A (dog) walk in the park - Mouldon Hill

The lake at Mouldon Hill Country Park

We've not lived in the area long and had a dog for an even shorter period, so I thought it might be useful to highlight some of our dog walking locations for anyone in a similar position, or anyone who is visiting Swindon with a four-legged friend.

Swindon has a number of country parks dotted around its edges, Mouldon Hill Country Park is the closest to where we live and so a fairly frequent haunt. It's easy to find and parking is free, but there are no facilities such as toilets or a cafe.

When Barney was little we used to just do a circuit around the lake, but there is plenty of other land to explore, tracks heading out through wooded areas, grassed areas and of course the walk up to the hill. Nowadays, we tend to walk three quarters of the way around the lake and then head up the hill so that Barney can have a good run off lead. The area around the lake is usually busy, with anglers, pedestrians and lots of other dogs. There are usually several loose dogs under varying levels of control of their owners, and sometimes dripping wet after a plunge in the lake chasing ducks, so we keep Barney on his lead initially until we know whether it's a good day for recall. 

There are some other paths around the park, including some leading down to the canal and the steam railway line which we have yet to try out. There is plenty to keep Barney sniffing around for some time yet.

The view across the fields from the top of the hill

Trying to resist the urge to go and meet the ducks