Was wondering if anyone has been dog walking in Snowdonia and what their thoughts on it were ? 

Oh I'll be watching this post with interest, we're renting a cottage in Snowdonia for Spring Bank & are planning on doing lots & lots of walking with Molly.  We know some friends who recently climbed Snowdon with their dogs & other than having to put them on leads near sheep they had no problems.

Do you have some reservations?

Not really reservations as such, just that having such a large dog means that places with loads of stiles are a nightmare.  Snowdon seems like a pretty open place though and seeing as I live in Wales bit embarrassed that I have never been there, so would like to give it a whirl.

Have had a couple or walking/camping weekends.. very little almost no off lead walking !

We love it there even though we don't live that far away.
Must admit though there is very little off lead walking like bilbobaggins said, we don't mind that but it could be a problem for some :-)

We went last October and stayed in a log cabin in the snowdonia national park, was really nice, only £30 a night, and loads of people even walking their dogs around the log cabin area

ooh looks like a few of you have been, any recommendations of things to do? we're there 23-30th May.

walk up Snowdon,climb Tryfan,go to Portmeirion(no dogs allowed though)
Black rock sands, Bodnant gardens,Conwy castle.caernarvon castle, beaumaris castle, newborough beach and forest,Penmon point
South stack lighthose at Caergybi(Holyhead),Bala,llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch need i continue?
i love going Home....

I'm a bit worried reading this thread as we are going to Snowdonia in July with our two dogs and it didn't occur to us that walking off lead would be a problem.  We were planning on going to Portmeirion as well and really looking forward to that but it looks like that's a no-no if dogs aren't allowed and it will probably be too hot to leave them in the car.  Are dogs banned on the beaches as well?

Why are no dogs allowed in Portmeirion?!

dog fouling i suspect as it is such a dream place it would ruin it....weddings regulary take place there and dogs barking would ruin the tranquil surroundings..i have 2 labs but can still see why they wouldnt be welcome there i love the walks in the woods and around the grounds totally relaxing

if you go to Anglesey then many beaches are open to dogs especially Rhosneigr that has many beaches and white sands..see the RAF planes taking off from the runway at the side of you and the blue sea on the other side ...many beaches allow dogs dont be put off...

go to Beddgelert it is beautiful and the dogs love it there

We went to Aberdovey a couple of weeks ago. We went to Dolgoch Falls and did lots of the marked walks through the fields. As lots of others have said hardly any off lead walking but for us that isn't a problem. Beaches where we were staying, Aberdovey and nearby Tywyn, parts of the beaches are closed to dogs from April to September but in Aberdovey there was a large part of the beach where you could still walk your dogs. We had a fab time, Wales is one of our favourite places, particularly  for taking the dogs on holiday with us. Have a lovely time.
jane

Thanks for the tips re. beaches.  The dogs love their swimming, though it has to be rationed when it comes to the sea as Molly usually ends up being sick from swallowing salt water.  I seem to remember a horrible thread on here a while back about a puppy dying from swallowing too much of it.
Think I will send my other half off on one of his epic, 30-mile walks with the dogs one day (I can't keep up with him!) while I go to Portmeirion as I really don't want to miss that. 

Portmeirion really should only be explored on a dry sunny day..it is so stunningbut not many places under cover for when it rains.

Thanks for that info - let's hope we have a sunny day when we're there!

Hello there,

We go to North Wales at least once a year (I grew up there), and most of the walking we do with our dog is off-lead. We usually stay somewhere between Machynlleth and Harlech, and never seem to have a problem. We tend to do 8-10 hour walks in the middle of nowhere though ... so not so sure about the shorter, more well marked paths.

Personally I prefer it a little South of Snowdonia itself as it's quieter. The Rhinogs (the mountain range behind Harlech/Barmouth) are remote, wild, and very lovely for walking (especially if you like wild camping). The area around Cader Idris is beautiful as well.

The beaches between Barmouth and Harlech are grand for dogs (as are the dog parts of Tywyn and Aberdovey) ... there are sections you can't go on during the summer, but large areas where you can. If you are walking off lead deep in the hills then you have to be very careful for sheep - luckily our dog stays very close (even off lead she's like a piece of velcro). If we see any sheep then we pop her on lead to be sure. We usually avoid lambing season.

There are lots of pubs that are dog-friendly, as well as lots of B&B's, campsites, and holiday cottages. Personally I love it there :-)

Hi Mad Mary - just wondered if you've been on your hols yet? I've just got back from a week in Blaneau Ffestinog & had a great time, certainly helped with the weather being so good :) We climbed Snowdon on Sunday & I can gladly report that I survived it & it was very dog friendly.  It was a very busy day to do it but there were plenty of dogs both on & off the leads enjoying themselves.  Although I was somewhat disturbed to find a 7 month old choc lab doing a 6 mile walk!! :(

As well as Snowdon we also did the Swallow Falls walk in Betsw-y-coed, again very dog friendly we only put Molster on the lead when we passed grazing sheep.  Plenty of chances for the dogs to paddle in the stream.  We did a few other walks & came across no issues at all, I think lambing season had ended but there were plenty of lambs around which Molly isn't too bothered about anyway but as I said we just popped her on the lead to be safe.

Dog friendly beaches we came across were Black Rock in Portmadog & part of the beach at Llandudno is dog friendly too - Molly loved swimming in the sea.

I think you mentioned going to Portmerion, did you enjoy it? The entrance fee of £7.50 put us off & not being able to take dogs in, with the weather being so warm didn't wanna leave Molly in the car even in the shade.  I think this is a bit of a silly rule to be honest, as long as the dogs are controlled & their mess picked up what's the problem?!

Anyway hope my coments have been of use to you & I hope you have or had a fab time in Wales. What a stunning country ;)

Hey Gembo - I too was walking up Snowdon on the Sunday.  Our Bernese got plenty of attention from fellow walkers so he thought it was great.  May have missed me though as I was probably flat out on a bit of grass half way up the mountain !! We walked round Lake Bala on the Saturday and took the dog on an open carriage steam train which was a new experience for him but he just took it all in his stride which is his usual style.

Didn't go to Portmeirion after, if my dog isn't allowed then it ain't good enough for me !!x

Have to say I am pretty much taken with the Snowdonia area though and we are planning to go back very soon and do some of the other mountains.  All in all one of the best and most relaxing weekends we have had in a long time.

We could well have past each other, how strange! Glad you had a good time.

Just a quick thought - have you checked for ticks since you've been back?  I was grooming Molly last night & found 4 of the little blighters!

Glad you both had a nice time in North Wales :-) you should of poped over to us to say hello! :-)

Gemma...ive been reading the book you sent me agian, Im planning Cape town and the Garden route for next march, so we can find where we want to get married :-) have decided for november 2011 so got ages to plan and save up! its going to cost loads to fly family to South Africa!

So jealous you're going again & that you're getting married in such a fabulous country.  The weather will be fantastic in November - you lucky lucky thing.  The guide book is very useful although there is an up to date version out which might give you a better idea.  Our itinerary for last year (if this is any help) was:
1. 3 nights in Cape Town - we stayed in Camps Bay which is right on the beach but only a short drive round to the Waterfront
2 2 nights @ Spier in Stellenbosch - gotta be honest this was the part we least liked, quite expensive & a bit over rated, good wine tasting though, so depends if you're into wine
3. 2 nights in Hermannus - the best bit in my opion although I'm not sure if the whales will be there in March, probably November.  An amazing, beautiful place & the people were so friendly.
4. 1 night in Knysna, again a lovely place, I would imagine there are some nice hotels to get married in here
5. 1 night in Plettenberg Bay - this is where I'd get married, truly magnificent, beautiful scenary, great location, would make amazing photos!
6. then as you know 2 nights either side of the safari in Port Elizabeth - isn't this where your OH is from?  We didn't see much of PE but the beaches were lovely if you were after a beach wedding.

I wanna go again now.....you lucky thing...let me know where you're thinking of going, happy to help with recommendations of things to do & places to stay, I reviewed all the hotels we stayed in on tripadvisor if you wanna read them.