Darwin Forest Country Park

April 21, 2016 By

IMG_2046lrDarwin Forest Country Park in the beautiful Derbyshire Peak District is one of the UK’s top holiday parks and provides luxury self-catering holiday accommodation. Set in 47 acres of mixed woodland between Matlock and Bakewell our luxury lodges are nestled within our woodland paradise and are furnished to the highest standard. Our Spa lodges (some are Pet Friendly) also includes an outdoor hot tub. The lodges provide the perfect base for exploring the surrounding attractions or for simply relaxing in the tranquillity of the park and enjoying time with your loved ones. The Park also boasts an impressive range of facilities including Evolution Health and Fitness Centre with a swimming pool, spa and gym, Foresters bar and restaurant (which is dog friendly) and Little Monkeys indoor playcentre. With an array of woodland walks also on your doorstep, you and your family will never be short of something to do.

DSC_5241LRContact Details:

Darwin Forest Country Park, Darley Moor, Two Dales, Matlock  DE4 5PL

Telephone: 01629 732428

Email: enquiries@darwinforest.co.uk

Website: http://www.darwinforest.co.uk

Twitter: @darwinforest

Facebook: Darwin Forest

DSC_45221_lr

Filed Under: Accommodation, Featured Accommodation

A dog walk and a pint in the Peak District

March 10, 2020 By

Bulls Head MonyashIt’s that time of year, when you need to do brisk dog walks, as it’s getting a bit cooler. Now if you can follow the dog walk by dropping into a cosy dog friendly pub, that offers roaring log fires with warming drinks, then even better!

There are plenty of places to do a nice dog walk, check out our choose a dog walk post, to find one. We’ve then got lots of pubs to choose from which are dog friendly. If you know where you want to look, then check out our pub directory and find a great pub. 

Let us know your favourite dog walks, we’d be happy to post the details on our website. And if you know of a dog friendly pub that you would recommend, then please tell us and we will share the good news online with our doggie  friends!

 

Check out Amazon for these books

We’ve also found these two dog friendly pub walk books, so check these out two.

Filed Under: Date sensitive Tagged With: , ,

September events

June 8, 2023 By

Big walkiesAugust is drawing to a close with the bank holiday weekend almost upon us.  There are still loads of great dog friendly events that you can attend:

Bank Holiday weekend beer festival at Hope

A regular event for us, the Old Hall Hotel at Hope always manages to pull off a great day out. There are usually a number of fantastic local real ales to try and often some live music too!  For those “designated drivers” there is a tea room alongside the Old Hall Hotel, which always has a bowl of water for your four legged friend.  There is always a welcome in the Old Hall Hotel pub and dogs are welcome in here too.

Taddington Well Dressing  – 22nd – 29th August 2015

Various locations in the village

11am – 4pm

Hope Show – 31st August 2015

Hope Show is one of the major summer shows in Derbyshire and the Peak District giving an opportunity for large crowds of those who enjoy farming and the countryside to meet & celebrate the year just gone.  It is held every August Bank Holiday Monday with the Sheep Dog trials lasting into Tuesday.

The show includes a wide range of displays, classes and competitions including the Sheepdog trials, Show Jumping, Heavy & Light Horses Showing, Poultry, Cattle and Sheep, including Rare Breeds, Gundogs, Vintage Cars and Motorbikes, Vintage Tractors and Engines, Horticulture, Crafts and lots more.

Alongside these activates there is loads for the children to see & do and plenty of opportunities for everyone to refresh themselves, with the many local food stalls which Hope Show prides itself on.

Foolow Well Dressing – Sunday 6th September 2015  – 10.30am – 4.30pm

Two, both on the Village Green:

  • 1. Main Well Dressing
  • 2. Children’s Well Dressing

How to get there

Foolow is located about 1km north of the A623 Baslow to Chapel-en-le-Frith road at Housley; about 3km west of Eyam.

CAR: you may be able to find a parking space on the village green, although it is closed during the festivities on the Saturday afternoon. Failing this, try along the Housley road; there is a layby just outside the village.

SATNAV: S32 5QR

Refreshments served daily in the village hall.

Clownes Well Dressing

This ancient custom is unique to Derbyshire and is the art of making pictures from natural materials. Clowne is a place of springs and the villagers have revived well dressing to mark this. The theme this year is the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta. Well Location Outside Wilkinson’s store, Mill Green Way (S43 4LJ)

Please Note – 9am till 7.00pm

Chatsworth Country Show – 4th – 6th September 2015

A fantastic country show with plenty to see for all the family.  For those with culinary prowess there are some great chefs including Mary Berry (from the Great British Bake Off) and John Torode from Masterchef fame.

The Essex Dog display team is in attendance this year, along with dog agility. There are also gun dog displays and plenty of stalls and attractions to wander around. There are always hundreds of dogs in attendance and there are plenty of water stops for your four legged friend around the show ground.

Big walkies – RSPCA Chesterfield – Sunday 6th September 2015

Calling all dog lovers and their dogs, from the playful puppies to the golden oldies. Big Walkies is coming for you!

Big Walkies is the RSPCA’s own series of sponsored dog walks. This isn’t an everyday walk, this is the Best. Walk. Ever. Say goodbye to the familiar and treat your pet to more trees, more fun, and more reasons to slobber. Your dog will make lots of new doggy friends, and you can make human ones too. Together you and your new friends can have fun and help the RSPCA to protect more animals from cruelty and neglect. Every dog shall have his day!

It only costs £10 for one dog, and £5 for any additional pooches. All humans can come along free!

Lathkill Beer Festival – Friday 11th and Saturday 12th September 2015

The first ever beer festival with 17 real ales and real ciders. For those non beer drinkers there are a good selection of wines and spirits. This is a dog friendly pub near Bakewell.

Sat Nav DE45 1JE

Hartington Wakes sports and Country Show – 13th September

High Fields Hall Bank, Hartington SK17 0AT

There’s so much to do and see at our show  Archery, Blood Hounds –  Parade, Bouncy Castle, Cattle Show Classes, Chase the Bunny,  Climbing Wall,  Craft Stalls,  Donkey Rides, Driving Classes,  Children’s Fun Fair, Food, Fun Dog Show, Grand Parade, Gymkhana, Handicrafts, ‘Have a go’ Flyball, Heavy Horse Showing, Horse showing, Indoor Market, Parade of the Poppy Queen, Peter Hallam with his dog and ducks, Puissance, Sheep Show Classes, Show Jumping, Supreme Champion of Champions! Class for best overall animal of the day, Trade stands & Vintage tractors!

Woofs and Wellies – Sunday 13th September 2015

Woofs and Wellies is everyone’s favourite sponsored dog walk!

The fundraising event has been especially put together for our four-legged friends, with a great chance for you and man’s best friend to walk around the stunning Linacre reservoirs, all for your local hospice.

The walk is taking place on Sunday 13th September at 10am. At the end of the walk, your dog will receive a very special medal of their own, which they can wear with pride.

Register for £5 to take a walk with man’s best friend. Refreshments will be available, both for dogs and their owners, plus all dog will receive a doggy bag!

Please be a responsible dog owner and keep your dogs on leads at all times and remember to bring poo bags!

To register, please visit here

Hayfield Country Show 19th – 20th September 2015

Childrens entertainers, birds of prey, sheep dog trials, fell race, crafts, local food, pet tent, dog agility, gun dog displays.

Another great day out.

Filed Under: Date sensitive, Events

How to keep your dog cool in hot weather

April 21, 2016 By

With the weather reaching an all time high this July, I thought it might be useful to find a few tips about keeping your dog cool and comfortable in the heat.Solomons temple with Tilly

1. Don’t leave your dog in a hot car, even just for a few minutes.  It’s not worth the risk of harming your dog….

2.  Exercise your dog early in the morning and later in the evening when the temperatures are much cooler. There’s nothing worse than dragging a hot panting dog around in the heat.

3. Keep your dog hydrated. Take a bottle of water on your dog walk and encourage it to drink either during or at the end of a dog walk. Try to remember to keep a travel dog bowl in the car – failing that, you can train your dog to drink out of a clean poop bag – it sounds horrible but it does work.  My dogs are fine with this! Always have a bowl of fresh water at home as well as outside in the garden.

4. Hot dogs will pant to keep cool, and they will start to drool a lot. Keep an eye out and make sure that your dog doesn’t get dehydrated. You can tell if it is, by pulling the skin away from the dog, if it takes a while to spring back, the chances are your dog is dehydrated. Try and avoid this by taking water on your walks as mentioned before.  Darker coated dogs absorb more heat than lighter one’s and this is very evident in my black labs. They seem to soak up the heat and start to pant straight away.

5. Have fun cooling your dog down in the garden by filling a paddling pool with water, or laying damp towels out for your dog and encouraging them to lie on it.  If you have a sprinkler system, then you could spray a fine mist into your garden onto the dogs.  Finally you could use cold water on a piece of kitchen towel and dampen their paws. This is an effective way to cool your dog.

6. Take your dog for a swim! Find a quiet river or pond, that contains clean water not putrid smelly stuff! Let your dog cool down in the hot weather by swimming.  It might be wiser to find somewhere like this when there is less likelihood of it being used by other people. Not everyone likes, wet soggy dogs shaking themselves all over you!

 

 

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Weekend Walk – Winster

July 3, 2015 By

View from the Limestone Way

View from the Limestone Way

Full Walk Distance: 3 miles approximately

Time taken: 1 hour 15 mins possibly longer if your sauntering.

Start point: Winster car park

Sat Nav: For Miners Standard – a pub close to the car park DE4 2DR

Location: The car park can be found just off the B5056.

This walk entails some road walking through Winster at the start and end of the walk, but also includes fields and paths. There is a quite a reasonable section of walled track along the Limestone Way, where you can let your dog off the lead as long as they are well behaved and not likely to jump into fields alongside the track and upset the livestock.

Free car parking – although it is a very small car park and can get very busy with walkers.

If you want to avoid the first section of the walk, which involves a fairly steep downhill stroll to the pick up a footpath towards Bonsall, (which will also avoid a field of sheep and the first section of the Limestone way), you can start from the car park and head up the road towards the pub (The Miners Standard – which is dog friendly) and locate the Limestone Way, which is just off the road signposted to Newhaven.  Start your walk from no 7.

Walk in full

1. From the car park, walk down East Bank, heading down a steep hill through a residential area.

2. Partway down the hill on the right hand side, you will see a foot path signed to Bonsall, which leads between two cottages.

3. Take this footpath and then pass through the stile and into the field, bearing right up towards the trees. Be aware that there may  be cattle and sheep in the next couple of fields.

4. After the stile in the trees, bear left following the well trodden path.

5. Keep passing through stiles, aiming for a lone stile in the middle of a field. Heading underneath some power cables. You then need to bear right in the field and head up towards some gateposts which will lead you on to the Limestone Way.

6. Once on the Limestone Way, follow the path until you meet the road. You are looking for the road signposted Elton and Newhaven.

7. Walk up this road for just a few metres and then turn right onto the Limestone Way. Walk down this footpath for approximately 1/2 mile.

8. Eventually you will reach a cross road in the tracks (don’t carry on along the Limestone Way) instead on your right hand side you will notice a stile which enters the corner of a field.

9. Go through this stile and head towards a delapidated barn in the middle of the field. You will pass to the right of the barn. In summer the barn may be obscured by trees and bushes.

10. You’ll pass through another stile and then cross the road. Be warned the road can be quite busy and the stile that you need to head towards has some rather steep steps down into the field beyond. It was a bit tricky to negotiate with more than one dog!

11. Walk to the right of the field and then pass through another stile in the wall.  Follow the path towards the trees, where you will then walk through open parkland towards the church, where there is a stile in the wall.

12. Walk through the church yard and then when you reach the road, turn right and walk up West Bank, back to the car park.

Walk from the alternate start point

From the car park, walk up the road towards the Miners Standard pub and locate the road signposted Elton & Newhaven. Then follow from step 7 of the full walk.

Filed Under: Featured Walks, Weekend Walks, Where to Walk

Planning a Camping Trip with your dog in the Peak District

June 8, 2023 By

Camping with your dog

Camping with your dog

Camping is always a fun activity and it is a great way to holiday with your family and your dog. No kennel fees to pay and plenty of walking and fresh air to help you sleep well at night under canvas.

The Peak District is well known for being a great place to walk and there are plenty of campsites which cater for those holidaying with their dogs. Sites such as www.pitchup.com allow you to browse campsites and pick the best campsite for your needs. You can use the filter to search for dog friendly campsites.

To make this experience as problem free as possible, a little planning goes a long way.

If this is the first time that you have taken your dog camping you will need to ensure that they are as calm as possible. Expecting a dog to get used to a flapping tent at night, may take a bit of time. It is perhaps useful to pitch the tent nice and early in the day, and get the dog used to moving in and out of the tent. By the time evening comes, it will be happy to sleep in it.

Campsite Etiquette

Useful skewer for securing your dog when camping

Not every campsite accepts dogs, so you will to check beforehand and make sure you read the rules of the campsite. Dogs will need to be kept on a lead around the campsite and will not be allowed to roam free.  You can purchase long leads and stakes that skewer into the ground which you can attach your long leads to.

It pays to get the dog used to this before you begin your camping trip, the last thing you want is an agitated dog on holiday with you. A persistent barking dog will only upset your neighbouring campers and could end your stay earlier on the campsite than you intended.

In Case of Emergency

Whilst you are away, make sure that you aware of where your nearest vet is, just in case you require their services at short notice. A quick search on yell.com will identify this information. You should also need to ensure that the dog is up to date with inoculations.  Make sure your dog is micro chipped or at the very least is tagged with ID telephone no – just in case it gets lost.

Keep your dog comfortable

A comfortable dog is a happy dog and will settle well when it is expected to go to bed at night. Make sure that your pet is surrounded by familiar bedding and toys. You may consider taking a crate for your dog to sleep in at night. This might make it feel more secure and comfortable at night. Plan where the dog is going to sleep early on and place his bedding there so that he can get familiar with his sleeping area.

If you try and keep to familiar routines in terms of bedtimes the dog is likely to settle much easier.

During the day, particularly if it is quite warm, make sure you can find a spot with some shade for the dog.  It may be wise to find a pitch that is near the edge of the campsite, so that of you need to take it out last thing at night for a toilet stop, then you are not tripping over everyone else’s tent pegs to get out of the camp site.

Disposal of dog mess

Ensure that you dispose of all dog waste in the appropriate bins. Usually camp sites who allow dogs, will provide the appropriate disposal receptacles, but this is not always the case, so make sure you bring plenty of poop bags and ensure you know where the bins are for safe disposal.

A useful checklist

  • Water bowl and food bowl
  • Clean water supply/water receptacle
  • Towels for cleaning wet dogs and dirty paws
  • Toys to keep the dog amused
  • Treats for taking with you
  • Long lead and skewer/stake for attaching lead to on site
  • Bedding
  • Extra poop bags
  • First aid kit e.g. tick remover, antiseptic cream, bandages
Filed Under: Date sensitive

The Ultimutt doggy day out: Dogs Unleashed!

June 8, 2023 By

Dogs UnleashedWelcome to Dogs Unleashed the ultimutt doggy day out.  This years Dogs Unleashed will take place at The Bakewell Showground, Derbyshire on the 27th and 28th June 2015.

Dogs Unleashed is an exciting, fun filled and informative day out for the whole family. The event is excellent value for money with free entry for all your dogs!

The event will bring together the whole canine community through licensed competitions, displays, breed stands, welfare information and charity stalls and a vast amount of fun doggy activities. Its an excellent day out for anyone who has anything to do with dogs!

This fun and friendly show is the perfect environment for you to try out and experience many of the doggy sports and disciplines within the canine world, all in one day.

There are many activities and competitions at the event where you can personally get involved, just check out the attractions page.

Check their website for more details.

 

Filed Under: Date sensitive

Weekend Dog Walk – Fernilee Reservoir (Goyt Valley)

June 20, 2015 By

Dog walk in the Goyt ValleyThe Goyt Valley provides a great mixture of places for your dog to have some exercise. However, you need to be aware of the Countryside Code and ensure that if you are entering Open access land between the 1st March and 31st July you must ensure that your dog is kept on a short lead to protect ground nesting birds.

One of our favourite gentle walks is around Fernilee reservoir. There is limited parking in this area, but I have indicated 3 places on the map below, where you can park. If you use the zoom control on the map, you will notice that there are two access points from the A5004 (Long Hill) to Fernilee reservoir (one to the south of the reservoir and one to the north of the reservoir – both on the right hand side as you look at the map).  At the southerly access there is only space for 3 or 4 cars, but at the northerly access point, there is space for a few more, as you can park along the access road itself.

The Walk

Basically you can start at either end of the reservoir and walk either clock wise or anti clockwise around the reservoir.  You will see from the map, that there is a wooded area on the left of the reservoir (as you look at the map) and this has a lovely waterside path that you can follow. Alternatively you can start at the top end of the reservoir and walk down the wide stoned path towards Errwood reservoir, which is the start of the water that you can see on the map.

Tip: On a rainy day, it is much more sheltered walking through the wooded section, so you could just do a linear walk there and back on that side of the reservoir, should you choose to do so.

This is a very popular walk for dog walkers and other walkers, so your dog will have lots of opportunities to socialise with dogs and other people.

Pub nearby

The Shady Oak (Fernilee) this is a little bit further along Long Hill and is very dog friendly.

 

Filed Under: Featured Walks, Weekend Walks

Weekend Dog Walk – Solomons Temple (Buxton)

February 27, 2020 By

Solomons temple with cows and dogHere’s a walk if you find yourself in or around Buxton. On a clear day you will see spectacular panoramic views of Buxton and the surrounding area (if you walk up the steps and view from the top of Solomon’s temple).  That said, if you don’t fancy climbing the steps within the temple, then you get a pretty good view from the field at the foot of the temple.

Time: Allow between 40 mins and 1 hour (depending on how much exploring you want to do)

Distance: 1 – 1.5 miles (again, depending on whether you walk directly to the temple, or decide to meander around the fields).

The Walk:

  1. Park in the public car park for Poole’s Cavern (Postcode SK17 9DH). There is a small charge.
  2. Take the steps from the car park and walk into the woods. At the top of the steps you will turn left and follow the signs to Solomon’s Temple.
  3. When you get to the top of the stoned path, you will pass through a squeezer stile and then follow the path through the field towards the temple. The temple will be diagonally left across the field.
  4. You can climb the temple, to get an amazing 360 degrees view of Buxton and the surrounding area.
  5. Once you have reached the temple and explored it,  retrace your steps and back down the main path to the car park.

Dog Friendly snacks at Poole’s Cavern Cafe – very welcoming to dogs and have dog biscuits at the counter.

Nearby pub: The Duke at Burbage, SK17 6UR. Very dog friendly and good food.

Filed Under: Featured Walks, Weekend Walks, Where to Walk

Weekend Walk – Bakewell Meadows

June 8, 2023 By

A Bakewell Dog Walk

Bakewell Meadows Dog Walk
Bakewell Meadows Dog Walk

If you are visiting Bakewell with your dog, then this might be the perfect leisurely dog walk in Bakewell. It’s a fairly flat walk, and incorporates some road walking, some woodland tracks and a stroll across a meadow. It’s probably not advised if there has been a bout of heavy rain, as the fields can get rather water logged.

Walk Information

Time taken: Allow an hour

Distance: approx 2 miles

You can park in Bakewell town centre and start the walk from there, so you have plenty of options on your return for some four legged friendly refreshments.

Directions for dog walk

1. Starting from the Agricultural centre, walk towards Coombs Road. With the show ground office behind you, walk down the road, with the cafe on your left and the showground on your right. Continue along the road until you reach a gate.

From Coombs road

2. Pass through the gate and turn right onto Coomb Road. Walk along this very quiet lane until you get to the end where the Monsal Trail starts on your left hand side. On your right you will notice a wide track and bridleway sign.

3. Turn right and walk along the bridleway until you reach a gate on your right hand side. You cannot continue ahead, as it is a private road.

Sign at the end of bridleway

4. Pass through the gate and walk down through the field to the bottom sign post. You then turn right and pass through another gate.

sign at bottom of meadow

5. Now continue across several fields in a straight line, heading back towards the agricultural centre. You will negotiate a rather strange brook (see below). You can either walk across the plank, or bear to the left of the bush and walk through the more convenient gap in the hedge.

Cross brook

6. Continue towards the agricultural centre, keeping the road to the agricultural centre on your left and Coomb Road on your right.  At the very end of the last field, there is a gate in the left corner of the field, which you can pass through, and you will find yourself back at the show ground office building, where you first started.

Once you have finished your walk, you can proceed back into Bakewell town centre, where you will find lots of dog friendly shops, pubs and cafes.

Check out Dog Friendly pubs in Bakewell and our list of Dog Friendly Cafes in Bakewell.

Filed Under: Featured Walks, Weekend Walks, Where to Walk Tagged With: , ,
« Previous Page
Next Page »