London Eye looking onto Houses of Parliament

London is one of the world's most visited cities and with the recent changes in DEFRA's PETS policy, I expect that many more doggie travelers will be visiting there.  This is our pick for favorite spots and activities with dogs in London.

Greenwich Park and Views

Views from Greenwich Park

Greenwich, famous for Greenwich Mean Time, is a green suburb of London proper and a great place to stay with dogs because of the abundant greenspace.  Greenwich Park is a particularly charming location with huge green expanses near the Greenwich Maritime Museum

The fantastic views are only part of the attraction because, at times, it seems like every dog in London ends up at Greenwich Park.  On Christmas Day, in particular, we noticed tons of doggies hanging out with their parents at the park.  Despite the large number of dogs, there's an equally large number of squirrels and Abby had a complete blast hunting for squirrels at the park.

Green Chain Walk

Entrance to one section of the Green Chain Walk

If you've only ever seen gray and gloomy pictures of London, you might be in for a bit of a (good) shock when you arrive because London is one of the greenest cities we've ever seen.

In Southeast London, the city has connected a network of parks and greenspace together to develop almost 50 miles of green walking space!  We spent a lot of time wandering through the parks that make up the Green Chain and loved having this bit of countryside freshness in the midst of one of the world's largest cities.

Harrod's Pet Kingdom

If you're visiting London, then you must visit Harrod's for its gorgeous window displays .  And, if you have a dog, then you must step up to the Pet Kingdom.  Home to a fantastic canine bakery, dog groomer, and dog daycare, Harrod's is also home to some of the most luxurious pet accessories we've ever seen.

Harrod's Pet Kingdom

We found $1,000 pet collars and leashes studded with Swarovski crystals, "Chewnel" and "Gucchewi" pet toys, and dog Christmas puddings to go along with the luxurious Christmas pudding we bought for ourselves.  Though it wouldn't be feasible to bring big dogs into Harrod's, you could definitely carry a small dog in.

Our London Apartment

Greenwich apartment

We stayed in a lovely, large apartment for a month in Greenwich, a five minute walk from the Green Chain Walk, and about 45 minutes into central London.  The house was impeccably clean and beautifully organized, with tons of information about traveling and seeing sights in London.  In addition, it had a great backyard for the dogs and our host Krista was very gracious and helpful whenever we needed.  Though it is a bit of a trek into central London, it's a great base for a few weeks or a month.

Views of the Peak District

The Peak District is a gorgeous area of northern England, often used in filming movies such as Pride and Prejudice and The Princess Bride.  We loved our two week stay in this emerald green part of the country and found it very pet-friendly, as well.

The Hayloft Cottage

Views of the Hayloft Cottage

We stayed in the charming Hayloft Cottage near Bakewell , which was a comfortable and well-equipped small cottage, with an open floor plan, new furnishings, a spacious kitchen, excellent underfloor heating (perfect for chilly nights), and fast WiFi.

Views from the Hayloft Cottage

Best of all, Chewy and Abby loved running and playing in the huge green (and sometimes snowy white) yard with views onto the Peak District.

Monsal Trail

Monsal Trail

The Monsal Trail is an old railway that has been converted into an 8.5 mile walking and biking path.  It is mostly paved and flat, making it the perfect place for children and not-too-surefooted dogs to roam.

Arbor Low

Abby at Arbor Low

Arbor Low is one of those places that you would never find unless you went looking for it.  Like Stonehenge , Arbor Low is a Neolithic henge monument built sometime around 4000 BC.  Most of the huge and heavy stones are lying in the rough circle where they fell but the ditch and bank that defines all henges is clearly visible.

Chewy and Abby at Arbor Low

Today, Arbor Low is privately owned property and we walked through a farm, carefully avoiding horse and sheep manure, to reach the "Stonehenge of the North."  We were the only tourists and Chewy and Abby had a blast climbing up, down, and around the ditch and bank and stones.  We tried to explain the significance of Arbor Low but they weren't particularly impressed!

Walks and Pubs

In the Peak District, everyone expects that you will be walking through the green --- sometimes muddy, sometimes sloshy --- areas with your dog.  Dogs, and even muddy dogs, are welcome in most pubs.  We stopped in at The Rose & Crown in Brailsford after a walk on an overcast day and had an excellent Welsh rarebit and Ploughman's lunch with Chewy and Abby under our feet.

If you want to find dog-friendly pubs, head over to the excellent Doggie Pubs website --- one of our favorite pet-friendly resources in England.

Cotswolds village

After our seven days on the Queen Mary 2 and few days at a hotel in the New Forest , we were thrilled to pull into the beautiful Cotswolds .  The Cotswolds are essentially a string of tiny villages set amidst lakes, fields, and forests about two hours north of London.  The dogs LOVED spending time there and so did we.  In this post, I'll describe our accommodations and a few favorite walks and attractions in the Cotswolds.

Vacation Rental: Little Stalls in Kemble near Cirencester, England

Little Stalls at Kemble

We were spoiled for choice in the Cotswolds.  There were no shortage of pet-friendly accommodations, some with or without Internet, some with fenced in yards and some without.  Most were in rural locations, which suited us perfectly.  We opted for Little Stalls in Kemble because the house looked cute and the price was quite reasonable.  The house was small with a tiny kitchen in which we heated up prepared meals bought at a nearby Waitrose, a comfortable little living room, and a small bedroom and bath.  Despite its tiny size, it suited us perfectly because it was clean, had a fantastic walk through wheat fields just outside the door and a fenced-in yard for the dogs.  We were a five minute drive from the amazing Cotswolds Water Park and within an hour to most of the major attractions in the area, including Stratford upon Avon.

The only negative to this house is that it has no internet access and we were unable to get a cell signal either (though we did get cell access if we walked away from the house.)

Westonbirt Arboretum is one of the most beautiful parks in England with a lovely long trail to take off-leash dogs (as long as they are under voice control).  Though they charge admission, you can easily spend most of the day at the arboretum, meandering through the huge trees and flowers.

Cotswolds Water Park

The Cotswolds Water Park is a section of manmade lakes formed out of old disused china clay mining pits.  There are loads of great walks for dogs and humans and the entire area is free to visitors.

Cotswolds Wildlife Park

As discussed in my other post, the Cotswolds Wildlife Park was one of our favorite attractions in this area.  Definitely a must see with dogs!

And those were our favorites from the Cotswolds which gets the Chewy-Abby Seal of Approval!