A Christmas Dog Walk at Pugneys Country Park
Earlier this week we headed over to Wakefield to walk at Pugney’s Country Park. This flat circular is a great way to spend an hour or two with the dogs, kids or both. I took the camera along to photograph the dogs in their Christmas jumpers and the winter light came up with the goods.
Pugneys Country Park is an easy and safe dog walk. The park itself is well signposted from Denby Dale Road and can be found off Asdale Road (use WF2 7EQ for the sat nav). The main park gates are open 9am to 7pm throughout the winter period, and there is plenty of parking (I paid £1 for two hours). Although we didn’t go in, there is also a cafe with toilets which opens from 9am to 4pm.
As you make your way out of the car park you can start the loop walk going either left (past the kids playground) or right (towards the Pugneys Light Railway). It’s mostly a safe, enclosed space all around the lakeside although I was a bit wary as we walked past the light railway because of its proximity to the main road - just be careful, as further down, there is a gap in the hedges that leads out onto the road. My two have pretty good recall but I clipped them both on the lead until we were well past this point. And just on the subject of hazards - I kept them out of the water too as I noticed a sign for blue-green algae which can be harmful to our pets. Wildlife-wise there are quite a few swans and ducks on the lake but they tend to be at the car park end - so if your dog is a chaser it might be a good idea to keep them on the lead until the birds are out of sight.
In terms of safety the park was quiet when we visited, but I passed a few other dog walkers, as well as a coupe of fishermen and always felt safe as a female walker. Everyone was polite and said hello as we do in Yorkshire ;)
All in all it took us about an hour to get around as I was using the camera. The track itself is 2.6km so its a good leg stretch without being strenuous. The facilities are good, its a safe and clean place and there are plenty of bits of interest for the kids along the route too. Ringo & Peggy approved!
You can keep up to date with what’s going on throughout the year by following the Pugneys Facebook Page or see public information on the Wakefield Council site.
