Do you get bored of the same old dog walks? I know I do and I’m sure the Dogvine crew do too as they seem to know when it’s time to jump in the car and head off to somewhere a bit more exciting than the usual park walk. When we first moved to London, it was hard to find any info on good London dog walks so we’ve decided to share some of ours and we’d love to hear about some of yours too! One of our favourite places to go on our London dog walks is Wimbledon Common, just a short drive away and with plenty of different walks to choose from.
It also gives the chance for the dogs to really get some good exercise and they come back nicely tired from an hour long walk that they just don’t for the same time in the park. Probably something to do with all the swimming and squirrel chasing that goes on.
This walk is approx. 3.5km and took about 55 minutes at a fairly leisurely pace (with time to stop, let the dogs take a dip and take photos). There are 3 lakes on the route King’s Mere, The Curling Pond and Queen’s Mere. The best one for dogs who like a dip is definitely the first one you come to, King’s Mere and the ducks seem to know when it’s time to get out of the way! The second one which is the Curling Pond, lives up to it’s name and is more of a large pond so depending on rainfall may be quite shallow. The last one on the route, Queen’s Mere is not suitable for dogs to swim in and during the bird’s nesting season, dogs must be kept on a lead around this lake from the beginning of April until the end of August. It’s the most picturesque of the three though and the perfect place to stop and take in the view before the uphill stretch back to the Windmill. There’s also plenty of woodland for the dogs to run around in and based on the happy and tired expression on their faces at the end, this walk is definitely a favourite with the Dogvine crew. It’s a favourite with me too as they sleep soundly for quite a while when they get home!
You can see the route below and if you want to send a copy of the route to your phone to navigate as you go, just download the free app “MapMyWalk” from the App Store and then click on this link to the route where there will be an option to send the route to your phone. Enjoy!
Key Walk Info:
- Starts / Finishes: The (free) car park in front of the Windmill Cafe
- Off Lead: Yes, with the exception of April-August around Queen’s Mere Lake. Also, be aware that just before you get to King’s Mere lake the path passes close to the road for a few minutes.
- Poo Bins: Not so many. Mostly at the start of the walk near the car park and then not until the first lake at King’s Mere. Final ones are just as you leave Queen’s Mere lake to go up the hill to the Windmill.
- Water (for the dogs): There’s dog water bowls in front of the toilets next to the Windmill Cafe.
- Coffee (for you): The Windmill Cafe with plenty of outside seating for humans and dogs.
- What else?: Wear your wellies and bring a towel or two for the dogs.
