The Cotswolds is an ideal destination if you’re looking for dog-friendly adventures. It’s not only blessed with breathtaking natural landscapes but also steeped in rich culture and history.
There is something for everyone in the Cotswolds, including your furry friends. With countless fun attractions and exciting activities to enjoy, bringing your dogs to the Cotswolds offer fun opportunities to bond and explore this beautiful place together.
Here are some of the top things to do in the Cotswolds with dogs.
Dog friendly things to do in the Cotswolds
Summary – dog friendly things to do in the Cotswolds
- Visit Cotswolds Wildlife Park
- Explore the stunning countryside and historic villages
- Take a trip on the Warwickshire Steam Railway
- Stroll along the canal
- Explore the Motoring Museum
- Batsford Arboretum
- Woodchester Park, Gloucestershire
1. Visit Cotswolds Wildlife Park
One of the most popular attractions in the Cotswolds is the Cotswolds Wildlife Park, a garden and park set on a 160-acre of land and is home to more than 260 species of wildlife. It’s one of those places allowing visitors to bring their dogs, provided they are on a lead.
Stroll around the park with your furry friend to get a closer look at the giraffes, rhinos, lemurs, and many other amazing animals.
The Cotswolds Wildlife Park also offers activities and attractions for kids of all ages. One of these is the adventure playground in the woodland, which features interconnecting treehouses, slides, and rope bridges.
Another fun attraction for the kids is the Children’s Farmyard, where kids can pet a goat and feed penguins and lemurs in their walk-through enclosure.
Another great thing about the Cotswolds Wildlife Park is that it houses the UK’s largest reptile collection where you’ll see lizards, crocodiles, frogs, and different snakes, including venomous ones such as black mambas and green anacondas. The park’s indoor exhibits are also worth checking out.
Head to the Bat House, Insect House, Little Africa, and Tropical House, where you’ll find roaming sloths, birds, and bats.
2. Explore the stunning countryside and historic villages
Summary – prettiest Cotswolds villages to visit with dogs
- Broadway
- Chipping Campden
- Bourton-on-the-Water
- Castle Combe
- Shipston-on-Stour
- Stow-on-the-Wold
The Cotswolds’ biggest draw is its stunning countryside, where you’ll find some of England’s prettiest historic villages. Famous for their cosy pubs, quaint cottages, and honey-coloured stone houses, exploring the stunning countryside is one of the best things to do with your pet.
One of the prettiest villages in the Cotswolds is Bourton-on-the-Water. It’s also called the Venice of the Cotswolds,” due to the gorgeous 18th-century bridges by the river Windrush that will remind you of the bridges in the canals of Venice.
Bourton-on-the-Water is also home to some fun attractions to keep you and your furry friends entertained, such as the Old New Inn’s fun Model Village, which depicts the village as it was during the 1930s. Another fun attraction in Bourton that you should check out is the Birdland, home to over five hundred species of birds, including owls, flamingos, and pelicans.
No visit to the Cotswolds would be complete without dropping by Castle Combe, the most famous village in the region. With no new houses built since 1600, Castle Combe exudes an authentic flair, featuring honey-hued chocolate box houses and a lovely bridge over a babbling river.
3. Take a trip on the Warwickshire Steam Railway
Take your dog on a trip on board the Warwickshire Steam Railway. It’s a preserved steam and diesel heritage train that travels between Cheltenham Racecourse and Toddington to Broadway via Winchcombe.
The railway line has been restored since the 1980s, including its buildings, platforms, steam and diesel trains, and rolling stock. Well-behaved dogs are welcome to ride in the standard class carriages.
Since 2009, volunteer workers have been working painstakingly to rebuild the Warwickshire Railway station, restoring it to its former glory. Currently, the station’s main building is kept in its original condition and is fully operational.
The station has toilet facilities, a refreshment room, and a booking hall. There is still so much more to do to restore the station.
They have started building Platform 2, but it’s still not in use and renovation work on the footbridge is still ongoing.
You’ll find the Warwickshire Steam Railway station at Toddington in the North Cotswolds. The steam train runs from March to October and the days between Christmas and New Year.
If you want, you can purchase train tickets online in advance through the website.
4. Stroll along the canal
One of the fun ways to bond with your dogs in the Cotswolds is to stroll along the canal. The Cotswolds Canals consist of the Stroudwater Canal and the Thames & Severn Canal.
This 37-mile-long canal connects Framilode’s River Severn to the River Thames in Lechlade. It is also a popular spot for canal boat holidays, which are great for people travelling with dogs.
The Stroudwater Canal is a popular spot for walking and cycling. Its towpath stretches from Eastington to Sapperton, with a distance of about 12 miles.
As you stroll along the path with your pet, you will experience peace and tranquillity away from bustling roads. The best area to start your walk is at the Canal Visitor Centre at Wallbridge in Stroud.
Of the entire canal route, they have only restored six miles of the original Cotswolds Canals. The Cotswolds Canals Trust is still working to restore the remainder of the canals, which are unnavigable and obstructed.
5. Explore the Motoring Museum
In Bourton-on-the-Water, another attraction you should visit with your dog is the Cotswold Motoring Museum. The museum is fun to stroll around, featuring a great collection of cars, caravans, motorcycles, and other intriguing vehicles.
Although the main focus of the Cotswold Motoring Museum is on motoring, it also features everyday paraphernalia that made motoring popular, including picnic sets dating back to the 1920s, radio sets, caravans, gramophones, and more.
As you stroll through the museum, you’ll find all sorts of interesting memorabilia, such as an alarm that fills the car with smoke. You will also find Brum, the little superhero car from the BBC show.
Have your photo taken as you ride the vehicle. The museum is open from 10am to 6pm every day.
6. Batsford Arboretum
Home to the country’s largest private collection of trees and shrubs, the Batsford Arboretum is perfect for a long walk with your dog(s) and the rest of the family. It is equally romantic and peaceful, perfect for a winter stroll before heading to the Garden Terrace Café (which is also dog friendly) for freshly baked cakes, pastries and home-made soups.
There’s also a garden and gift shop for a souvenir or two to take home with you – it’s the perfect place to visit for an afternoon escape amongst nature.
7. Woodchester Park, Gloucestershire
Home to wildlife, history and their conservation project, Woodchester Park has typical walking trails surrounding the grounds’ gothic mansion, stables and boathouse to compliment the vast green landscape. The park allows your dog to enjoy acres of land to run around in to guarantee a good night’s sleep for all!
Along with this, the play trail is ideal for children joining you for a day of walking and adventure. The climbing frames, bridges, balance beams and much more for children to explore is bound to keep them occupied all afternoon.
8. Daylesford Farm
Daylesford Farm is an organic farm and estate in the Cotswolds, known for its farm shop, cafés, seasonal produce, and focus on sustainable farming. Visitors can browse food halls filled with fresh ingredients, homeware, and gifts, enjoy meals made with locally sourced produce, and explore the surrounding grounds, making it a popular stop for a relaxed day out in the area.
Dogs on leads are welcome in all of the outdoor areas, as well as the farm shop, the Legbar, and the Old Spot. It’s a great places to spend a few hours looking round and trying some of the delicious food and drink on offer.
They have seasonal pop-ups like the Leoube rose wine terrace that we enjoyed in summer. Inside, the farm shop also has a whole room dedicated to cheese!
Dog friendly places to stay in the Cotswolds
There are so many dog friendly holiday cottages, hotels, and B&Bs in the Cotswolds to choose from that you and your dog will be spoilt for choice.
We stayed at Hyll Hotel in Chipping Campden during our visit to the Cotswolds and not only are they dog friendly but they absolutely love dogs! Goldie was really spoilt during our stay, getting plenty of fuss and treats. They even made him his own special sausage breakfast!
The hotel emphasises the need to slow down so it’s a super chilled out place to stay, it’s really stylish with beautiful rooms. The dog-friendly rooms are in the courtyard so you have a separate entrance to the hotel and a garden space outside where dogs can exercise and go to the toilet.
Dog friendly pubs, restaurants, and cafes in the Cotswolds
Whether you’re looking for a bite to eat or a few at the local, you won’t have to leave the dogs at the door if you visit one of the many dog-friendly pubs available throughout the Cotswolds.
You’ll find many of the pubs in this area allow your dog to relax in the chilled atmosphere while you recuperate, just make sure that you plan ahead which you want to visit to avoid disappointment if you happen across a pub to find that it isn’t dog-friendly.
Some of our favourite dog-friendly pubs, cafes, and restaurants in the Cotswolds include:
- The Porch House, Stow-on-the-Wold
- The Fox at Oddington
- Broadway Deli (dog friendly tables outside)
- Huxleys, Chipping Campden
- No32 Broadway
The Cotswolds is a wonderful destination to explore with your dog, offering plenty of opportunities to enjoy the countryside together. With dog-friendly days out, welcoming pubs, and accommodation that truly understands travelling with a pet, it’s easy to plan a relaxed and memorable break for both you and your four-legged companion.
