A beautiful dog-friendly place to walk, tucked away near Keighley town centre. We had a spring stroll and took in all of the beautiful cherry blossom, currently in full bloom.

The Park

Cliffe Castle park is a Green Flag award-winning site. It’s one of my favourites and is perfect at this time of year as it has an avenue of cherry blossoms all in full bloom, plus rows and rows of daffs and bluebells. Dogs can be off lead away from the main cafe area, so it’s brilliant for letting them stretch their legs fully - especially in the quieter boundaries of the park.

Other bits of the grounds include Victorian ornamental rockwork and marble fountains, a children's play area, restored glasshouses containing a variety of tropical plants and cacti, (which also host community art exhibitions and events) and a sensory walk in the woodland and wildflower areas.

Near to the entrance you’ll also find an aviary and small animal house with budgies, guinea pigs, and rabbits, and the pavilion café (dogs are allowed in here on leads).

If you’re looking to visit somewhere with stuff going on, Cliffe Castle regularly hosts free events, activities, and workshops, especially during school holidays. While wheelchair access inside the museum is limited to the ground floor (about three-quarters of the displays), there is ramped access to the café and some areas of the hillside park (yes, its on a hill, obviously, like the rest of Bradford!) Blue badge parking spaces and accessible toilet facilities are available if that’s something you need to know.

Cliffe Castle House & Museum

I don’t often go into the the house as CC is more of a dog walking destination for me, but if you do want to have a nosy, there’s quite a bit on offer and admission to the house and garden are both totally free. The house houses a museum (opened officially as an attraction in 1959) and it’s got quite a collection of artefacts from an internationally significant display of stained glass by Morris and Co to The Airedale Gallery, which explores the geology of the district. There are also galleries dedicated to natural history, archaeology, and social history, as well as changing exhibitions from the museum's collections and the wider community.

In recent years, the castle and its park have undergone significant restoration work, funded in part by the Heritage Lottery Fund.

The Gardens

As today’s photos show, the gardens are really lovely at this time of year. I didn’t actually know very much about the planting there until today, but here’s what my research brought up:

Early Landscaping: When the grounds were landscaped in 1878, the planting included lime, chestnut, and sycamore trees.

Victorian Features: The Victorian landscaping incorporated features like a rockery, grotto, and marble fountains surrounded by limestone rockwork.

Glasshouses: The original glasshouses (later replaced and then recreated) housed exotic plants, including bananas and a well-grown Norfolk Island pine in the central Dome House. Each section of the range was devoted to different plant collections, including vineries for growing grapes.

More Recent Planting: Over time, rhododendrons were planted in areas like the tunnel entrance. Restoration efforts have involved reinstating historical landscape features and new planting. You can expect to see a variety of mature trees lining the paths and dotted around the grassland. There are also formal gardens with flower beds, including pruned rose bushes.

Cliffe Castle Dog Friendly Policies

Cliffe Castle Park is welcoming to dogs, but there are specific guidelines. Dogs are welcome in the park grounds but must be kept on a lead at all times within the cultivated areas, main driveway, front lawns, cafe, and car parks. They’re not not permitted inside Cliffe Castle Museum itself (unless they’re an assistance dog)

It’s worth keeping an eye out for special dog-friendly events, such as the "International Women's Day Family Dog Walk" which has been held in the park, and also the annual Aireworth Dogs in Need Woofts event in summer which raises funds for fostering rescues.

Getting there & Parking

The address for the car park entrance is Spring Gardens Lane, Keighley West Yorkshire, BD20 6LH.

It can be tight and gets busy, so take care. It’s free to use - and can be tricky to find as it’s tucked away up a back road. Keep an eye out for the sign!

Find out more on the official website