I groom at CK9 Dog Grooming in King’s Lynn on Fridays and Saturdays, and a lot of the dogs arrive straight from a walk. These are the ones I hear about most, with what I know of the rules and, because it is my job, what each one does to a coat. Rules change, so treat the signs on the day as the final word.
The Walks, King’s Lynn
The town’s big Victorian park, right in the middle of King’s Lynn with the Red Mount Chapel in it, and the easiest walk on this list. Paths, lawns, mature trees and a river along one side. Dogs are welcome; the borough’s two everyday rules apply, pick up after your dog and keep out of the fenced play area, and I have not come across a lead rule for the park itself, but check the signs at the gates. It is flat and dry underfoot, so a dog comes home clean, which makes it a good Saturday-morning stretch before a CK9 appointment.
Bawsey Country Park
Just east of town off the A149: 180 acres of former sand quarry turned into woodland and lakes, with wide sandy paths through the pines and water everywhere. It is deservedly popular with dog walkers and there is a car park (charges apply, so take a card) and a café.
Two cautions. The lakes are deep, cold and quarry-steep in places, so keep an eye on a dog that likes to swim, and in warm weather watch for notices about blue-green algae, which is dangerous to dogs. And it is sand. Lots of it. A curly coat comes home with grit down to the skin, so rinse and dry before you brush, or the sand works like sandpaper on the skin.
Roydon Common
North-east of town near the village of Roydon, a Norfolk Wildlife Trust reserve of heathland, bog and birch, and one of the most beautiful places near King’s Lynn on an autumn morning. The Trust asks for dogs on leads, with a short lead from March to July when birds are nesting on the ground, and there are ponies and cattle grazing, so this is not an off-lead romp. Check the Norfolk Wildlife Trust page and the signs before you go.
Coat-wise, it is heathland: heather and gorse that catch long coats, boggy patches that soak legs and tummies, and ticks in the bracken from spring to autumn. Check the dog over when you get home, especially the armpits, ears and between the toes.
Sandringham Country Park
Ten minutes up the A149 and the grandest walk on the list: the Royal Parkland around Sandringham House, with miles of woodland tracks, rhododendrons, a visitor centre and plenty of parking. Dogs are welcome in the parkland, the courtyard area, the takeaway and the terrace café, but not in the House or Gardens. The estate asks for short leads around the courtyard and the children’s play area, where it is busy, and allows “stick and flick” in the woods. Do not leave a dog tied up unattended or in a hot car. The estate’s own dogs page has the detail.
The tracks are sandy and, in winter, muddy, and a long coat picks up both. Blot, dry, then brush.
Ling Common and Shouldham Warren
Two smaller ones that locals know. Ling Common, on the edge of North Wootton, is a sandy, pine-edged common with a car park, popular for a quick loop; the usual borough rules apply and the sand is as sandy as Bawsey’s. Shouldham Warren, south towards Downham Market, is pine forest with long, straight rides and a car park, and a good option for the Watlington and Downham side of my King’s Lynn customers. Check the signs at both for any seasonal requests.
After the walk: which groom sorts which
A dog that has been to any of these comes home with something in its coat. Sand from Bawsey, Ling and Sandringham. Mud and bog from Roydon. Grass seeds and ticks from the heath in summer.
For a smooth-coated dog, a rinse and a rub-down is enough. For anything curly or long, the routine that stops mats is blot, dry, then brush to the skin, and it is set out in how to brush a Cockapoo at home. A Bath & Brush every few weeks between Full Grooms gets the grit out properly and the coat dried right down to the skin, which is the bit most people cannot manage with a towel. If a coat has got away from you over a muddy winter, read why I clip matted coats short before you book, so nothing on the day is a surprise.
If you are over on the coast, the Hunstanton beach post has the seasonal rules there.
Quick questions
Do dogs need a lead in The Walks?
I have not found a park-specific lead rule, and dogs are welcome, but the borough’s fouling rule and the play-area exclusion apply, and the signs at the gates are the final word. Keep a lead handy near the river and the road crossings.
Can dogs swim at Bawsey?
Dogs do, but the water is deep and cold and the banks are steep in places, and in warm weather there can be blue-green algae, which can kill a dog. Read any notices at the entrance and keep a dog out of any water with a scum on it. Rinse the coat afterwards either way.
Which walk suits a dog that can’t be off the lead?
Sandringham and Roydon both expect leads anyway, so an on-lead dog is in good company there. Sandringham has the widest, flattest tracks and the most to look at, which suits a reactive dog that needs space from others.