⚠ Important — Please Read Before Setting Off
NorfolkWild guides are provided for general information only. You are solely responsible for your own safety and the safety of anyone in your group, including any dogs. Always carry out your own research before setting off on any route described on this site.
✓ Carry water and a bowl for your dog, especially in summer
✓ Bring poo bags and use the bins provided, or carry it out
✓ Keep dogs on a lead near livestock, ground-nesting birds and seals
✓ Check individual site rules — some gardens, reserves and beaches restrict dogs seasonally
No Liability — NorfolkWild and its authors accept no responsibility or liability whatsoever for any loss, injury, accident, death, damage, delay or inconvenience suffered by any person or animal as a result of following any guide, route, advice or information published on this website. Route conditions, access rules and dog policies may change or differ from those described. All information is provided in good faith but without warranty of any kind. By following any route on this site you acknowledge that you do so entirely at your own risk. In an emergency dial 999.
Livestock & Cattle — Several of these walks cross farmland and parkland grazed by cattle. All livestock should be treated with caution. Never walk between a cow and her calf. Keep dogs on a short lead, but let go of the lead rather than holding on if cattle become aggressive. Stay calm, do not run, and walk on quietly around the edge of the herd rather than through the middle. If you feel unsafe, calmly leave the field by the nearest gate or stile and find an alternative route.
Norfolk is about as dog-friendly a county as you'll find — most beaches, all of the Broads paths and nearly every countryside walk on this site welcome dogs in some form. But "dog-friendly" covers a lot of ground, from off-lead woodland to farmland where a lead is essential and a handful of spots with seasonal restrictions. This page pulls together nine of the best, with the lead and livestock situation for each spelled out up front.
🗺Terrain
Coast, Broads & woodland
🐄Livestock
Present on several routes
🦭Wildlife caution
Seals & nesting birds
From Off-Lead Woodland to Farmland on a Lead
None of the walks below are dog-free — every one of them welcomes dogs — but the level of freedom varies a good deal. Holt Country Park and Coltishall are about as relaxed as North Norfolk walking gets. Others, like Hanworth, Stalham and Overstrand, are just as welcoming but cross grazing land where a lead genuinely matters, both for your dog's safety around cattle and for the animals grazing there. Waxham asks for a lead near its seal colony and nesting birds for the same reason.
Check each walk's own page for the full detail — the notes below are a starting point, not a substitute for reading the specific guide and any signage on the day.
Not sure where to start?
For the most relaxed, mostly off-lead woodland walking, start with Holt or Coltishall. For a big beach walk, Waxham is hard to beat — just keep the lead on near the seals. If your dog is confident around livestock on a lead, Hanworth and Stalham both pair well with a Broads or heritage day out.
The 9 Dog-Friendly Walks
Every route here is a genuine walk on the site, not a separate dog-specific trail — these are simply the walks best suited to bringing a dog along, with the specific lead situation noted on each card.
Dog Walk · Holt
Holt Country Park & Spout Hills
A doggy favourite — ancient woodland with waymarked trails, an easy-access path, and open heathland. Largely off-lead friendly away from the play area.
Various🟢 Easy
Dog Walk · Coltishall
Coltishall & the Bure Riverside
Excellent for dog walking — riverside paths and quiet lanes along the Bure with plenty of space to roam.
Various🟢 Easy
Dog Walk · Waxham
Waxham Beach & the Great Barn
A vast, uncrowded beach — dogs welcome, but keep on a lead near the seal colony and nesting birds on the dunes.
3–6 miles🦭 Lead near seals
Dog Walk · Wroxham
Wroxham & Hoveton, Capital of the Broads
Dogs welcome along the Bure Valley Path and riverside — check specific rules if visiting any of the gardens along the way.
Various🟢 Easy
Dog Walk · North Walsham
North Walsham & Dilham Canal
Dogs welcome on the canal towpath and Weavers' Way — keep on leads in the nature reserve sections.
Various🟢 Easy
Dog Walk · Stalham
Stalham, Ingham & Barton Broad
Dogs welcome, but livestock and grazing cattle are present on the marshes on the Ingham circular — lead essential in those fields.
3–5.5 miles🐄 Livestock
Dog Walk · Hanworth
Hanworth Common & the Weavers' Way
England's largest enclosed common — dogs welcome, but livestock and grazing cattle are present, so a lead is needed across the common.
2–8 miles🐄 Livestock
Dog Walk · Overstrand
Overstrand & the Poppyland Cliffs
Dogs welcome on the cliff path and longer Poppyland circular — keep on a short lead where the route crosses grazed fields.
2.5–8.5 miles🐄 Livestock
Dog Walk · Worstead
Worstead & Honing Lock
Dogs must be kept under close control, and on leads in designated areas along the canal and village sections.
Various🟢 Easy
Planning tip
If your dog is nervous around cattle, stick to Holt, Coltishall, Wroxham or North Walsham, none of which cross grazed farmland on their main routes. If you want a big beach day, Waxham is the pick — just keep the lead on past the seal colony, and note dogs aren't permitted on the boardwalk itself at Barton Broad near Stalham.
Kitting out for these walks? We've picked out a lead, a packable water bowl, recycled poo bags and some training treats in the dog accessories section of the shop.