REVIEW: The Dogs Paddocks (3 Fields), Middlewich

The Dogs Paddocks Cheshire Dog Field Locations:

• Lower Whitley
• Adlington
• Middlewich – (3 Fields)

The Dog Paddocks Middlewich is in a lovely location just 5 miles from J18 of the M6 and 4 miles north of Middlewich. This review is for Field 2 and whilst we had a lovely time, there are some things that meant that this visit was not as smooth as I expected.

Booking and Accessing The Dog Paddocks, Middlewich

To book you need to register or sign in after selecting the time you want. The sessions are available in 30 and 60 minute sessions.

Access is very straight forward – follow the What3Words link which will take you all the way to the gate for Field 2. If you have booked Field 1 or 3, the directions are included in your booking confirmation.

It’s worth noting that there is a long farm track from the road to Fields 2 and 3 and there had been a lot of rain. If you are in a vehicle with very low clearance, you need to take care.

What is The Dog Paddock Middlewich (Field 2) Like?

Field 2 is a really lovely space – shaded by trees at the far end; plenty of well thought through activities; bins; water; and a shelter are all well maintained.

The parking area is well drained and despite the fact that there had been heavy rain, this area was dry.

There is fresh water in a container with a tap, bins and spare poo bags.

The shelter is nearby the car park for anyone with mobility issues. It was a little muddy underfoot but the weather had been particularly wet prior to our visit.

The activities are great – nothing too big and all in good condition. The sandpit had been freshly raked which shows a really diligent field owner.

The Pond

There is a large pond accessible from the field described as Not Secure. The access to this does not offer the same security as the fencing around the rest of the field (see images) so if you have small dogs or those insistent on swimming, you may want to assess this before letting your dogs run free in the field. This is reiterated in the operator’s terms and conditions:

The areas that we operate are surrounded by fencing of varying heights. While steps have been taken to make this secure, we cannot guarantee that it is escape proof. The Dogs Paddocks is not responsible for escapees.

Is The Dog Paddock Middlewich (Field 2) Secure?

You can see from the photographs that the deer-style fencing is 1.8m (6ft) and has extra rabbit netting at the base so is secure for all but the more athletic dogs. See notes above regarding other pond.

The main gate is flush with the ground.

There is no gate code or method of securing yourself inside the field once you are in so if this is something that worries you, we recommend bringing a lock with you.

Our Visit

As I arrived (on time), there was still someone in the field and their car was outside the field. This person took some time to put their dog back in the car and then stood chatting outside of the field with someone whilst we drove in. By the time these people had left (after a brief interaction to explain why I couldn’t release my dogs) I was 8 minutes into a 25 minute session.

Despite the field owner’s request that people leave on time, this was not adhered to in this case and I was a bit disappointed as the car outside had the livery of the dog field on it.

The person after us was also at least 5 minutes early and sat outside in full view of the gate and field with the windows of their car open and a dog clearly both visible and audible.

This is a lovely field but I would advise booking an hour and arriving late and leaving early if you have reactive dogs.

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