Its a boar if you look long enough! |
Place Name: Grizedale Forest
Location: Lake District, England LA22 0QJ
Cost: Free
Parking: Plenty, pay and display
Walking distance: Variable, 45 minutes to 2 hours
Restrictions: Dogs are not allowed into the
visitors centre or shop.
Refreshments: Cafe by visitors centre is dog
friendly
Website: http://www.forestry.gov.uk/grizedale
For Missy's first proper holiday, we decided to
start with one of the most dog friendly parts of the UK. Matt and I have
previously visited the Lake District and felt Missy would enjoy the greener than green scenery.
The Grizedale forest struck us as a good one to do
- it was nearby and it was sold in a similar way to Beecraigs (one of her
favourite haunts). Signposting into Grizedale could have been a little better,
but that is more likely the fault of my sat nav, which chooses the most
convoluted and windiest routes possible.
Views were truly stunning, even Missy took a moment to appreciate them |
Once we arrived and parked up, I was caught out by
the pay and display. Furious re-reading of the pamphlet did show that this is
advertised, so I can't say there was no warning, but it could have been a bit
more obvious. With the largest route taking an estimated 5 hours, the 1 hour
for £1.80 plus 45p for every twenty minutes thereafter (£7 for the day) seemed
a bit ridiculous, although I suspect this is a ploy to 'encourage' everyone to
buy their Discovery Pass which allows year round free parking.
Thankfully, that was the only gripe to be had. A
quick tea and cake was purchased at the cafe which was a novel and new experience
for Missy who hasn't done dog friendly cafes before and the prices were very
reasonable and the cakes excellent.
Having paid for just an hour, we did one of the
shorter 3.5 mile trails (we all walk much faster than the estimated average).
They currently have a Superworm trail on at the moment, so much like Beecraigs,
they keep renewing activities and information. It was nice to see a school
group making their way about as well, so the area is certainly well used by people
although, with the exception of song birds, there wasn't much wildlife - not a
bad thing as Missy is recovering from a torn claw so we didn't want her chasing
things, but it does make the place a little eerily quiet.
One of the things that they make a fuss about in
this site is the 40+ sculptures to be found dotted around the place. We saw a
handful (4 or 5) so I can see a real return element to try and find them all.
This huge wood cutter greets you on the way in |
That was really all we had time for, minus a wee
peek round the shop and a quick privvy break (good, clean facilities) but there
is plenty more to do. The area co-hosts a large Go Ape tree climbing trail
(there is a proper kennels at the car park, so the dog in theory can be dropped
off if a member of the party doesn't want to miss out). There is also a large
outdoor play area that is very new looking and nicely contained to the visitor
centre side of the forest and, as I've previously said, the events change
frequently, so it certainly seems worth
keeping an eye on the 'what's on' section of the website.
Overall rating : 4/5 - had the parking been free,
or more reasonable (£2 or £3 for the day for upkeep would have been perfectly
fine) then I would happily have given it a 5. As it was, with no option to park
anywhere else, it seemed a tad unfair. Other than that, something for everyone
to enjoy with or without the dog.
Ouch about the parking!
ReplyDeleteHmm...may head this way for a daytrip at some point...