Our dogs are 5 months and 8 months old now. Monty loves to jump up at everyone he meets, in the hope of hello kisses. While this isn’t a problem for most dog walkers, it can be scary for young kids and inconvenient for people who don’t want to be covered in mud and dog slobber. This means Monty has to be kept on the lead whenever there are children or non dog walkers around. I’ve actually thought about getting a smart collar so they can have a bit more freedom away from people.

So with this in mind, I’m sharing our top 3 places to walk your mischievous dog in Manchester. All 3 are enclosed and not full of pedestrians – at least not during Winter time. I can’t vouch for Summer (yet).

Top 3 Places To Walk Your Mischievous Dog In Manchester

1). Heaton Park Woods.

Heaton Park is probably the most well known Park in Greater Manchester. It’s the largest Municipal Park in Europe, and has been a haven for the people of Manchester for well over 100 years. Heaton Park has plenty of formal gardens, and grassy areas which are perfect for picnics and ball games. Although we tend to avoid these. It’s made it onto my places to walk your mischievous dog in Manchester list thanks to…. The large wooded area behind the Farm, which is perfect for dog walking. Follow the path past the farm and round the pond, and you’ll come to a tunnel.

Once you walk through this tunnel, it gets much quieter. Follow it down to the bottom and the path forks off. Left leads you past the pond and down towards the lake, while right takes you up into the woods. There’s a large clearing in here which is an ideal place to walk your mischievous dog in Manchester. It’s enclosed for the most part, with plenty of room for them to run around and have fun. with the added bonus of not having to worry about many dog fearing kids. It’s not buggy friendly, and I’d definitely recommend you put your wellies on!

2). Clifton Country Park

We live in Salford, and Clifton Country Park is our closest suitable place for walking Monty off his lead. During the day on weekdays, it tends to be full of mostly dog walkers. Alternatively, at the weekends you get a lot more families in there.

On weekdays, we love to walk round the lake and take in the view. Monty loves the observation point….

One lap of the lake works out at about one kilometre, and it’s about another 0.5km to and from the car park. So 1 lap is a nice flat 1.5km walk. The good thing about the lake walk is it’s more or less flat, so it’s a nice easy walk. If you turn left when you start walking round the lake, you won’t feel the incline at all.

Weekend Walkies

Alternatively, when we visit at the weekends, we tend to stick to the woodland areas. It does get muddy in here when it’s been raining, so make sure you’ve got your wellies on. Also make sure you are prepared to clean your dog afterwards. There are several bridleways running through the woods, so avoid these if your dog is reactive to horses.

We tend to go along the path which starts behind the visitors centre and follow that along as far as it goes. You’ll see plenty of other dogs along the way, but the paths are rocky and hilly, so you don’t get many buggies or young children. There’s lots of cool things to find as you go through the woods… So far, we’ve found “Rapunzel’s Tower”, loads of old building ruins and there are lots of statues and art work to discover as you explore too.

They’ve opened a “dog friendly” cafe now too. This only has 4 tables inside, but dogs are welcome. They do a fab toastier and a wonderful brew. It does get busy at the weekends, but is the ideal way to finish up a midweek walk. We love to meet friends for a dog walk then warm up with a brew afterwards.

3). Moses Gate Country Park (or Crompton Lodges if you’re local)! 

Moses Gate Country Park is in Bolton. It’s about 20 minutes away from us and well worth a visit. Again, I tend to avoid the picnic / play areas, and stick to the wooded paths. (Turn left when you get to the end of the carpark and keep following the path. Go past the playground and across the red iron bridge). Once you cross the bridge, it’s usually safe to let your dog off their lead. The woodland trails lead along the river if you turn right – which is what we always do. The dogs love running up and down the embankments, and splashing in the small waterfall.

The river is fast, so this may not be a good place for your dog if they love the water. (Monty and Minnie are a pair of wimps and avoid getting too close to it)! There are plenty of woodland trails to follow, and a big clearing in the middle which is ideal for a game of fetch! Monty and Minnie love to explore the trails.

EDITING FOR 2021

WOW! Such a long time has passed since I wrote this blog post. I’ve moved to Rochdale now, and have found a couple of lovely places to walk mischievous dogs over here, as well.

Bowlee Park

Firstly, there’s Bowlee Park. This is a park which is between Heywood, Blackley and Middleton. The car park isn’t big, but it’s free. To the right of the carpark is a large, secure field, which is ideal for long – lead training. I’d avoid it here during the day at weekends, as the field is used for football training then.

I love that this is so open and you can see dogs as they approach, and put your dog on a short lead if required. Most people realise you need space if you head to the far end of the field, so it’s a good place for nervous or reactive dogs to get some exercise.

Hopwood Woods

Hopwood Hall is a large college which is nestled between Middleton and Castleton. Behind the college is a large woodland – This is, of course Hopwood Woods. There’s plenty of space to walk your dog though, and if you’re lucky, you’ll see a deer or two!

So there you have it – 3 ideas for places to walk your mischievous dog in Manchester. (Plus 2 bonus ideas)! Do let me know of any local areas you have discovered which are great for dog walks – I know there are still plenty more for us to discover! Finally, check out more of the dogs’ adventures here!