Stanton Waters Woodland Walks
Does your dog pull on the lead? Does your dog prefer off lead walks? Do you want somewhere safe to let your dog run? All over the country secure dog fields are being created to enable owners of nervous dogs, reactive dogs, or dogs with poor recall to exercise their dogs safe in the knowledge that they will not come to any harm or escape.
Stanton Waters Woodland Walks is a new secure dog walking facility just outside Swindon, and we were lucky enough to be invited for a pre-opening visit.
Our hounds
We have three dogs all of which differ in their walking needs. Ruby-Lou pulls on the lead, loves an offlead walk but enjoys chasing birds. Benji pulls on the lead and is reactive to other dogs. Mabel walks loose lead, enjoys off lead play and has great recall and does not chase anything. So, as you can imagine finding somewhere to take all three dogs together is not easy. That’s where a secure field is the perfect answer for us.
We were extremely privileged to be invited to visit a new secure woodland just outside Swindon. More than just a field, Stanton Waters Woodland Walks is a whole woodland. An area to feel safe in. An area for the dogs to sniff, run around and explore. And the opportunity to do some training in a location with real distractions such as birds flying and leaves blowing in the wind.
Beautiful woodland
Stanton Waters Woodland Walks is a private hire woodland situated near Blunsdon on the outskirts of Swindon. The two acres of woodland is completely enclosed by fencing from ground level to six foot in height. There are two large gates which you drive through to get to the car park. Once the second gate at the car park is closed the whole area is secure.
We took a bit of a gamble. As soon as arrived we let all three dogs off lead, something we have never been able to do. Our Happy Hounds could not believe their luck. Not only were they off lead, but they had so much greenery, trees, and paths to explore all unrestricted. They must have felt like all their birthdays had come at once!
Something for everyone
We set off along one of the paths leading off into the woods, the direction governed by the dogs. Straight away we were walking under a canopy of lush green leaves offering us shade from the warm sun. With the dogs happy snuffling along it was easy to stop and admire the surroundings we were stood in. Butterflies fluttering by, cow parsley blowing in the breeze and birds singing. Throughout the woodland there are fairy doors to spot, a great little addition for family walks to keep the children entertained and alert. With benches strategically placed along the paths you could bring a snack or drink and just sit and relax watching your four legged friends having fun.
And fun is certainly what our dogs had. All three of them looked very Happy Hounds, running around chasing each other and exploring. We even managed a little bit of training, with Benji showing us Paws Up. I will admit, recall with Benji and Ruby-Lou was a little hit and miss with excitement taking the priority for them, but being a secure area we knew they were there somewhere!
Situated around the woodland are bins to dispose of any waste. And at the car park gates you can find hand sanitiser and fresh water. A welcome and comforting addition in today’s difficult times.
Booking information
Stanton Waters Woodland Walks officially opens on 27th May 2020. Bookings need to be made in advance and can be done so through their website www.stantonwaterswoodlandwalks.com
Many thanks to the team at Stanton Waters Woodland Walks for inviting us to explore the woodland. We will certainly be visiting again and again and again.