Known as more of a ‘concrete jungle’, Birmingham isn’t exactly famed for its green spaces. But head a little north out of the city centre and you’ll find one of the largest urban parks in Europe. Birmingham’s Sutton Park provides over 2,400 acres of diverse landscapes – including heathland, woodlands, lakes, wetlands, marshes and more.
But it’s not just us that love it. Dogs do too. Rover.com, the online marketplace for pet care, has delved into the nation’s top dog-walking destinations. And it turns out, Birmingham’s Sutton Park (50%) offers the best dog-friendly walk in the West Midlands – beating Shropshire Hills (17%) and Cannock Chase (19%) by a country mile.
With over three-quarters (77%) of owners and their pooches bored of doing the same walk, Sutton Park met Brits’ top criteria for the perfect dog walk. It ticks the boxes for a variety of breathtaking views (50%), dog-friendly trails (59%), and post-walk pubs (18%) – making it perfect for new pups and old dogs alike.
According to Adem Fehmi, Rover’s Canine Behaviourist, dog owners should look for dog-friendly routes with varied terrain, space to explore safely, and minimal hazards. Everything that Sutton Park offers, although animals do roam freely in places, like cattle, deer and ponies. So remember to put your pooches on a lead when you need to.
Adem adds: “To get the most out of your dog walks and boost your dog’s physical and mental wellbeing, treat each walk like a mini workout – with a warm up, main activity, and a cool down… For your average, adult dog in good health, this might look like a brisk walk to warm up, a play game such as fetch as the main activity, and then perhaps some socialisation and a slower-paced walk for the cool down.”
Fancy heading further afield? You could try visiting the East Midlands’ Sherwood Forest or Wales’ Snowdonia National Park. But, out of the UK’s 12 regions, 1 in 5 agree that the best area for dog walking is in the South West, which is home to incredible dog-friendly walks like the South West Coast Path and Dartmoor National Park.
The most dog-friendly walks in the UK (per region):
- South West – South West Coast Path, Cornwall
- North West – Derwentwater Walk, Lake District
- Wales – Snowdonia National Park
- Yorkshire – Yorkshire Dales National Park
- South East – The New Forest National Park, Hampshire
- Scotland – Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park
- London – Richmond Park
- East of England – Norfolk Coast Path
- North East – Northumberland National Park
- East Midlands – Sherwood Forest
- West Midlands – Birmingham’s Sutton Park
- Northern Ireland – Tollymore Forest Park