tea with homemade scones and she brought us the iridescent fresh raspberries and just-picked broad beans.  She left dog biscuits and blankets for the couch, provided us excellent information on what to see with and without the dogs, and did everything in her power to make our time in Cornwall relaxing and fun.  We highly recommend this vacation rental and are seriously considering returning to it (even though we hated not having Internet access) next summer.

Pet Friendly England: Cotswolds Walks and Vacation Rental

Cotswolds Village

Cotswolds village

After our seven days on the Queen Mary 2 and few days at a hotel in the New Forest , we were thrilled to pull into the beautiful Cotswolds .  The Cotswolds are essentially a string of tiny villages set amidst lakes, fields, and forests about two hours north of London.  The dogs LOVED spending time there and so did we.  In this post, I'll describe our accommodations and a few favorite walks and attractions in the Cotswolds.

Vacation Rental: Little Stalls in Kemble near Cirencester, England

Little Stalls in Kemble

Abby and Chewy near Little Stalls

Little Stalls at Kemble

We were spoiled for choice in the Cotswolds.  There were no shortage of pet-friendly accommodations, some with or without Internet, some with fenced in yards and some without.  Most were in rural locations, which suited us perfectly.  We opted for Little Stalls in Kemble because the house looked cute and the price was quite reasonable.  The house was small with a tiny kitchen in which we heated up prepared meals bought at a nearby Waitrose, a comfortable little living room, and a small bedroom and bath.  Despite its tiny size, it suited us perfectly because it was clean, had a fantastic walk through wheat fields just outside the door and a fenced-in yard for the dogs.  We were a five minute drive from the amazing Cotswolds Water Park and within an hour to most of the major attractions in the area, including Stratford upon Avon.

The only negative to this house is that it has no internet access and we were unable to get a cell signal either (though we did get cell access if we walked away from the house.)

Westonbirt Arboretum

Chewy and Abby at Westonbirt

Chewy at Westonbirt Arboretum Westonbirt Arboretum
Westonbirt Arboretum Westonbirt Arboretum

at Westonbirt Arboretum

Chewy and Abby

Westonbirt Arboretum is one of the most beautiful parks in England with a lovely long trail to take off-leash dogs (as long as they are under voice control).  Though they charge admission, you can easily spend most of the day at the arboretum, meandering through the huge trees and flowers.

Cotswolds Water Park

Cotswolds Water Park

The Cotswolds Water Park is a section of manmade lakes formed out of old disused china clay mining pits.  There are loads of great walks for dogs and humans and the entire area is free to visitors.

Cotswolds Wildlife Park

Cotswolds Wildlife Park

As discussed in my other post, the Cotswolds Wildlife Park was one of our favorite attractions in this area.  Definitely a must see with dogs!

And those were our favorites from the Cotswolds which gets the Chewy-Abby Seal of Approval!

Akila writes. Patrick takes photos. Chewy eats. Abby runs. We live, love, and travel in this world.
Chewy's Silver Screen Soiree
Chewy turns ten and we celebrate with a walk on the red carpet.
Sweet Georgia Skies
Green forests and super-high waterfalls. Chewy and Abby gave the North Georgia mountains four paws up.
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