Dog Walking in and around Swanage
Swanage and the Isle of Purbeck is the ideal place for a long or short walk with your dogs. The area has many outstanding places to walk and apart from the main beach at Swanage and Studland Beach there are no restrictions on the times of the year that you can walk your dogs.
Restrictions on Beach access with a dog:
Studland Beaches, 1 Oct - 30 April no restrictions. 1 May - 30 September dogs allowed on all Studland beaches on a short lead (no more than 2m long). Please clean up after your dog using the bins provided.
Swanage Beach, No Dogs from 1 May to 30 September. Bins are provided for all other times.
Worbarrow Bay, Kimmeridge Beaches, Dogs are allowed at all times.
We can recommend the following locations for dog walks all year round:
Durlston Country Park, Grid Ref:SZ050800. Has many footpaths that are in good condition even in wet weather. Parking is available at the visitors centre and you can walk along the cliff path or the many fields that are at the top of the park.
Ballard Down, Grid Ref:SZ022816. Has footpaths and bridleways that run along the full length of the ridge way, you can let your dog off the lead as long as it is under close control and keep it on a lead in fields with livestock. On the Studland side it is advisable to keep your dog on a lead as all times as the cliff edge is sometimes only a few feet from the paths and some of the edge is hidden by bushes and your dog could fall off!
Corfe Common, Grid Ref:SY957809. Corfe Common is ideal for a short walk and has fences all around the perimeter. Horses are often grazing on the common so care should be taken when near them and keep your dog on a lead when approaching the common entrance from the Kingston road as cars and lorries often travel fast along the road.
Wareham Forest, Grid Ref: SY900900. Wareham Forest has many miles of tracks that are well signposted for walking. There are some wet areas in the forest that you should take care around but your dog should be ok off the lead as long as it is under close control. There are dog waste bins provided at the many car parks so please take a bag with you in case !!!
Dog Waste Bins
The map below shows the locations of the council supplied dog waste bins. Please always clean up after your dog and use the bins provided to dispose of your doggy bags.
You can also use this link to open the map in full screen mode.