The Peak District is located in the center of the United Kingdom. It is easily accessible from the main motorway network and has good rail links to Sheffield, Stoke on Trent, Chesterfield and Macclesfield.
Once you are here, you can relax in beautiful surroundings, experience the lush meadows, rolling hills and leafy forests of the Derbyshire Dales, or walk on the rugged moors and climb the majestic hills of the High Peak, including the wonderful Kinder Scout.
One of the cheapest forms of dog friendly accommodation in the Peak District, is camping. There are many dog friendly campsites in the peak district, so you can bring your dog on holiday with you and avoid expensive kennel fees.
Camping with your dog can be one of the most rewarding experiences you can have with your four legged friend. It is a great opportunity to bond with your dog and get back to nature.
To make this experience as problem free as possible, a little planning goes a long way.
During the day, you will not be able to leave your dog in the tent and obviously in summer time, cars get far too hot to leave dogs in, so you have to plan ahead and decide where you can take your dog.
Whilst you are visiting, you can experience some of the Peak District's dog friendly pubs. There are many pubs that positively encourage muddy boots and four legged friends, particularly in the walking areas around the Peaks. You may simply want to enjoy a latte in one of the dog friendly peak district coffee shops, of which there are a few! There are also many dog friendly events in the Peak District that you can attend, ranging from Country Shows to Crich Tramway museum.
Here are a few top tips when taking your dog camping:
1. If this is the first time that you have taken your dog camping you will need to ensure that they are as calm as possible. Expecting a dog to get used to a flapping tent at night, may take a bit of time. It is perhaps useful to pitch the tent nice and early in the day, and get the dog used to moving in and out of the tent. By the time evening comes, it will be happy to sleep in it.
2. Not every campsites accepts dogs, so you will to check beforehand and make sure you read the rules of the campsite. Dogs will need to be kept on a lead around the campsite and will not be allowed to roam free. You can purchase long leads and stakes that skewer into the ground which you can attach your long leads to. It pays to get the dog used to this before you begin your camping trip, the last thing you want is an agitated dog on holiday with you. A persistent barking dog will only offset your neighboring campers and could end your stay earlier on the campsite than you intended.
3. In Case of Emergency – while you are away, make sure that you aware of where your nearest vet is, just in case you require their services at short notice. A quick search on the Dog Friendly Peak District website will identify this information. You should also need to ensure that the dog is up to date with it's inoculations. Make sure your dog is micro chipped or at the very least is tagged with ID telephone no – just in case it gets lost.
4. A comfortable dog is a happy dog and will settle well when it is expected to go to it's bed at night. Make sure that your pet is surrounded by familiar bedding and toys. You may consider taking a crate for your dog to sleep at at night. This may make it feel more secure and comfortable at night. Plan where the dog is going to sleep early on and place his bedding there so so that he can get familiar with his sleeping area. If you try and keep to familiar routines in terms of bedtimes the dog is likely to settle much easier.
5. During the day, particularly if it is quite warm, make sure you can find a spot with some shade for the dog. It may be wise to find a pitch that is near the edge of the campsite, so that of you need to take it out last thing at night for natures call, then you are not tripping over everyone else's tent pegs to get out of the camp site.
6. Ensure that you dispose of all dog waste in the appropriate bins. Most dog friendly campsites in the Peak District will provide the appropriate disposural receptacles, but this is not always the case, so make sure you bring plenty of pooh bags and ensure you know where the bins are for safe disposal.
I hope that these tips are helpful when planning your dog friendly stay in the Peak District, and I hope that you have many happy memories with your four legged friend of great camping holidays.