
Visiting woods
Walking dogs in our woods
Dogs are welcome for walkies in our woods. Take a look at our tips and guidelines for ensuring we keep our woods safe and special for dogs and wildlife.
You now need a licence for commercial dog walking in some of our woods.
Nothing beats a stroll in the woods with our four-legged friends. We welcome responsible owners walking their own dog in our woods, as long as they follow our dog walking code of conduct.
If you are being paid to walk other people’s dogs in our woods, you’ll need a licence from us to continue. It’s simple to apply.
The number of people using our woods for commercial dog walking has increased recently. To ensure the safety of our woods, wildlife and visitors, we need to manage the number of people who use our woods in this way. There will be a limited number of licences available for some sites. Once they are taken, you can apply to go on a waiting list or apply for a licence at one of our other woods.
If you are walking your own dogs, you don’t need a licence. Please walk your dogs responsibly, so you don’t disturb sensitive wildlife or other visitors. You can find out how by reading our dog walking code of conduct.
If you are walking any dogs as a business, from one to six dogs, you need a licence.
No one is allowed to walk more than six dogs at a time, for any reason, at any of our woods. This keeps our woods, wildlife and visitors safe.
Licenses are valid for one year, from 1 June to 31 May. Licenses requested after 1 June will be charged a pro-rata amount for the remainder of the year.
All commercial dog walkers must display their Woodland Trust licence in the front window of their vehicle, and they must always wear their licence lanyard while on site.
Yes, you can mention that you have a licence to walk dogs at the specific Woodland Trust site named on your licence. Please don’t use our logo.
No, you need a separate licence for each of our woods you want to walk dogs in commercially. This is to ensure that the number of people operating dog walking businesses is kept at a level that doesn’t impact our woods, wildlife and visitors.
At some of our sites, the woods and wildlife are too sensitive to allow commercial dog walking. For example, we may need to protect vulnerable plants or ground nesting birds. Feel free to get in touch if you’d like to know more about the special wildlife we’re looking after at your local wood.
If you have any other questions, feel free to get in touch by emailing us at dogwalking@woodlandtrust.org.uk.
Visiting woods
Dogs are welcome for walkies in our woods. Take a look at our tips and guidelines for ensuring we keep our woods safe and special for dogs and wildlife.
Visiting woods
Bring your dog along to a wood near you, and enjoy all that woodland walkies can bring.
Visiting woods
Discover events at our woods and the festivals and fairs you can find us at soon.