Dog-friendly National Trust days out and cosy places to stay

Arlington Court, Devon

Arlington Court’s 20 miles of footpaths make the estate, held by the Chichester family for over 500 years, a great place for dog walking. What sets it apart from many other National Trust sites though, is that you can take your dog inside, to the spectacular display of everything from grand coaches to simple carts on offer at the National Carriage Museum. You’ll need to keep the dogs on a short lead and they can’t come into the main house with you, just the museum, but it adds an extra dimension to the trip. They’re also welcome inside the tearoom too, so Arlington is a great option for a rainy day as well as a sunny one. 

Stay at: The Old Vicarage, a beautiful country house in its own right, slightly less grand but much more homely. 

Ickworth Estate, Suffolk

Ickworth’s impressive rotunda and sculpted gardens give the grounds a mediterranean air as you glimpse them on walks through the parkland around the gardens, which are sadly out of bounds. There are plenty of footpaths to be explored (including an all-weather multi-use trail perfect for anyone with mobility issues), and when you’re done, you can head to the Porter’s Lodge. The dog-friendly café has blankets and beds you can borrow if you’ve managed to tire the dog out on the walk, as well as muffins and ice cream made especially for them, alongside a fine selection of cakes for people too. 

Stay at: The Pear Tree Inn, a lovely village local with a speciality of brilliant bathtubs.  

Belton Estate, Lincolnshire

While the dog will have to wait outside if you visit the impressive manor itself, the Italianate gardens, quiet courtyards and expansive parkland are a lovely place to while away a few hours. You can wind around the lakes and across the pastures where sheep and deer graze, finishing your walk with an ice cream made for dogs, a cake for yourself and a cup of tea at the Stables café. It also has the largest outdoor adventure playground, if you’ve got kids you need to run some energy out of as well as the dogs.  

Stay at: The School House, a cottage in a conservation village that consists of a church, a shop and a cosy pub. 

Culzean Castle, Ayrshire

Stunning Culzean castle sits with a commanding view of the coast from its clifftop setting. Designed by Robert Adam, it was once owned by David Kennedy, Earl of Cassillis who added a Swan Pond, icehouse, impressive formal gardens and fruit-filled glasshouses to demonstrate his wealth. On its own, the view of the turrets and walls from the outside, where you’ll have to stay with the dog, makes it worth a visit, while the walled garden, grounds and pastureland are great to explore. Regular events like open-air theatre and festive markets mean there’s never a bad time of year to make the trip.  

Stay at: Pinclanty Cottage, where you can strike out from your country cottage for fishing sessions with the local ghillie or more great walking in the Galloway Forest. 

Tredegar House, Newport

The original owners of the house, the incredibly wealthy and powerful Morgans (later Lords Tredegar) left their mark on south Wales and plenty of evidence of their vast fortune in the rooms of this house, which are covered in murals and gold. As is often the case, the dog can’t come in to appreciate it all, but you are welcome to roam the grounds with them and even take them shopping. The on-site bookshop is dog friendly, as is the café, so you can browse for something to read then settle in for a cup of tea and a gentle thumb through the pages of your new acquisition. 

Stay at: Oak Farm – The Bothy, more sophisticated than its humble name suggests, but still with a healthy dose of rural charm.  

Plas Newydd House and Gardens, Anglesey

With gorgeous vistas of the treacherous Menai Strait that separate Ynys Môn from the mainland, Plas Newydd is a dramatic place for a walk and one that’ll often have your dog’s ears flapping in the wind. A spring visit will see you surrounded by blooms in the rhododendron garden, a summer one means lazing in the sunny grounds, while an autumn trip brings out the best colours in the woodland, but might give you trouble picking out the resident red squirrels against the turning leaves. At any time of year, the dog-friendly café serves great lunches and Welsh cakes and the Sunroom Kiosk has delicious Red Boat ice cream. 

Stay at: House in the Yard, a cluster of old farm buildings now converted into beautiful cottages, hidden down a narrow lane. 

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Written by
Chris Elmes

Chris is our copywriter, who spins enticing articles out of rough notes and travel tales. Having grown up in rural Wiltshire with only cats, he defected to Team Dog and now roams the countryside with Porth, a gorgeous spaniel named after a Welsh town in what he considers to be a joke. They love disappearing into the hills and coming back hungry for a good pub meal, although Porth has not been convinced to follow Chris into vegetarianism.