Visiting Hadrian's Wall and Housesteads with your dog

Four visitors and a dog walking along a footpath next to Hadrian's Wall — Walkers exploring Hadrian's Wall | © National Trust Images/John Millar

The Romans held dogs in high esteem and our four-legged friends are welcome at Hadrian's Wall and Housesteads Fort today. Find out more about where you can walk your dog and the facilities 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.

Hadrian's Wall and Housesteads Fort is a one pawprint rated place.

Dogs are welcome here, but facilities are limited. They’ll be able to stretch their legs on a lead. Assistance dogs only in the museum. Read on to discover exactly where you can take your dog.

Where can my dog go?

Dogs are welcome at the Fort, along the Wall and in the Visitor Centre on a short lead.

Where can't my dog go?

Dogs aren't allowed inside the museum, except for assistance dogs.

What facilities are available for dogs?

You'll find water bowls at the Visitor Centre and outside the museum. If you need water or poop bags for your dog, please ask a member of the team.

Dog Rangers

You might spot our Dog Rangers during your visit to Hadrian's Wall and Housesteads Fort. Look out for our four-legged rangers wearing a red 'Dog Ranger' bandana and their owners wearing a National Trust volunteer lanyard.

They are there to make visitors with dogs welcome and to promote responsible dog walking. They are also a great go-to for water, poop bags and treats so be sure to say hello!

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