Wood

Dog walks in Spadeadam Forest

Spadeadam Forest is a wood in Cumberland, 29.1 km from the middle of Carlisle. 115 walks in the app lie mostly in it. 46% are under 3 km and 2% are loops.

See every dog walk near Carlisle, or across Cumbria.

CarlisleBarrow-in-FurnessKendalWorkingtonSpadeadam Forest20 km
Spadeadam Forest on Cumbria. Ordnance Survey boundary data.

Three walks in Spadeadam Forest

From the 115 walks that lie mostly in Spadeadam Forest, those that start nearest its middle: a 3.9 km loop, a 7.5 km there and back and a 2.1 km one-way walk.

Where these go is in the app

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  • Waterhead loop3.9 km · 68 min · A loop
  • Kingwater and back7.5 km · 128 min · There and back
  • Near Spadeadam Forest2.1 km · 36 min · One way

The land and what it asks of a dog

  • Site of Special Scientific InterestCaudbeck Flow SSSINatural England designations
  • Special Area of ConservationBorder Mires, Kielder-Butterburn
  • Special Area of ConservationRiver Eden
  • Site of Special Scientific InterestSpadeadam Mires SSSI
  • Site of Special Scientific InterestKingwater SSSI
  • Site of Special Scientific InterestKielder Mires SSSI
  • Site of Special Scientific InterestRiver Eden and Tributaries SSSI
  • Dogs on a short lead from 1 March to 31 July, and near livestock at any timeThe 887 hectares that are open access landCountryside and Rights of Way Act 2000
  • And 2 more zones from the same order.

Cumberland council has a dog control order we cannot yet place on the map, so it may apply here. Signs on the ground may say more.

What the walks in Spadeadam Forest are like

Every share is of the 115 walks that lie mostly in Spadeadam Forest, with Carlisle as a whole marked on each bar.

How far they go

8 to 12 km: 4% of the walks in Spadeadam Forest, against 9% near Carlisle.

Where the walks fall by length. The five bars add up to the whole, give or take the rounding.

Walks thatShare of walks measuredCarlisle
Under 3 km
46%
44%
3 to 5 km
24%
21%
5 to 8 km
19%
17%
8 to 12 km
4%
9%
Over 12 km
6%
6%

What shape they are

A loop: 2% of the walks in Spadeadam Forest, against 29% near Carlisle.

A loop brings you back without repeating a step. There and back retraces the way out.

Walks thatShare of walks measuredCarlisle
A loop
2%
29%
There and back the same way
69%
45%
One way, ending somewhere else
27%
25%

What is beside the path

On open access land for a third or more: 84% of the walks in Spadeadam Forest, against under 1% near Carlisle.

Shares of walks where the ground beside the path is a given kind for the stated part of the way.

Walks thatShare of walks measuredCarlisle
Under trees for a third or more of the way
83%
43%
Beside water for a tenth or more
50%
71%
On open access land for a third or more
84%
<1%
Through a park or green space for a third or more
<1%
58%
Off road for four fifths or more
31%
4%
On roads or lanes for half or more
54%
78%
Through built-up streets for half or more
<1%
5%

What might stop you

Never beside a busy road: 100% of the walks in Spadeadam Forest, against 45% near Carlisle.

Shares of walks with none of each thing on the way. A road counts when it runs within about fifteen metres of the path.

Walks thatShare of walks measuredCarlisle
Never beside a fast road
100%
95%
Never beside a busy road
100%
45%
No busy road to cross
100%
49%
No stile, gate or cattle grid
86%
94%
No steps
100%
71%

What is on the way

Pass a dog-waste bin: under 1% of the walks in Spadeadam Forest, against 44% near Carlisle.

Shares of walks that start by, or pass, each of these.

Walks thatShare of walks measuredCarlisle
Start where you can park, at a car park or on a minor road
53%
95%
Pass a pub
<1%
41%
Pass a dog-waste bin
<1%
44%
Pass a public toilet
<1%
40%
Pass a drinking-water tap
<1%
3%
Pass a busy beauty spot
<1%
12%

Measured on 20 October 2026 from the map. How these figures are made

Trekosa, free

Walks in Spadeadam Forest, for your dog

If you live in Cumbria, it is your home county, and every walk in it is free, for good. Tell the app what your dog finds hard and it shows you walks that suit, with anything that might stop you shown first.

Trekosa FurtherSubscription

Anywhere in Great Britain, even with no signal.

Further is the Trekosa subscription. 83% of the walks here run under trees for a third of the way or more. It brings the Further map, 1:25,000, with contours, field walls and every right of way, while you have signal. Press Offline on a walk in Spadeadam Forest before you set off and its map stays on your phone until you remove it, for when the signal drops among the trees. Part of Spadeadam Forest is open access land, where a path on the ground can be faint: drift off your line and the phone buzzes. It also opens walks beyond your home county, if Cumbria is not yours.

The first 250 households have it for good. After that, £4.99 a month or £34.99 a year.

Questions people ask

Do dogs need a lead in Spadeadam Forest?
On the open access land, the law asks for a short lead from 1 March to 31 July, and near livestock at any time. Cumberland has a dog order we cannot yet place, so it may apply here, read on 1 October 2026.
How many dog walks are there in Spadeadam Forest?
115 walks in the Trekosa app lie mostly in Spadeadam Forest.