Skip to content

Visiting Cliveden with your dog

Visitors exploring the estate trails in winter at Cliveden, Buckinghamshire
Visitors exploring the estate trails in winter at Cliveden, Buckinghamshire. | © ©National Trust / Megan Taylor

With 375 acres of woodlands, riverbank and formal garden to be sniffed and explored, Cliveden offers a varied selection of dog-friendly walking trails.

Pooch Passport

Cliveden is one of 111 properties taken part in the Pooch Passport scheme. The scheme runs from 1 September 2024 - 28 February 2025. Once you’ve collected six unique stamps (from six different properties), your dog(s) can get a free packet of natural dog treats. When you collect twelve unique stamps from your visits together, they can get a free snood. For more infomation, visit: Pooch Passports

Assistance dogs

Assistance dogs are welcome across the whole site.

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.

Cliveden 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?

Please do not bring more than four dogs with you to Cliveden. Download or print the handy Cliveden dog walking guide to see a map of the areas you can go with your pooch. We ask you to observe the traffic light system in place.

Green zones (dogs allowed off leads)

Dogs are welcome off lead in the woodlands, provided they are 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

Amber zones (dogs allowed on short leads)

In the formal garden and in the areas of the estate north of the Main Drive and Spring Drive, dogs are welcome provided they are on short leads. This area includes the refreshment kiosk in the Walled Garden car park, which is dog friendly. Dogs on leads are also very welcome in the Cliveden shop.

Red zones (assistance dogs only)

Excluding assistance dogs, we ask that dogs are not brought into the water garden (including the Storybook Play Den), onto the parterre lawn, into the Conservatory Café or the chapel, or on guided tours of Cliveden House.

Cooper Cocker Spaniel infront of the parteere at Cliveden, Buckinghamshire.
Cooper Cocker Spaniel infront of the parteere. | © © Peter Gardner

What do I need to be aware of at Cliveden?

If you lose your dog on the estate please let a member of the Cliveden team know and we will do what we can to help reunite you.

Access for dogs at individual events may vary, so please check each event listing carefully and call or email us if you have any questions.

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.

Take care around water

Please note that there are open bodies of water at Cliveden. We ask that you do not let your dog enter any of the ponds and fountains across the estate. If you allow your dog to swim in the river, please be aware of possible strong currents.

Facilities available for my dog

There are several dog poo bins installed across the Cliveden estate, including near the Walled Garden car park, overflow car park, by the river and near the Woodland Lounge. Please see the map for further details.

We also provide bowls for thirsty dogs to drink from at the refreshment kiosk outside the Conservatory Café, and in the Woodland car park. We have lots of doggy treats available at the Cliveden shop so be sure to stop by and pamper your pooch.

Aerial view of Cliveden, Buckinghamshire

Discover more at Cliveden

Find out when Cliveden 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.

A woodland path at Cliveden, Buckinghamshire
Article
Article

Exploring the woodlands at Cliveden 

Discover majestic trees, tranquil glades and far-reaching views as well as some unusual features in Cliveden’s woodlands, including a flint grotto and part of a giant sequoia tree.

The Water Garden in Winter at Cliveden, Buckinghamshire.
Article
Article

Things to see in the garden at Cliveden 

Follow in the footsteps of dukes, earls, kings and queens at Cliveden as you stroll through a series of areas in the impressive garden, each with its own special charm.

view of a young family walking in woods
Article
Article

Family-friendly things to do at Cliveden 

From fun walking trails to boating on the Thames this autumn, this is your one-stop shop to help you get the most out of your family visit to Cliveden.

Visitors dog walking in winter at Cobham Wood, Kent

Dog-friendly places in Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire 

Explore world-famous gardens and atmospheric ancient woodland with your dogs. You might even discover a new favourite walk.