REVIEW: Wickwater Woods Secure Dog Field, Cotswolds

Wickwater Woods is a 3 acre woodland, secured with over 6ft fencing and is located 7 miles from Cirencester and 13 miles form central Swindon – in the middle of the very popular Cotswold Water Park.

Booking and Accessing Wickwater Woods Secure Dog Field

Booking is via a secure website which is simple to use. The price you pay is dependent on the number of dogs you are bringing and the number of cars (registration required) so a little prior planning is required if you are coming with friends or have multiple vehicles.

Finding the field was extremely easy using the W3W link below or the Google Maps. The Wickwater Lane is a narrow country road but not too busy with space to pass if required. The entrance to the car parking area is a short distance from the main road and there is plenty of space to completely pull off the lane whilst you open the gate to drive in.

The lock is very easy to use – you will need to jot down the code which you will get on booking completion and via email before your session.

What is Wickwater Woods Secure Dog Fields Like?

Wooded dog fields tend to be excellent or terrible and we are thrilled to report that this one is the former! All our expectations were met and more.

The parking area is large enough for several cars with room for turning around and water is available from a small bowser. The gate to the main woodland is a deterrent but not completely dog proof if you have smaller excitable dogs that are keen to get going – all this is explained in the terms and conditions on their website.

Once inside the field you instantly feel like you’re alone in the woods. The vegetation is mainly hazel with lots of cover when we visited in early spring. This is excellent as we were visiting on a warm day and this gave us plenty of shade. The ground cover is sparse which means lots of meandering paths but also plenty of space to throw a ball and not lose it in undergrowth.

There are several smart poo bins dotted around and plenty of spots to pause and play. There are a number of hides and obstacles to play on and the paths mean that this woodland feels far larger than it’s 3 acres.

Judging by the ground, we can imaging the this woodland walk gets extremely muddy in the winter but there is a lovely touch at the gate – a boot scraper for the worst of it. For this reason we highly recommend bringing a dog wash with you as this type of mud can be the sticking type! Our recommendation is the Mud Daddy (you can see the various sizes here on Amazon).

Along the far boundary there is a brook on the other side of the fence and you look out over one of the quieter fishing lakes in the area. We didn’t see anyone during our visit.

There is a boundary along the road but it is well set back with a small ditch/ stream so presents little distraction. Reactive dogs owners see notes below.

Is Wickwater Woods Secure?

The fencing at Wickwater Woods is a more traditional deer mesh. That means that it isn’t suitable for smaller dogs that are prone to escape and as it is within woodland, the area is surrounded by wildlife if that is a motive for escape. The wire is smaller in aperture at the bottom than the top – if you are unsure as to the suitability, have a look at the photos where we took images of my hand against the fence so you can decide. We found that although we had a miniature Dachshund with us and a smaller collie who can get her head through these types of wire, the fence was of little interest to them as there was so much to get excited about in the woodland itself.

Things you should know about Wickwater Woods

• This is a fabulous spot for an extended visit with a lovely picnic bench but you MUST take all your rubbish with you and strictly no fires or BBQs are permitted. We took 2 hours and enjoyed every minute
• This is a great place if you are on holiday in the Cotswolds and are struggling with somewhere to have a safe run off the lead. This area can be extremely busy at all times of the year and this is a lovely haven

Photos: © British Dog Fields