UK’s Best Parks for Social-Distanced Dog Walks

It is estimated that 60% of dog owners plan their holidays around their pets.

With this in mind, the experts at money.co.uk have developed the ‘Social Distance Dog Walk’ calculator, which reveals the UK’s best parks to visit if you’re looking for crowd-free walkies.

Taking the top 10 most dog-friendly parks for social distancing from the 2020 Safecation Report this is how many laps you and your pooch would need to do, to get your daily exercise.

1. Whinlatter Forest Park – 1 lap of the 13.02km perimeter
2. Delamere Forest Park – 1 lap of the 7.998km perimeter
3. Windsor Great Park – 0.4 lap(s) of the 8.935km perimeter
4. Cannock Chase Country Park – 0.5 lap(s) of the 15.678km perimeter
5. Ferry Meadows Country Park – 1 lap of the 7.351km perimeter
6. Rutland Water – 1 lap of the 14.595km perimeter
7. Eglinton Country Park – 1 lap of the 7.661km perimeter
8. Pennington Flash Country Park – 1 lap of the 5.627km perimeter
9. Heaton Park – 1 lap of the 6.005km perimeter
10. Holkham Park – 1 lap of the 12.29km perimeter

Whinlatter Forest Park (Keswick), Delamere Forest Park (Northwich), Windsor Great Park (Windsor), Cannock Chase Country Park (Milford), Ferry Meadows Country Park (Peterborough) and Rutland Water (Rutland) all scored top marks for the best dog-friendly destinations and parks – making them the ideal for social distancing and taking your four-legged friend on a day out.

The research was carried out by  money.co.uk which can be found here:https://www.money.co.uk/guides/safecation-report

The full report is below for more detailed insight.

SAFECATION; THE NEW POST-LOCKDOWN STAYCATION

2020 SAFECATION REPORT REVEALS THE NEW DESTINATIONS WITH THE LARGEST DOG-FRIENDLY PARKS FOR SOCIALLY DISTANCED UK GETAWAYS

• Gower, West Glamorgan, Wales tops the list as the best destination for a socially distanced staycation
• Windsor Great Park in Windsor topped the list of best parks for social distancing with a whopping 28.53Km² of space – an incredible 8,200,207 visitors with all maintaining a one metre distance
• The top six destinations in the report scored top marks for dog-friendliness with Whinlatter Forest Park (Keswick), Delamere Forest Park (Northwich), Windsor Great Park (Windsor), Cannock Chase Country Park (Milford), Ferry Meadows Country Park (Peterborough) and Rutland Water (Rutland) all being the ideal open space for pooches
• A small breed dog would only need to walk 0.3 laps around Whinlatter Forest Park whereas a Cocker Spaniel would need to do 0.4 laps of the park in order to get their daily exercise requirements
• The new list of top destinations for social distancing could host 669% more visitors than  traditional UK escapes
• The money.co.uk UK Staycation Nation Report can be found here: money.co.uk/guides/safecation-report

As more Brits plan on taking a staycation than ever before*, the consumer spending experts at money.co.uk have created the 2020 Safecation Report, which identifies the best locations in the UK for a socially distanced holiday.

With open spaces being such a priority at the moment, the report takes a list of the UK locations that are home to the largest public parks (according to Ordnance Survey) and compares them against the UK’s most-visited staycations destinations to reveal the safest staycations in the whole of the UK, based on the following criteria:

The safecation criteria included: Space (km2), Contactless payment availability, Free activities, Dog friendliness, Number of beaches within a 50km radius, Number of caravan parks/camping sites within a 50km radius, Crime rate for April 2020, Visitors per year to the county, Park entry fee and Car parking charges.

Forget crushing into overcrowded beauty spots and head to hidden gems dotted around the UK that are perfect for social distancing.

Table: New vs Traditional Destinations Ranked out of 100

Source: money.co.uk

Best Dog-Friendly Parks for Social Distancing

It is estimated that 60% of dog owners plan their holidays around their pets. So, the 2020 Safecation Report has revealed the top 10 best dog-friendly destinations and parks for both you and your furry friend.

The top six destinations in the report scored top marks for dog-friendliness with Whinlatter Forest Park (Keswick), Delamere Forest Park (Northwich), Windsor Great Park (Windsor), Cannock Chase Country Park (Milford), Ferry Meadows Country Park (Peterborough) and Rutland Water (Rutland) all being the ideal open space for social distancing and taking your four-legged friend on a day out.

The vast parks contain a number of trails to take the pooches on, both on and off the road. With lakes around, as well as picnic areas and cafes, these are the perfect staycation destinations for all the family.

Work out Your Walkies Calculator

In light of this, money.co.uk has put together a walk your dog calculator within their 2020 Safecation Report which calculates the number of laps you’d need to walk around a park to give your pooch the exercise he/she needs.

For example, for a small breed dog such as a Dachshund at the age of 18 months to 7 years with two walks a day they would need to do 0.3 laps of Whinlatter Forest Park.

In comparison, a medium-size dog such as a Cocker Spaniel within the same age bracket as the dachshund would need to complete 0.4 laps of Whinlatter Forest Parks 13.02km long perimeter – based on two daily walks.

Check out the calculator for yourself here: https://www.money.co.uk/guides/safecation-report#work-out-your-walkies-calculator-the-parks-edition

With the government urging us to take our 2020 summer holiday here in the UK, excited Brits have been rushing to book their getaways. But, as money.co.uk’s consumer spending expert Salman Haqqi explains, this could lead to overcrowding and difficulty adhering to social distancing rules.

“Campsites, holiday parks and hotels all over the nation are ready and waiting to welcome guests back, but even with strict social distancing guidelines in place, overcrowding can still be a problem in tourist honeypots.

“Our report shows that a destination like Glasgow can only host around 8% of the usual annual visitors to the area taking one metre social distancing into account, whereas there is plenty of space for everyone in Gower.

“It’s not just wide-open spaces that need to be considered when booking, the report found that 52% of the new destinations had contactless payment options available for parking, food and drinks, shopping and leisure activities.”

Find the full Money.co.uk Safecation Report here: https://www.money.co.uk/guides/safecation-report

*https://news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-one-booking-every-11-seconds-as-brits-scramble-to-buy-staycations-12013892

https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/news/britains-100-biggest-parks