Short answer: Yes, and unusually generously. English Heritage welcomes dogs on leads inside the castle, in the gift shop and in the café. The woodland below the castle, down to the old fish ponds, makes a good dog walk.
Yes. English Heritage welcomes dogs on leads in the castle, the gift shop and the café. That last one is the useful part — the café is run separately and at many sites that is exactly where the welcome ends.
A perfect romantic ruin tucked into a deep wooded valley near Totnes, with a colourful history of intrigue. It was once one of the most illustrious mansions in Elizabethan England, and it has a reputation as one of the most haunted places in the country — the free audio tour leans into the ghost stories.
There is a large grassed area in front of the castle and smaller ones within. Visitors can walk down through the woodland — not owned by English Heritage — to the old fish ponds. That woodland walk is the best part of a visit with a dog.
A car park about fifty metres from the entrance, free for castle and café visitors, with twenty-five to thirty spaces for cars and minibuses. It can fill at peak times. There is additional parking in Totnes, around two and a half miles away. Coaches cannot get in.
Totnes Castle is two and a half miles away and also welcomes dogs on leads, with a dog bowl on site. Totnes itself has the Steam Packet Inn on the quay and a High Street of independent shops.
Checked against the attraction's own published policy in September 2026. Dog rules change — ring ahead if you are driving any distance.
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