This is a paid collaboration with dog insurance company Petplan, who challenged us to share our summer adventures; but all words, thoughts and adventures are my own!
Now Jude is a little older, we’re finally getting out of the house more and more. We’ve been making the most of the sunshine; exploring our local area. Recently, Pet Insurance supplier Petplan challenged us to take our dogs (and Jude!) on a summer adventure; so we ventured a bit further afield to Trentham Gardens. I took plenty of snaps along the way; so thought I’d share our trip, as well as our tips on how dog friendly it is, and the gluten-free options if you’re planning a visit of your own!
Our Trip
We actually picked Trentham Gardens based on its location-we were meeting friends and it was an hour between both of our houses. However, I’m really glad we did as it’s such a lovely place to explore with a baby and dogs; especially in the sunny weather! There’s plenty of walking trails, along with manicured gardens, a shopping village, a play area and even an outdoor space that plays home to concerts. In the shopping area, there’s a range of eating places too.
Dog–Friendly Trentham Garden
If you’re looking for a dog-friendly destination, Trentham Gardens is it! First up, dogs are welcome at plenty of cafes at the restaurant. You can take your dogs to sit outside at Capabilitiea (more on that in a moment), Pieminster, Rotisserie and Cafe on the Square, Lakeside Cafe and Garden Tearooms; and inside Cadwalders. What’s more, there’s even a dog shop with its own bakery! Dogs are also welcome on the extensive walking trails too; although they can only go off lead in specific areas (which we never managed to find, so we had to keep Jude and Bella on a lead).
Gluten-Free Trentham Garden
I thought I’d just mention the gluten and dairy free options at Trentham Garden; in case you’re thinking of visiting. We were really impressed when doing our research and on the day itself. Pieminster is one option and they do amazing gluten-free pies and also now do vegan pies. We ended up going to Capabilitiea; a little cafe located near the start of the entrance who do gluten-free bread, dairy-free milk for all hot drinks and also gluten-free, dairy-free teacakes. If you’re only gluten-free, they do plenty of gluten-free cakes too! I had a sweet chilli chicken sandwich on gluten-free bread, which was lovely and a gluten-free goat’s cheese toastie (all that walking built up an appetite!)
Top Tips for Taking Your Dog Out In The Hot Weather
Hopefully, the heatwave is now behind us, but who knows? Although hot weather is nice for most, being a mom to a new baby and dogs make it extra stressful! Please remember that if you’re finding it too hot, then chances are so is your pooch; be careful of burning their paws and overheating, which they can do so so quickly. In our case, we packed a collapsible dog bowl for lots of fresh water stops (these are so handy!) and stuck to shady routes where possible. And yes, rest is important-our little dog Stevie decided she wanted a rest on the edge of Jude’s pram halfway through the walk!
When we came out of the grounds, the dog shop also had a little paddling pools for dog which we really appreciated! Top tip: dogs don’t actually sweat so keep an eye out for panting and consider packing a cooling mat too for them to lie on. If in doubt, don’t walk them and take your dogs inside!
For more tips, have a look at Petplan’s Pet Summer Safety guide (as well as their dog insurance whilst you’re there to make sure your pooch is protected), which has lots of hacks on helping keep your dogs and cats cool in the heat, as well as tips for travelling abroad with them!
Top Tips for Taking Your Baby Out in Hot Weather
Whilst we’re talking about safe summer travels, I thought I’d share a few things that have helped me keep Jude cope with the heat. Keep blankets and coverings really light- a giant muslin or thin bamboo blanket will keep things breathable and avoid overheating. We packed extra feeds in case Jude got thirsty and kept him in the shade completely by our pram’s cover and lightly covering his feet with a muslin blanket. One thing never to do (Which I’ve still seen people doing!) is covering the whole pram with a blanket or muslin; as this traps the air and can cause your little one to overheat. We had heard not to use suncream (even the baby kind) on those under 6 months but we packed some just in case.
Without a bit of planning (and about 27 attempts to pack my changing bag), we had a lovely summer adventure with Jude, Bella and Stevie; I can’t wait until Jude gets a little bit older so we can do even more exploring!
Pieminster! I used to live in Chorlton in Manchester and used to love them (pre gluten-free days), intertesting to know that they do gluten-free now! Also Pie and Ale in Manchester do gluten-free pie, you have call a day ahead, but it’s nice to know they make it especially for you.
Nice read.
It sounds like you had a nice trip out. Keeping baby from over heating is important. I quite liked muslin cloth too as it is really light and lets air pass through easily and doesn’t keep the heat in much. I never tried a bamboo blanket myself.
Oh wow, this looks like such a lovely place! I’d love to visit one day x
I love finding dog friendly places to take my dog! I have a german shepherd and she’s quite large so some it can be difficult to take her everywhere, but this garden sounds lovely so will try and get down there with her sometime. Your pup is so cute too 🙂
Trentham Gardens looks like such a wonderful place to visit with kids and dogs.I love finding places like this. It is fab they have gluten free options.
I love the fact that there were paddling pools for the dogs – what a great idea! Trentham Gardens sounds like a lovely place to visit.
What a great place Trentham Gardens is for the whole family, including furry friends! Love the idea of a paddling pool!
Been guilty of taking our dogs out in the heat and burning their paws. Definitely a real thing. In our defense, We came back from the hike later than expected and the pavement to the camp wasn’t shaded. Lesson learned!
Thanks for such a nice content. Apppreciate it 🙂
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Trentham Gardens sounds lovely, we’ve never been before. It’s great that it’s dog friendly too.
I loved how there was a dogging paddling pool for them to cool off after their long walks. Looks like they had fun on their walks.
I totally love your tip! How I wish we have the same area where I could walk my dogs freely and safely. Well, there’s a nearby park where we live but I also want a different place fo my dogs to walk or have a little playtime, particularly the paddling pools for the dogs. I’m envy right now. Anyway, thanks for sharing your wonderful experience!
Thanks for such a nice content. Apppreciate it 🙂
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Your dogs are beautiful – could I ask what breed they are, please? I can’t believe that you manage two dogs, a baby, and a gluten free diet. Superwoman!
I like your blog. Glad I popped by your blog.
The photos are great!
Nice post for pet lovers. keep posting like this.
Very beautiful place and you are blessed with such a handsome son and lovely pets
I especially loved that pic of Jude and Stevie sharing space on the pram.
Trentham Gardens seems lovely. What a great place it is for a trip! Thanks for sharing such beautiful pictures. Loved that pic of Jude and Stevie sharing space on the pram.