Visiting Belton with your dog

Dogs on a walk at Charlecote Park — Dogs are welcome at Belton | © Annapurna Mellor

With acres of gardens and parkland to explore, Belton is a great place for dog walking. Find out all you need to know to make the most of your visit with your four-legged friend.

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.

Belton is a three pawprint rated place.

Three pawprints show the very best places you can visit for a day with your dog. You’ll be able to take your dog to most areas, including indoors for a cup of tea and a treat. There’ll be clearly signed dog zones and dog-friendly experiences. Read on to discover exactly where you can take your dog at Belton.

Pooch Passport

If you're planning a visit with your dog(s), why not pick up a free Pooch Passport on your next walk?

Every time you visit a different place together between 1 September 2024 and 28 February 2025, you can collect a stamp. After six stamps, you can collect dog treats and after twelve, your dog will receive a snood.

Pooch Passport T&Cs

Where can my dog go?

Dogs on leads are very welcome at Belton in the gardens, parkland and courtyard areas, including the shop, second-hand bookshop and Stables Café. We ask that you keep your dogs on a short lead when visiting Belton.

There are often sheep grazing across the parkland, and the deer never leave, so please always keep your dog on a short lead.

There's over 1,300 acres to explore, with a variety of woodland, hills and streams. Whether you’d like a gentle stroll or a longer, bracing walk, enjoy Belton’s parkland with your dog.

Where can’t my dog go?

Only assistance dogs are allowed in the outdoor adventure playground, mansion, and the indoor adventure play. There is a dog and owner waiting area just over the bridge into the adventure playground.

A small white dog sat at a café table — Dogs are welcome at Belton | © 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?

We've got dedicated dog bins for you to use around the park, and water bowls are available in the stable yard. Doggy ice cream and treats are available from the café as well as the gift shop.

Looking for more space?

Head to the woods behind Bellmount Tower. You can reach Bellmount Woods from the car park on Five Gates Road, and explore Bellmount and Londonthorpe Woods.

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