Visiting the Peak District with your dog

Two dogs on their leads stood on top a rock next to their owners — Dogs enjoying a walk on the hills | © National Trust Images / Chris Lacey

The Peak District is a popular destination for dog owners, and dogs are welcomed in most areas of the countryside, including in the places we care for across Kinder, Edale and the High Peak. There are plenty of places to walk with your four-legged friend while you are here. To help visitors have an enjoyable time and to protect wildlife and nature, please keep your dog on a short lead, clean up after them and follow the guidance below.

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.

The places we care for in the High Peak are a one pawprint rated place.

Dogs are welcome here, but facilities are limited. They’ll be able to walk in open spaces, depending on the season. Read on to discover where you can take your dog and things to consider when you are here.

Where can my dog go?

The Peak District is a popular destination for dog owners, and dogs are welcomed in most areas of the countryside.

There are plenty of wonderful places to walk with your dog in the places we care for in the High Peak, with woodland walks and wide-open countryside to explore across the moors.

Take the lead

Please take notice of the signs around the countryside, and if you’re asked by staff or volunteers to put your dog on a lead, please follow their instruction.

What do I need to be aware of?

Kinder, Edale and the High Peak is set in beautiful countryside in the Peak District National Park. The whole area is important for nature and wildlife, such as birds, reptiles, and insects. Farm animals also graze in many of the places we care for. In some areas, we ask visitors to keep dogs on short leads all year round to protect livestock, wildlife, and the dogs themselves. This helps to keep designated and protected areas like the Kinder National Nature Reserve a haven for wildlife and for people.

During ground-nesting bird season, from March to July, it is particularly important to keep your dog on a short lead when visiting the High Peak.

Please ensure you scoop the poop and bag it and bin it, or take it with you if there are no bins available.

You are also advised not to leave your pet in the car as temperatures can quickly rise..

What facilities are available for dogs?

While there's lots of open countryside in the Peak District, you'll also find plenty of facilities available for your dog at various places close to the places we care for.

Walkers with dogs on Marsden Moor Estate, West Yorkshire — Walkers with their dogs. | © National Trust Images/John Millar

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

Two children sitting on the big stones at Back Tor, Edale, Derbyshire overlooking the stunning view.

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