Since I’m not out and about with clients at the moment I’m using my spare time to try out some local walks. Lockdown v2.0 has some benefits and that is that I get some quality time with my own dogs for a change.
This morning I took my own pet dogs, Rico and Maisy to Nantwich to try the Riverside Loop that my lovely client Norman and his mum, Ruth, showed me during their Body Language Basics session.
I thought I would write a short blog post about this, and maybe some other walks we try out, as they could be useful for people who have just moved to the area – and also for my clients who may be looking for some inspiration for a new walk.
Location: Nantwich. We parked at CW5 7AF, just opposite Brookfield Park. Free parking is available at two small car parks as well as on road parking along Shrewbridge Road.
Footwear needed? I wore hiking boots – but you could wear whatever you like if you stick to the paths!
On / Off lead? I’d be inclined to say on lead as there’s busy roads around most of the walk. However if you have a dog who will plod along nicely and isn’t interested in chasing squirrels (like Maisy) then you can have them off.
Distractions level: Hard! There are squirrels, swans, ducks, other dogs, traffic and lots of people! This is not the walk to do if you’re wanting to practice your loose lead walking for the first time. It also wouldn’t be my first choice if I had a reactive dog. The actual park at Brookfield was quiet and we only saw one other dog on the entire field, so if your dog needs space i’d recommend focusing your walk there.
We didn’t walk too far this morning, only about 3km as Maisy has been struggling with a hip problem and has only just been allowed to be let off the lead again. As there are proper paths this was a nice, flat walk that she could enjoy without risking putting too much strain on her.
Parking up near Brookfield Park we headed down the paved path towards the River Weaver.
We then went off the main path down to a beach area so that Rico could paddle. It may be 6 degrees centigrade, but he doesn’t care! He absolutely loves to dip his toes in the water. If you’re going to do this bit I would wear boots at the moment as the grass is very wet and a bit slippy underfoot. In the summer it can be a lovely refreshing place for your dogs to take a dip, but sometimes students from the local high schools and college sunbath (yes really!) on the muddy beach so you may want to time your walk for when they are actually in classes.
From there, we looped back round, following the river back on to the proper paths. There are some bridges to cross – which is worth knowing if your dog can be scared of them. Take treats, go slowly and reward your dog if they are brave enough to approach the bridge. At this point we hit what could be another obstacle for many dogs – SWANS!
Lots of swans, I’m not quite sure where they’ve all come from, but if this will be a problem for your dog I would make sure you keep them on lead.
There’s lots of benches about so you could actually take some treats and practice some “engage” “disengage” work around them. But please do this from a safe distance – keep your dog under threshold to succeed with their training, but also keep the swans safe!
On that point, there are plenty of grey squirrels around too! So bring those long lines, or keep your dog on lead if they are inclined to chase those cheeky little squirrels around!
We then crossed the main bridge as if we were going into Nantwich town centre. No coffee in any of the dog friendly coffee shops today thanks to covid, so instead we followed the main road (B5341) back round to Shrewbridge Road and headed on to the field at Brookfield Park for a last set of Zoomies before getting back in the car and heading home.
Overall a short but sweet little walk. It was quite busy despite being 7:30am, but one I would do again.
If you’ve tried the loop why not tag us on social media to let me know! @NosetotrailUK on Instagram, or @NoseToTrailPetServices on Facebook. I’d love to see your photos and find out how you got on with all the swans!