Dog-friendly gardens where your pup can smell the flowers

Dogs love beauty as much as we do. Don’t you think it’s cute when dogs take in the scent of flowers on your long walks together? We do. We ignore the fact that they are really tracking the scent of other dogs that may have passed the same way earlier, to find out about their diet and health, and instead entertain ourselves with fantasies that our dearest and best are sharing our appreciation for a lovely stroll amongst the flowers.

So where can you take your dog this year to see some of the brightest displays of flowers? We have compiled a short guide with some of the best pet-friendly gardens across the UK. Here are some other great ideas for days out with your dog in the UK, or have a browse of our favourite dog walks in the UK.

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The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Cornwall

Well-behaved dogs on leads are most welcome to accompany you to one of the UK’s most famous dog-friendly gardens. Fully restored after becoming overgrown and derelict for decades, The Lost Gardens of Heligan, near Mevagissey and St Austell in super dog-friendly Cornwall, is a real treat for fans of landscape gardens that tell a story. Spanning tropical valleys, woodlands and walled gardens, Heligan is vast and makes for a wonderful day out if you are in the South West.

Lowther Castle and Gardens, Lake District 

Lowther Castle and Gardens in the Lake District National Park is a superb dog-friendly destination where you and your pet can explore the grounds, without restriction, to your heart's content. Similar to Heligan, the gardens at Lowther Castle were hidden away for over 70 years, but now they can be enjoyed by everybody. The castle was demolished in the 1950s but its facade remains, leaving an iconic ruin – it’s an intriguing day out for garden lovers and their dogs to enjoy the spring and summer blooms.

Batsford Arboretum, The Cotswolds

Batsford Arboretum in the Cotswolds recognises that dogs are important visitors. Dogs will love this famous and gorgeous garden full of exotic, rare, and beautiful trees. Spread over 60 acres, it’s especially colourful when the trees and bushes are in flower. If your visit has you feeling inspired to work on your own garden, you can stop in the garden centre and pick up some plants to take home. Dogs are allowed to accompany you throughout the arboretum including its garden centre and cafe.

Ardmaddy Castle and Gardens, Scotland

Ardmaddy Castle and Gardens near Oban in Scotland is a 15th-century castle with fantastic sea views across to the Isle of Mull. The landscaped gardens are spectacular and include a walled garden and a water garden, as well as the well-known Clock Garden. Ardmaddy is a great dog-friendly garden to visit for all seasons as it’s full of flowers which dazzle you with their technicolour spreads and bewitching scents. If you are passing by during spring, be sure to visit the wonderful bluebell woods on site too.

Chippenham Park Gardens, Cambridgeshire

The stunning Anglo-Dutch style gardens at Chippenham Park in Cambridgeshire are especially wonderful when the snowdrops cover the huge lawns. There are 35 acres to explore with your pup by your side, taking in formal and informal gardens, beautifully planted borders, glistening lakes, dappled woodland walks, and interesting sculptures. Dogs are most welcome to accompany their owners around the canals, waterways, and parklands of Chippenham Park Gardens. It’s a fantastic destination if you are in love with roses and daffodils.

Sherborne Castle and Gardens, South Coast

With gardens designed by one of the best-known landscape gardeners of all time, Capability Brown, Sherborne Castle in Dorset has flower borders for days. The stately home of Sherborne Castle was built for the explorer Sir Walter Raleigh and is set within 42 acres of grounds which include landscaped formal gardens. Spring is a great time to go to see all the tulips and daffodils, the winsome herbaceous borders, and the stunning walks around the lake.

Longframlington Gardens, North of England

Your hound is bound to love Longframlington Gardens, a 12-acre garden and arboretum near the Northumberland coast at Morpeth. There is a contemporary flower garden and a formally landscaped one that has been maintained to its original specifications. The former illustrates the effects of climate change on plants, flowers and our environment. Set in the gorgeous Northumberland countryside, this is a lovely place for a day out with your four-legged friend.

Mottistone Manor Garden, Isle of Wight

This National Trust-managed Mottistone Manor Garden on the wonderful Isle of Wight is a great dog-friendly garden to visit. Marvel at the neat flower borders, shrub-filled terraces and the views of the English Channel. Set in a sheltered valley, it’s a wonderful, quiet garden to explore with your pet all year round. Because of its temperate location, on the south side of the island, several exotic flowers, plants and trees have been able to thrive in the uncharacteristic climes; there is even an olive grove.

Chatsworth Estate, the Peak District

Pups that relish a bit of pomp in their lives should visit the roving gardens of the elegant and stately Chatsworth House in the Peak District. See where the TV hit Downton Abbey was filmed as you gad about the gorgeous grounds looking for flowers to sniff and photograph. Like most historic properties around the UK, pets cannot be taken into the main house but the estate does welcome them on leads in their gorgeous grounds.

Map of dog-friendly gardens in the UK

Locate the dog-friendly gardens above on our handy map.

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Stay at one of our dog-friendly cottages

After you have decided which dog-friendly gardens to visit on your holiday, why not explore our ‘Dog-friendly Index’ to find further places to visit in and around your chosen destination? Take a look at our collection of dog-friendly holiday cottages where you and your pet will find features that are bound to make a holiday close to one of these wonderful pet-friendly gardens unforgettable.