Dog-Friendly Wye Valley: 2026 Guide

Very. The Wye Valley (a designated National Landscape, or Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, following the River Wye along the England and Wales border) is a patchwork of woodland, river meadow and dramatic limestone gorge, much of it managed by Forestry England and threaded by the long-distance Wye Valley Walk. Dogs are welcome across the great majority of it.

The valley's historic sites are unusually welcoming too: both Tintern Abbey and Goodrich Castle admit dogs on a lead. As ever, the lead is the rule rather than the exception here, because of grazing livestock, the steep river cliffs and protected wildlife. For the wider geography, the Wye Valley overview is a useful primer.

The Wye Valley is best explored by car, with the A466 running the length of the lower valley from Chepstow through Tintern to Monmouth, and the A40 linking Monmouth, Ross-on-Wye and beyond. Most of the key sites have their own car parks, including the Forestry England site at Symonds Yat Rock, so you can base yourself in Ross-on-Wye or Monmouth and reach everything within half an hour.

For a more active day, the long-distance Wye Valley Walk follows the river for much of its length, and stretches of it make excellent there-and-back dog walks. The valley adjoins the Forest of Dean to the east, which adds miles more dog-friendly woodland trails if you want to extend your trip.