With miles upon miles of footpaths across vast moorland and hillside woods, Holcombe Moor is a great place to explore with your dog. Find further information and guidance on walking during nesting season and near livestock.
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.
Holcombe Moor is a one pawprint rated place.
Dogs are welcome here, but facilities are limited. Read on to discover exactly where you can take your dog.
Dogs are allowed in all areas across Holcombe Moor and Stubbins Estate, however read on for further guidance regarding nesting season and livestock.
Stuck for where to go, here’s a selection of trails for you to enjoy with your dog - click here.
You should never let your dog chase wildlife or grazing animals.
Nesting season runs from 1 March to 31 July, and during this time we ask for you to please stick to footpaths and keep your dog on a lead and out of vegetation during this time.
Holcombe Moor is an important breeding site for ground nesting birds that make their fragile nests tucked away safely in long grass. It’s important we allow moorland species such as the golden plover, dunlin, and curlew a safe place to breed and raise their young, giving them the best chance of success.
Allowing your dog to disturb a nest just once, can be enough to cause a bird to abandon its nest.
Holcombe Moor and Stubbins Estate is the perfect place to explore with your four-legged friend, however, please bear in mind that there are working farms on the estate and the moorland is grazed by animals belonging to members of the Holcombe Moor Commoners’ Association. The team work closely with local farmers to ensure public access, so everyone can enjoy this protected landscape responsibly.
For much of the year livestock graze in the fields and on the moor so during these times please ensure dogs are on a short lead. We ask that you take special care during lambing season in spring, when there are pregnant ewes and lambs across both moor and field. Dogs off the lead can cause harm to farm animals, and the impact of just one dog allowed to run free can be fatal for cows, sheep, and lambs.
If you are approached by cattle with your dog, it is safer to let go of the lead and call your dog back when safe to do so.
We’ve worked with our partner Forthglade to come up with this Canine Code, which helps to make sure everyone can enjoy their day:
Our definition of close or effective control is:
Everyone needs nature and outdoor space, now more than ever, and as a charity we rely heavily on your support and generosity. Your support plays a vital role in allowing us to protect Holcombe Moor and Stubbins Estate’s natural landscape and rich wildlife for everyone to enjoy.
Escape the crowds with a walk on Holcombe Moor and Stubbins Estate.
Whether you enjoy walking, running, bird watching, cycling or horse riding, enjoy spectacular views, woodland, riverside rambling and heritage.
Explore a number of interesting historic sites dotted about the moors, that offer up tales of bravery, determination and even murder.
Expanding over a variety of different habitats, Holcombe Moor provides homes to a range of species many of which are only found in these upland areas, and some of which are increasingly rare in the UK.
Find out how the Countryside Team of rangers and volunteers work hard to restore and conserve Holcombe Moor. Learn more about the vital work carried out to increase biodiversity, improve habitats for wildlife, help capture carbon, reduce peat erosion and minimise the risk of flooding.
Discover the work we've been doing to restore, conserve and manage Holcombe Moor’s precious landscape.