Thanks to @Alfie_the_red_labradoodle for recommending this place!
The girls absolutely it here, and so did we. It was such a lovely walk, especially with the season turning into Autumn. (Willow loves chasing leaves when the wind blows them)
We didn't realise the size of Chopwell until we got there. We often go to Plessy Woods but we know it like the back of our hand now and, can often get round it within an hour(Depending on how fast we walk of course). Chopwell is huge in comparison, it's 360-hecatre of mixed woodland. There's hills, rivers, little streams, sitting areas and of course, more importantly, plenty of sticks for the dogs to enjoy. We did also see a few squirrels, and so did Willow...thankfully she hasn't figured out how to climb tree's yet.
There are sign posts throughout the walk to keep you on certain hike trails but we didn't really follow them. We just let the dogs decide where they wanted to go. To give you an idea of the size of this area, we walked just over 4 mile in total and it felt like we didn't even see half. We'll definitely be going back. The girls loved the freedom of just being able to run up and down all the hills and banks. Due to the size of this park, we only seen a handful of people as we walked through it.
We did see a handful of off-road mountain bikers as we pulled into the car park and thought this might be a concern as sometimes the girls like to give chase, however, it was absolutely fine and caused no problems at all. You can see the bike trails as you walk through but these are mainly off the main paths, which there are loads to follow and choose from.
Definitely one place we'll be returning too. I feel you could spend all day here.
https://www.forestryengland.uk/chopwell-wood
Parking Information
There is a main carpark which has plenty of spaces, I'd say over 100. We had no problem getting parked on a Sunday Afternoon. It's also free!
Carpark Address - Rowlands Gill NE39 1LT
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