MAP
SEARCH
Address
Cassington Road, Yarnton, Oxford, OX5 1LX
GPS
51.803609499151, -1.3177036839468
Telephone
Field Details
XL-Bullies and Control Order Dogs: Please contact this field directly to find out if they are allowing dogs banned under the Dangerous Dogs Act to use their facility and under what circumstances. Many fields are unable to accommodate XL Bullies for a variety of reasons and those that do may need copies of your paperwork in advance so you must check before you book.
* We only list fields as reactive-friendly following a visit because reactivity means different things to different dogs! Details can be found on each review in the yellow section. Listed fields field may be suitable for reactive dogs, but we have just not had the chance to verify this.
About This Field
Last Review Date: June 2023
The Downs at West Oxford Dog Fields is an enormous 30 acre secure parkland located just a few miles north of Oxford City centre. It’s easily accessed from the A34 and M40 and is a perfect pit-stop if you’re making a long journey between the North and South or East and West of the country.
Booking and Accessing The Downs at West Oxford Dog Fields
Booking is through a secure website and sessions are 60 minutes long with a strict 10 minute gap between users.
Access is very straightforward – the W3W link and Google maps pin will both take you directly to the gate – it’s situated off the Cassington Road, a few hundred metres outside the village of Yarnton.
The entrance to the dog fields is clearly signposted – you pull off the main road through a large entrance and turn slightly left to the vehicle gate for The Downs. Using the code provided an hour beforehand via email, you can punch the numbers into the padlock and open the gate into an enormous secure car park.
What is The Downs at West Oxford Dog Fields like?
Huge! If you haven’t visited a very large dog field before it will be a revelation. There are very few that are super-sized but still have the security of a smaller paddock and that’s down to really good management.
The field itself is a rolling meadow which has been coiffured with meandering paths through areas of longer grass and activity spots with logs and agricultural enrichment set in a beautiful rural backdrop.
Once inside the enormous secure parking area (which will accommodate any size vehicle easily), you will find a grassy area where your dogs can go to the toilet before entering the main field – this will save you from ‘hunting’ over 30 acres and is a great solution for keeping the fields in top condition.
There’s a pedestrian gate into the field and from there, you have oodles of route choices! As usual, our dogs conducted a perimeter check which took a solid 20 minutes before they allowed themselves to be distracted by the fun of the paths and what they led to.
Is The Downs Secure?
This field is fenced to 1.9m and also has weld mesh gates., the netting is 7.5cm x 7.5cm at the base and gradually increases in height to 7.5cm x 20cm so it is suitable for most dogs. It also has the benefit of a 50cm skirt that’s embedded and laid to the outside of the field – this is a belt-and-braces approach to ensure nothing can get in and nothing can get out – especially important in a field of this magnitude.
The parking is also secure to 1.9m and the gates have concrete thresholds so you won’t see gaps emerging under the gate over time.
This field is inspected daily prior to opening.
Things you should know about The Downs
- 30 acres is a big area and if you want to see the entire field at a leisurely pace, I suggest you book a double session (although our dogs were exhausted after their 60 minute session)
- There’s a stock fence dividing the field so your dogs will remain in sight and this divide has a few special features (surprises for you to discover!)
- There are plans to add seasonal features to this field and with a great team running it, I suspect this field will get even more interesting over time
Notes for Reactive Dog Owners:
- There are 3 fields at West Oxford Dog Fields and they are in sight of one another (8m gap between the fields). There is screening on the fences to reduce any visual contact and there is planting going in which will completely obscure the fields from view of one another in time
- A very small turbine at the entrance provides solar power to the site. This was a point of curiosity to our more sensitive dog but no bother – just worth being aware of for very noise-sensitive animals
Also at West Oxford Dog Fields:
Photos © British Dog Fields
Something wrong?
If you have visited this field and something listed is incorrect or this is your field and you would like to request updates, please get in touch via email or fill in the Update My Field form here.
