Ferry Meadows is a pretty obvious dog walk in Peterborough and there are some new routes that we have explored lately, but for those that haven’t walked their dog here, or are perhaps from out of area, here is a little low down.

First of all.  I forgot my flask of tea, and water for Buddy, oh and his balls! Total failure as a dog mummy.

However! No fear as the gift shop stocks plenty of doggy goodies, from treats, to toys, to waterproof jackets! All needs taken care of.

There is also a water fountain outside the toilets, located at the end of the car park on the right hand side, as well as water bowls dotted around, so no worries about your dog dying from thirst which were my initial over reactive thoughts…

So, we arrived at 9.30am on a Friday morning; I did expect it to be busier but as you you can see there was absolutely loads of parking.  This is the first car park near the main gift shop and cafe etc. 

If you turn left at the mini roundabout on the way in,  it takes you to the water sports centre which has its own car park, cafe and restaurant on the other side. Lovely place in the summer, sitting on the decking overlooking the lake, but you can easily walk to it too.

So once parked up we usually do a left at the main gift Shop and walk past the cafe and loop around the lakes on a nice sniffy lead walk, before some off lead fun on the enormous fields.

The play parks here are just amazing and dotted around en route, so kiddies will not get bored! Nicely fenced off too so no worries of dogs on the loose.  Shame Buddy would love to play in there!

We did a few games on the way around, including magic hand to help with loose lead walking (check out that action shot!)

And some paws up, which also turned into ‘let’s lay down on the picnic table’ fair enough.  Probably not a great habit to get into!

There was lots of opportunities for training here with joggers and lots of doggies.  What I love about this place is the paths are wide and, generally, there are grassed areas either side.  So it gives us plenty of room to observe joggers at a distance he is comfortable with.  He is a bit chasey bless him! And why not of course – it’s what he’s meant to do.

He did really well at disengaging from some joggers including these ladies you can see in the distance. 

I managed to drop the lead (doh!) and he went after them! But thanks to the games we have been playing he came running straight back when I called as I am obviously far more fun! What a win!

It was a shame It was such a Dreary day but the sun tried to make an appearance a few times.  I still love the Moody shots you can get though when the sky is like this.

So we go back to the car and magically in the back of my boot was a very muddy old toy.  That will do I thought! So we took It to the field opposite the car park.

As you can see it’s a huge expanse and if your dog is fairly good at disengaging from other dogs, then you will have a blast as there is plenty enough room for everyone and no need to bump heads. Lots of dogs were interested in Buddy but kept their distance as they were just so far away.  Once I have a toy in my hand, lucky for me I am far  sexier than the environment! (It’s an absolute Dogs thang! 😆)

We practiced lots of spins and middle with impulse control to release his toy, and some sit stays.

Once Buddy was well and truly exercised we got some water and I went and got a cuppa.  If you are on your own dogs aren’t allowed in the cafe (they are however the gift shop) so I popped Buddy in the car while I grabbed a tea.  No cake for me today but the cakes on offer looked amazing, and having tested their scones the other week I can highly recommend them!

I couldn’t resist the urge to have a good look around the gift shop and saw this rather cool metal stake for £5 which will come in handy in the summer.

There are also some lovely homebaked and natural treats for dogs in there and as Buddy likes a good chew, (and I do for the peace and quiet!) I opted for these air dried beef chews made by Poochs located in Norfolk.  Will try some of the biscuits next time!

Parking is all done on a computer system that logs your number plate on the way in.  On the way out there are plenty of pay stations near the toilets, just enter your car reg number and you can even pay by contactless!

So all in all a great morning despite forgetting everything! Thank god i remembered the training food else I would have been in bother with someone….

Check out last weeks walk around Cuckoos Hollow here.