At this time of year, most of our sites have either sheep or cattle grazing. They are also home to ground nesting birds, and because of all of these factors we have always asked our visitors to ensure that they keep their dogs on their leads during these busy months.
Recently, we have received lots of reports of dogs not on leads, scaring birds and wildlife, sheep worrying and alarming other visitors to our sites. We therefore have updated our policy to make it easy and clear to understand:
The Norfolk Archaeological Trust requires that all dogs are kept on leads throughout the year at all the sites which NAT owns or manages.
We welcome responsible dog owners who enjoy our beautiful sites, and hitherto we have been reluctant to introduce this policy, although many similar organisations have adopted the same policy. Our dog walking policy is established to ensure that everyone has an enjoyable visit at our sites.
Keeping Dogs on Leads
Our sites are sanctuaries for a wide range of wildlife, including wild flowers and ground-nesting birds. All of these are very sensitive to disturbance by dogs. To maintain our sites we are reliant on controlling the grass through grazing by sheep and cattle (and the income from farmers contributes to our charitable funds). Unfortunately we have had reports of dogs worrying sheep, and visitors being alarmed by dogs running free.
Therefore, we ask you to keep your dog on a lead at all times, to protect your dog as well as visitors, livestock and wildlife.
Fouling
We have dog waste bins placed around our busiest sites. Please ensure that you bag and bin (or take home with you) any dog waste – this will help to protect visitors, dogs, livestock and wildlife.
Professional Dog walking
If you use a Norfolk Archaeological Trust site for professional dog walking (i.e if you are paid to walk someone else’s dog), please get in touch. We may be able to issue you with a licence and authorise your commercial use of Norfolk Archaeological Trust land. Please contact info@norfarchtrust.org.uk for further information.
