We truly are blessed living in Plymouth for dog Walking spots, generally where ever you are in Plymouth you are not further than 30 minutes from Moorland, Woodland or the Coastline and you will probably find that within 5 minutes of your location there is a brilliant spot where you can walk your dog!
One of the questions I get the most from people is where would you recommend I take my dog walking? There are so many different answers to this dependant on a variety of factors including - the mobility level of you and your dog, your current location, the length of walk you want to go on and what your dog likes. Taking all this into consideration I have come up with Harris Hounds Top 5 Walking Spots spread evenly over Plymouth -
1. Bovisand Beach - We are a little biased to this one as it is about 5 minutes from our house, however it really is a lovely spot. Located about 10 minutes past Plymstock, there is parking both sides of the beach depending which side you visit. Bovisand is about 150metres wide and up to 300metres long when the tide is fully out so there is lots of open space to run around! If you have limited mobility level we recommend parking on the East side as there is a nice wide tarmac sloped path to walk down. We love taking the dogs to the beach as both the sand and the water are a really low impact exercise. A really good choice in the Summer as well as there is always a breeze, shade under the cliffs and access to the water to cool down. If you have not been there before check it out but make sure you get a parking ticket!!
2. Central Park - Plymouths largest park located right in the centre of the city it is probably the most accessible walking spot. I generally walk there on a daily basis but it is so big that every time we go there we find new pathways to explore and check out! We love the varied terrain that Central Park offers with different meadows, wooded areas, bogs and open fields, it is great to keep the dogs stimulated and interested. Surrounding and running through the majority of Central Park are thick tarmac pathways to walk around meaning you don’t even have to get your feet dirty! The park also has fantastic views towards Plymouth Sound and Cornwall. There are lots of different places to park form the Life Centre to the roads surrounding the park all of which are free of charge! Central Park can get busy at times, certainly when the sun is out or if Plymouth Argyle are playing, so if you have a nervous or anxious dog please be aware!
3. Plymbridge Woods - The dogs and I love going to Plymbridge, they generally start barking when we get within a few minutes of it through pure excitement! Plymbridge can be accessed either through the Estover side by the Wrigglys Roundabout or Plympton by the Borringdon Golf Club. There is always plenty of free parking and if you go on a weekend you will often find a coffee van. The river Plym runs through Plymbridge all the way from up on Dartmoor down to Plymouth Sound. Plymbridge hosts lots of woodland walks and also open spaces through open fields. If your dogs love swimming and running through the woods then this is the place for them! If you have not been before and you are planning on going off track make sure you take a map, it is not hard to get lost in the woods.
4. Saltrum Park / House - Saltram House is a grade I listed George II era mansion house located in the parish of Plympton with large expansive grounds surrounding it. Parking can be found outside the house which does cost unless you are a National Trust Member. Running all the way around the house and grounds is a hard footpath to follow, starting and ending at the car park. It generally takes anywhere from 45 - 60 minutes dependant on your pace to walk around. Once again a mixture of terrain varying from woodland to beach areas. Saltrum Park can get busy in the Summer and at weekends but definitely worth trying out! If you are feeling slightly more adventurous you can avoid the main route and go off track through the woods to the South West of the grounds which later loops back onto the main track adding about 30 minutres to your walk time.
5. Whitleigh / Budshead Woods - Whitleigh woods situated in the North West side of Plymouth runs for about 3 miles in length, starting in Whitleigh it goes all the way down to Ernesettle following the Tamerton Lake Estuary. It is always extremely quiet when I go there and it really is a lovely scenic walk. There are a few places to park dependant on how much of it you want to walk or what spot you want to walk.
There you go guys this is Harris Hounds Top 5 places to walk in Plymouth, however this is certainly not the only places to go and visit! If you know of any other spots that you think should have appeared on this list please get in touch, we would love to hear them.
Listed below are a few other spots that are well worth visiting but are slightly outside of Plymouth -
Wembury Point
Mount Edgecombe
Burrator Reservoir