Top Dog Walks in Cambridgeshire
The River Cam runs alongside Grantchester Meadows, while Magog Down adds a few hills, so dog walks in Cambridgeshire aren’t all flat paths through the Fens.
- October 9, 2026
These seven circular routes range from 1.8 to 2¾ miles, taking you through riverside meadows, around lakes and up to views over Cambridge.
Some allow off-lead walking; others require a lead because of grazing animals or nesting birds. You can finish a couple with tea together, while elsewhere you’ll need to bring your own drinks. Below, we cover parking, muddy paths, and exactly where your dog can go.
Visiting Cambridgeshire with Dogs
If you’re staying for a few days, browse places to stay in Cambridgeshire with dogs for a base for your walks.
Top Dog Walking Routes in Cambridgeshire
01 — Grantchester Meadows circular walk
This approximately 2.2-mile circuit takes you alongside the River Cam and ends with tea at the Orchard Tea Garden. Start at the Orchard’s entrance at 47 Mill Way, follow its route through Grantchester Meadows, then return through the village.
The walk crosses grass meadows and small wooden bridges before joining surfaced paths and village roads. Kissing gates and cattle grids mark the route, and the riverside ground can get very wet or flood after heavy rain.
Your dog can be off lead on the meadows if they’re under control. Keep a lead handy for cattle and give the animals plenty of room. The path straight from the cattle field down to the river is currently closed, but you can still reach the riverside path through neighbouring fields.
Dogs can join you at the Orchard on a lead. If you stop for a drink or lunch, customers get three hours’ free parking. Remember to enter your car registration at the till.
02— Fen Drayton Lakes — Ferry Lagoon Trail
The 2.5-mile Ferry Lagoon Trail circles the largest lagoon at RSPB Fen Drayton Lakes, with viewing shelters where you can pause and look across the water.
Start at the main reserve car park (grid reference TL342690), where you’ll find trail information. Most of the route is flat, with a few slight slopes and gates. Firm paths alternate with grass, so expect muddy stretches after rain.
Dogs can use the designated routes under close control, but two areas are off-limits to pet dogs: Moore Lake hide and the path up to and including the seasonal Ferry Mere viewpoint. Assistance dogs can access the whole reserve.
There’s no admission charge. Parking is £2 for non-members and free for RSPB members and Blue Badge holders. You’ll need to pay by phone or through the PayByPhone app, using location code 808281; there’s no cash or card machine. An accessible portable toilet is available, but there’s no café, so pack drinks for both of you.
03 — Wicken Fen — Adventurers’ Trail
The Adventurers’ Trail takes you through Wicken Fen’s reedbeds and wet grassland, following waterways around Wicken Lode, Monk’s Lode and Baker’s Fen. It’s a 2¾-mile circular walk through the wider reserve, which you can explore with your dog.
Start and finish at the National Trust visitor centre on Lode Lane, Wicken, CB7 5XP. From the main car park, follow the lane to the visitor centre. Non-members pay for parking; National Trust members park for free after scanning their membership card to get a ticket.
You’ll follow wide grassy paths with slight inclines, and they can be muddy. Your dog needs to stay on a lead for this trail, on the path and out of the water. Cattle and Konik ponies graze on the reserve.
You don’t need a Sedge Fen admission ticket for this walk. The Sedge Fen boardwalk, woodland walk and summer nature trail are for assistance dogs only.
Afterwards, your dog can come into the Docky Hut Café on a short lead while you order. Picnic benches are outside for you to eat together, and toilets are near the start of the walk.
04— Magog Down perimeter walk
Magog Down gives you a hillier walk with marked stretches where your dog can be off lead. The perimeter route is approximately 2.25 miles, starting at the Haverhill Road car park, south of Cambridge.
It follows the edge of the down beside woodland and open grassland. The paths are unsurfaced, with slopes, uneven sections and mud in wet weather. Stick to the signed dog-walking route: off-lead access doesn’t extend across the whole hillside.
Fairfield and Bagfield, near the car park, also have space for off-lead exercise. They’re shared areas, though, and they aren’t securely enclosed. Fences and gates can have gaps, and exits lead onto the busy A1307, so this isn’t the place to practise recall with a dog that doesn’t reliably come back.
Elsewhere, your dog needs a lead. Colin’s Paddock and the Picnic Field are closed to dogs altogether.
Entry is free, and parking costs £3 all day. Qualifying members and Friends park free if they display their sticker. Use CB22 5FX for the entrance, and note the car park gate’s closing time, as it changes throughout the year. There are no toilets or refreshments on site.
05— Coton Countryside Reserve — View Point Walk
Follow Coton’s orange waymarks up to Red Meadow Hill for views over Cambridge. The View Point Walk is a 1.8-mile circular route from the reserve car park on Grantchester Road.
Most of the walking is on grass tracks, with slopes and steps around the hill. Boots make sense after rain. This is working countryside too, so you may come across farm animals and machinery.
Your dog needs a lead on the walk, but there’s a separate dog run beside the spine path near the car park where you can let them off.
Entry and parking are free. The reserve is open from dawn to dusk, but the car park is open from 8am to 5pm and has a 2.1-metre barrier. There are no toilets.
If you’d rather stay on a firm surface, take the concrete Spine Route. It’s 1.5 miles there and back, rather than another circular walk.
06— Ely Country Park — Kingfisher Walk
The Kingfisher Walk takes you through Ely Country Park and Ely Common, then back to the River Great Ouse. This two-mile circuit starts at the free Fisherman’s Car Park on Poplar Walk. Near the start, the raised mound offers a view of Ely Cathedral.
Follow the Kingfisher waymarks towards Springhead Lane, then continue along Lisle Lane and through Ely Common to Kiln Lane. The return follows the river and passes beneath the railway bridge back to the car park.
The route includes grass, gravel, and surfaced paths, with slopes and kissing gates along the way. You’ll also cross roads and a railway line, so it isn’t entirely traffic-free. Uneven sections make parts unsuitable for wheelchairs and pushchairs.
Keep your dog on a lead near nesting sites during breeding season, and keep it out of the fenced lapwing meadow beside Kiln Lane.
For a shorter walk, the Bulrush route is 1.5 miles. It still uses Kiln Lane and the railway crossing.
07— Paxton Pits — Heron Trail
The Heron Trail packs lakes, woodland and a stretch beside the River Great Ouse into a two-mile circular walk near St Neots. Coloured waymarks and numbered posts guide you around Paxton Pits.
Park beside the visitor centre on High Street, Little Paxton, PE19 6ET. You’ll begin by crossing a footbridge, then cross the road and pass through a kissing gate. Much of the route has a firm surface, including the first mile, although some stretches get muddy.
Keep your dog on the marked paths, either on a lead or under close control. Some areas require leads between April and July to protect breeding birds. The lakes and ditches are for viewing, not for letting your dog swim: the water is deep, and toxic algae may be present.
Parking is free. You can buy drinks and snacks at the visitor centre, and there are toilets, but the facilities depend on opening hours and volunteer availability. You can walk outside those hours; bring what you need if you’re arriving early or late.
Magog Down has marked off-lead stretches, while Wicken’s Adventurers’ Trail offers a longer lead walk. You’ll find more to do together in our dog-friendly days-out guide for Cambridgeshire. After heavy rain, Grantchester’s surfaced upper path is less prone to flooding than the path beside the Cam.