Skip to content

Visiting Lytes Cary Manor with your dog

A small dog on a lead on the grass
Dogs should be kept on leads in certain areas | © National Trust Images/James Dobson

The estate at Lytes Cary Manor is an ideal place for you and your four-legged friend to stretch your legs. Find out all you need to know about where to take your dog and what facilities are available.

Our pawprint rating system

We’ve been working on making it easier for you to find out how dog-friendly your visit will be before you and your four-legged friend arrive. To help with this, we've created a new pawprint rating system and given all the places in our care a rating. You can find this information in the National Trust members’ handbook.

Lytes Cary Manor is a two pawprint rated place.

These places have water bowls, dog bins and dog-friendly walks. You’ll be able to take your dog into some areas, but not everywhere. If there’s a food and beverage outlet, you can have a cup of tea with them, probably outside. Read on to discover exactly where you can take your dog.

Where can my dog go?

Dogs on leads are welcome on the estate at Lytes Cary Manor. There are plenty of walking options, with three waymarked walks to follow.

Where can't my dog go?

Only assistance dogs are allowed inside the formal garden, chapel, house and tea room.

If you are unsure about where you can go with your pooch, please ask on arrival.

Leads around livestock

If you're exploring the estate, there may be sheep or cattle about. Dogs need to be kept on a lead when sheep are grazing so that they are not chased or worried. If cattle are about, dogs should be kept under close control and on a lead.

What facilities are available for my dog?

You'll find water bowls in the courtyard. Dog bins can be found in strategic positions on the estate and in the car park to make them easy to find.

There is a doggie tie-up area in the tea-room courtyard under the parasols, where you can leave your dog if you want to visit the toilets.

The Canine Code

We’ve worked with our partner Forthglade to come up with this Canine Code, which helps to make sure everyone can enjoy their day:

  • Keep them close: using a short lead helps to keep your dog from disturbing ground-nesting birds and farm animals. It's essential to use a short lead around sheep. But if cattle approach you, it's best to let your dog off the lead, and call them back when it's safe to do so.
  • Pick up the poo: please always clear up after your dog. If you can't find a bin nearby, take the poo bags home with you.
  • Watch the signs: keep an eye on local signs and notices wherever you're walking. They'll tell you if a beach has a dog ban, for instance, or if a path has been diverted, or if you're in an area where dogs can run off-lead.
  • Stay on the ball: remember that not everyone loves dogs, and some people fear them. So make sure your dog doesn't run up to other people, especially children.

Keeping control of your dog

Our definition of close or effective control is: ​

  • Being able to recall your dogs in any situation at the first call
  • Being able to clearly see your dog at all times (not just knowing they have gone into the undergrowth or over the crest of the hill). In practice, this means keeping them on a footpath if the surrounding vegetation is too dense for your dog to be visible
  • Not allowing them to approach other visitors without their consent
  • Having a lead with you to use if you encounter livestock or wildlife, or if you are asked to use one
The outside of Lytes Cary in summer with hedges to the left

Discover more at Lytes Cary

Find out when Lytes Cary is open, how to get here, the things to see and do and more.

Our partners

Forthglade

We've partnered with natural pet food maker Forthglade so that you and your dog can get even more out of the special places we care for.

Visit website 

You might also be interested in

Two visitors holding hands whilst walking their dog at Tarn Hows, Cumbria

Dog-friendly places to visit 

Discover the best places for a dog walk, from coastal adventures and dramatic mountains to more leisurely walks near you. Plus, find information on dog-friendly cafés and read our Canine Code.

A visitor with their dog leaving the Muddy Paws café at Lyme Park, Cheshire
Article
Article

Visiting National Trust places with your dog 

If you’re bringing your dog(s) to the places we care for, you'll find information on our pawprint rating system and the Canine Code to help plan your visit.

A man sitting at a cafe table with two large dogs
Article
Article

Best walks with dog-friendly cafés 

Find a place to sit and relax with your dog after a good walk. Here's a selection of great walks with dog-friendly cafés at the end to round off the day.

A dog on the lawn with dog treats from the Forthglade range at Ickworth House, Suffolk
Article
Article

How we're working with Forthglade for dog-friendly visits 

We've partnered with natural pet food maker Forthglade to create the Dogs Welcome project, helping you and your dog(s) get the most out of the places in our care.

Catering assistants serving visitors in the cafe at Melford Hall, Suffolk
Article
Article

Eating and shopping at Lytes Cary Manor 

The tea-room serves light bites, drinks and sweet treats. Browse the selection in the second-hand book barn and find a pre-loved read to take home.

Long grass in a field with a path through it at Lytes Cary Manor
Article
Article

Exploring the estate at Lytes Cary Manor 

Get outdoors and explore the waymarked paths through the historic country estate. Look out for wildlife including chiffchaffs, roe deer and water voles that call this place home.

Two visitors in warm jackets walk down a garden path looking at the flowering borders
Article
Article

Things to see in the garden at Lytes Cary Manor 

Explore the garden and see the unusual shaped topiary trees and hedges or catch the light on the sundial in the orchard.

Dog walking on the Holnicote Estate, Somerset

Dog-friendly places in Somerset 

Your dog will enjoy a variety of wide open countryside, an expansive beach and leafy wooded trails in Somerset. Find out where to go and what to expect on your visit.