6 Beautiful Dog Friendly Walks in Wiltshire

Wiltshire is a beautiful place, and walking is a wonderful way to discover it. Doing those walks with a four legged friend? Even better!

Walks in Wiltshire have featured heavily on my blog, because I’m out daily with my own dog. I am the proud human of a Belgian x German Shepherd known as ‘Little Wolf’.

If you are looking for dog friendly walks in Wiltshire, you’ve come to the right place. In this post I’m listing six of the best. These are the walks that Little Wolf and I repeat time and again.

I hope you’ll love them as much as we do. Let’s go for a walk in Wiltshire

Dog Friendly Walks in Wiltshire

1.Black Dog Halt, Nr. Calne

Not just a dog friendly walk, but the perfect walk if you actually have a black dog. How about this for a photo opportunity?

Starting from Castle Park in the Wiltshire market town of Calne, this walk follows a route that takes you canal side and along paths that used to be railroads. The path is well marked and mostly flat.

The ‘Halt’ refers to the private rail station which used to serve the Bowood Estate. You can still pick out the stop; the long goods platform remains in place alongside a small section of the passenger platform. The station house remains, but is now a private residence.

A gentle walk to a quirky remnant of local history. Full post on this walk here.

2.The Bulford Kiwi, Bulford

Bulford is a very military corner of Wiltshire, home to Bulford Camp and the vast, adjacent training area. It’s this military identity that makes it keeper of a historical gem: The Bulford Kiwi.

With a body covering about 1.5 acres and a 46m beak, the kiwi is an amazing bit of Kiwiana carved into a Wiltshire hillside. It was dug out by NZ soldiers who were stationed in the area post WW1. Creating the Kiwi was part discipline, part national pride and part make-work task. I blogged about the story behind it here.

A slight hill to walk, but not too strenuous. This is a walk that needs two viewpoints to get the best of it. The top of Beacon Hill for the views across the countryside and a close up of the Kiwi itself, and from one of the viewing points to see the Kiwi in its entirety.

Now a listed monument and source of local pride, the Kiwi is something different in an area known for hill side white horses.

Use post code SP4 9BG to find it, look out for the brown signs for the viewing points.

3.The Devils Den, Nr. Marlborough

The one for when you fancy a bit more than a stroll, but want to be able to grab some nice coffee and cake afterwards.

The Devils Den is a bit of a hidden treasure Getting there involves hiking across private land. It’s not sign posted and it’s not accessible by car. And, despite being part of the Avebury World Heritage site, it’s not that well known.

The Den is a dolmen burial chamber, comprised of two standing stones and a capstone to the top. Looks legitimately ancient, but on closer inspection you’ll see suspiciously modern looking cement. Story goes that these stones are from the original burial site , but that this was constructed in the 1920s.

Whatever the truth, an intriguing monument in a beautiful setting.

I’m glad someone thought to cement the old stones together, because I couldn’t resist climbing up there. Needed some help to get down, it wasn’t very dignified. I’ll just stick with the walking next time. Post walk, Marlborough is just a short drive away where you will find Coffi Lab, a dog welcoming coffee shop with smashing coffee and cakes.

To find the Devils Den , park at the Gravel Hill car park, Downs Lane, Wilts SN8 1PL (OS ref SU 159700).

4.Wooton Rivers Circular Walk, Wooton Rivers.

Wiltshire has lots of canal side walking; the waterways that were built for industry are now serene places for dog friendly walks in Wiltshire.

A circular walk from the village of Wooton Rivers has a little bit of everything. It begins in a pretty village, follows a good stretch of the Kennet & Avon canal , past a grand Elizabethan house and finishes right next to a dog friendly, traditional country pub. What more could you ask?

This walk also takes you along Mud Lane ( true to name- sturdy footwear essential) where, if you look carefully, you might spot the Pewsey Green Man. Nobody knows who carved him or why. But there he is, an intriguing little find.

I heartily recommend The Royal Oak as a pre/post walk stop. A historic pub, dog friendly and has the prettiest garden for summer sitting. A truly lovely local business.

Full details of the route we walked can be found here.

5.Wilton Windmill & Village, Wilton nr. Marlborough

Starting at the only operating windmill in Wessex before following a pretty rural route into the picturesque village of Wilton, this is the perfect walk for those seeking quintessential Wiltshire countryside.

If the windmill is open it is possible to see inside. Worth a look even when closed for the chance to get up close with a lovely piece of industrial heritage and for the views across the surrounding countryside.

The village of Wilton itself is postcard-pretty with a duck pond, thatched cottages and a pub. If you wanted to extend this walk, it’s an easy diversion out of the village onto the riverside and the canal beyond.

Find full details of the circular walk route here, and my full blog post about the walk and village here.

To find this walk, use postcode SN8 3SW for Wilton Hill; look for the lay by. The windmill can’t be seen from here, but there is a track through the trees and hedges to the entrance to the site.

6.Honeystreet Mill Cafe to Ladies Bridge

Not only a dog friendly walk but also a fabulously dog welcoming cafe.

Parking at the Mill, it’s a gentle canal side stroll along to the Ladies Bridge and back. You can’t miss Grade II listed Ladies Bridge; most canal bridges are plain and functional. Ladies Bridge is an ornate beauty.

When the canal was being cut, landowner Lady Sussanah Wroughton didn’t care for the idea of an industrial canal across her land. The Kennet & Avon was constructed anyway, but only after she’d been paid handsomely and had dictated that the bridge must be pretty.

Find the Honeystreet Mill Cafe is housed in an old mill. As well as selling a fabulous range of coffee and cake for humans, they also sell Scoops doggy ice cream.

An absolute gem of a place, four legs or two!

If you love getting out and about with your dog, you might also find this post useful: Sailing with Stena Line: Liverpool to Belfast with A Dog

Helen x