Visiting Cotehele with your dog

Image shows two women walking their dog along a gravel path surrounded by green hedgerows. — Dog walkers exploring woodland | © National Trust/Annapurna Mellor

There’s plenty of space for your dog to stretch their legs around the Cotehele grounds. There are miles of paths to explore through the woodland, countryside and around the quay, or just relax together in the Barn Café or The Edgcumbe at the quay.

Dogs in garden trial at Cotehele

This winter we're joining a trial in the South West to explore how a dogs offer could look in some of our gardens. The trial starts from Thursday 14 November.

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.

Cotehele 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?

As part of a trial over the winter, well behaved dogs on a short lead are welcome in some areas of the garden. When visiting the garden, please keep paws to the gravel paths ensuring they are kept on a short lead at all times. When you arrive at Visitor Welcome, a member of the team can give you a copy of our dogs map highlighting areas of the garden where you can and can't go with your dog, as well as areas where we ask for dogs to be kept on a short lead. Well behaved dogs on a short lead are also welcome inside the Barn Cafe, The Edgcumbe at Cotehele Quay, Shop and Plant Centre and the Bull Pen Gallery. On the wider estate, please keep paws on paths and kept under close control.

Within the garden, only assistance dogs are allowed within the Old Orchard, Mother Orchard, Cut Flower Garden and Valley Garden. This is to protect the biodiversity and the delicate flowers within these areas. Appreciating how much families like to play on our lawns, we ask for dogs to be kept off the grass within the garden too.

Assistance dogs are welcome in all areas, including inside the house.

When should my dog be on the lead?

Dogs should be kept on a short lead and under close control at all times whilst visiting the garden, cafes, shop and gallery. We also ask for dogs to be kept on a short lead outside Visitor Welcome and the paths and meadow between Visitor Welcome and the car parks. Dogs should also be kept on leads in grazing areas when livestock are present.

Elsewhere on the estate, dogs can roam off the lead as long as their paws are kept on the estate paths and that they are kept under close control.

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

Dog walking on the Holnicote Estate, Somerset — Visitors walking their dogs | © National Trust Images/Chris Lacey

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.

What facilities are available for my dog?

Water bowls

Dogs can get a refreshing drink of clean water outside the toilet blocks, visitor reception, Barn Café, The Edgcumbe at Cotehele Quay and mill buildings.

Dog waste bins

Dog waste bins can be found at the start of the estate walks at Visitor Reception, on the paths leading to Cotehele Mill and on the path from the quay car park leading to the Chapel-in-the-Woods.

Help keep Cotehele clean

Please use these for your dog waste bags or take them home. Leaving bags on paths, (or in trees), spoils the beauty of this special place and everyone’s enjoyment of it.

The rangers strim back growth around the walking routes at Cotehele, so please don’t flick poo into the grass at the side of paths, as it’s a health hazard.

What if my dog gets separated from me?

Call us on 01579 351346 and we’ll help reunite you.

Frequently asked questions regarding dogs

During the planning stages of our trial we've listened to feedback from supporters, staff and volunteers as well as learnt how other National Trust sites provide access to dogs in the garden.

For the first stage of our trial at Cotehele, we're continuing to only allow assistance dogs within the Cut Flower Garden, Valley Garden, Old Orchard and Mother Orchard to protect the biodiversity and delicate flowers within these areas of the garden. We appreciate how much families love playing on our lawns, so ask for dogs to not be taken onto any of the grass areas within the garden. You can collect a map showing where you can and cannot go with your dog from Visitor Welcome when you arrive, as well as signs throughout the garden.
We are asking that all dogs are kept on a short lead and on the gravel paths at all times whilst visiting the garden. We have carefully thought about where we are allowing dogs at Cotehele, this includes continuing to keep some areas such as the Mother Orchard, Old Orchard, Cut Flower Garden and Valley Garden dog-free except for assistance dogs.

If you would like to avoid dogs, you can search for dog-free places on the National Trust website (excluding assistance dogs).
We are asking dog owners to take responsibility for their dog an to pick up their dog's poo. If owners have forgotten to bring a bag, we have free poo bags available from Visitor Welcome.

As part of the trial we are not installing additional bins in the garden for dog waste. The nearest dog waste bin to the garden can be found just outside the toilets by the Barn Cafe on the estate path. Alternatively we do encourage all owners to take their dog waste home with them.