Dog Friendly & Accessible Parks
in Cheltenham
Doggy Park Code:
Always pick up after your dog, and yourself! Litter and dog poo spoil others enjoyment, and can be dangerous to children, pets and wildlife.
Be prepared to put your dog back on the lead when you see another dog on the lead, especially if it is wearing yellow (more information on colour coded leads here). COVID UPDATE: to aid in social distancing, it is recommended that owners consider putting dogs on a lead around others.
Keep dogs on a lead in nature reserves, areas with lots of picnics, near wildfowl (particularly swans!), near sports pitches in use, and in specified areas, such as Pittville Lawn, Imperial Gardens, the ornamental garden in Naunton Park, and more.
Be kind to other dog walkers, park users, your dog and yourself. We all want different things from our green spaces, and we all have expectations of what our time there will be like. Try to be flexible, and if it looks like the park is not a good environment for you or your dog on a particular day, don’t feel guilty if you have to cut your walk short or settle for an on lead pavement walk.
Keep Cool in hot weather, by walking your dog early in the morning or later in the day. This particularly applies to puppies and old dogs, dogs with short noses, and dogs with thick coats. Walking in the shade and on grass can help too. Always carry water for them to drink.
If you would like to get involved in keeping our parks enjoyable for everyone, why not join the Green Space Volunteers or the Cheltenham Litter Picksies.
Labrador sitting with view over Cox’s Meadow behind her.
Labrador in front of the beautiful flowerbeds in Sandford Park
Sandford Park and Cox’s Meadow
Dog Friendliness: Sandford 3/5 Cox’s Meadow 4/5
Dogs should be kept on lead in the area of Sandford Park between the High Street/Bath Road/College Road and Bath Parade. This area has beautiful flowerbeds, fountains and a cycle path.
Sandford Park between College Road and Keynsham Road is good for off lead play, as long as your dog has good recall. Busy nearby roads make good control and supervision essential. There is plenty of shade along one side, for hot days. Dogs are also allowed in the cafe, which is run by Sandford Parks Lido.
Cox’s Meadow is a great park for dogs, although beware the wetlands in the middle if you don’t want a smelly, muddy pup! The River Chelt also runs along the side of the Meadow, which is cleaner. That said, dogs are not officially allowed in any of the streams or bodies of water within Cheltenham itself (more details here); so out of town walks might be best for water loving woofers. We love The Meadow Cafe, and dogs are allowed here too.
Accessibility: Sandford 5/5 Cox’s Meadow 5/5
The shared footpaths/cycle paths through these parks make them among the more accessible for wheelchair, scooter and pushchair users. Cox’s Meadow loses a point as the gravel path on one side of the park is not accessible all the way along. UPDATE: this path has now been resurfaced!
Both parks have some lighting along main paths, great for winter evenings.
Alison Samways in Pittville Park with a Golden Retriever and a Whippet
Thanks to Maria Butler, Girl About Gloucestershire, for her lovely photo of Pittville Pump Room.
Pittville Park
Dog Friendliness: 3/5
Dogs must be kept on the lead on Pittville Lawn, between the Pump Rooms and the Lake.
Pittville is an amazing open space, with lots of room for dogs to play and trees to sniff. I would urge people to consider carefully before letting their dogs off the lead in many parts of the park, however. With busy roads, no fencing and open water in many areas, you must have very good recall to let your dog loose here. I prefer to stick to the wilder part of the park by the Prince Of Wales Stadium for off lead play. The Boathouse and Central Cross Cafe are both dog friendly, and the latter sell yummy Lazystorm dog treats
Accessibility: 4/5
The area around the lake, between Evesham Road and Tommy Taylors Lane is very accessible, as is the perimeter of Pittville Lawn. Moving away from the lake the paths are few and far between, so it can be too muddy for wheels. The tunnel under Evesham Road could be tricky in some wheelchairs due to steepness, so you might need to use the crossing further down the road.
Some of the main routes through the park are well lit at night.
Billy the Whippet, of Pink Sky Design, in front of blossom trees in Hatherley Park.
Whippet in Hatherley Park, with crocuses and trees in the background.
Hatherley Park &
Hatherley Court Gardens
Dog Friendliness: 4/5
Hatherley Court Gardens is one of the few completely enclosed parks in Cheltenham, with gates that most dogs couldn’t get past. The only reason it doesn’t score higher is because if someone doesn’t close the gate, the park is very close to a very busy road. There is lots of shrubs around the outside, that dogs love to explore, and a good open space in the middle for zoomies and fetch.
Hatherley Park is a larger park, with a duck pond which may prove irresistible to some dogs.Like Court Gardens, it is a lovely mix of open space, trees and shrubs. Popular with families, with a sports field on one side, there may be times it is best to keep dogs on a lead.
Accessibility: 4/5
Both parks have paths around the perimeter, which make them fairly accessible. There are a few steep slopes in the bigger park, and the gates of Court Gardens can be a little tricky on a scooter. Overall, two of the most accessible parks in town.
For accessible walks in the countryside, check out these websites: