Short answer: Yes, but only on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Rosemoor became the first RHS garden to permanently allow dogs, on a strict paws-on-paths basis with short fixed leads. Thursday to Sunday, including weekends, stays dog free.
Yes — on three days a week. RHS Rosemoor near Great Torrington welcomes dogs every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The other four days, which include every weekend, are dog free by design, for visitors who want a pet-free garden.
This is the single most important thing to get right. Turn up with a dog on a Saturday and you will not get in.
Rosemoor trialled dog days for twelve months in response to direct requests from visitors and above-average dog ownership in the south west. It worked — visitor numbers rose on the dog-friendly days — and from 26 March 2026 the arrangement became permanent. Rosemoor is the first RHS garden to do this.
Dogs stay on the paths and on short, fixed leads throughout. If you arrive with an extendable lead, they will lend you a short one at the entrance.
Rosemoor operates a no-dogs-in-cars policy at all times. If the day is wrong for bringing the dog in, leaving it in the car is not the fallback.
Sixty-five acres of formal and informal gardens, woodland walks and water features. Paths are mostly well surfaced and mostly level, with some slopes. Trampers are available and included in the entry fee. RHS members get in free.
The Tarka Trail at Great Torrington is flat, paved and traffic-free, and dogs are welcome all along it. Bideford is fifteen minutes away.
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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