The Meadows Park, next to the River Dee, Chester
This
is a real personal favourite of mine. It really does have all you
could want, scenery, lots of action on the river with boats and canoes, lots
of seating, and in the Meadows it also has a large open field where dogs can
run to their hearts content.
It is quite confined as a space, with cattle gates preventing any escape -
but there is the river for the dogs to swim in
Good points:
From
Parking you walk alongside the river Dee and get to enjoy the beauty of the
scenery of Chester. The river itself is excellent - with a nice
shallow drop off allowing dogs to paddle and well as to swim. There
are plenty of entry points to the river. The area has lots of Poo bins
so no excuses for leaving any mess! There are loads of benches for those of
you that like to relax, toilet facilities and shops/kiosks.
Once you get into the Meadows themselves you will find lots of other dogs
that you can share the experience with. The Highlight for me is the
river which is excellent for dogs who like to swim and offers a good chance
to cool off and get a drink. And if your toy goes too far into the
river you'll often find a helpful canoeist willing to pass it back to you.
Bad Points:
This
is a busy, tourist area so make sure you get there early to get a parking
space! Parking is very limited and it can often take some time to get a
spot. There are lots of potential "shocks" for your dogs - so beware of the
boats on the river.
Also
the current on the river can become very strong and so please be aware of
this - especially when the boats go by which creates quite a wash.
Overall
– A fantastic experience for both the dog and owner alike - swimming and
fields/woodland to run in. The area is really well maintained but very
popular.
The meadows is located just opposite the Kings college rowing centre on the river Dee.
Click on the Map below for more details on directions:
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