Local nature reserve

Dog walks in Clayton Vale

Clayton Vale is a local nature reserve of 57 hectares in Manchester, mostly woodland, 5.4 km from the middle of Ashton-under-Lyne. 65 walks in the app lie mostly in it. 40% are under 3 km and 24% are loops.

See every dog walk near Ashton-under-Lyne, or across Greater Manchester.

StockportBoltonSaleRochdaleClayton Vale10 km
Clayton Vale on Greater Manchester. Ordnance Survey boundary data.

Three walks in Clayton Vale

From the 65 walks that lie mostly in Clayton Vale, those that start nearest its middle: an 8.0 km loop, a 4.2 km there and back and a 2.1 km one-way walk.

Where these go is in the app

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  • Newton Heath loop8.0 km · 137 min · A loop
  • Clayton and back4.2 km · 72 min · There and back
  • Near Clayton Vale2.1 km · 36 min · One way

The land and what it asks of a dog

  • Open by permission, not by right35 hectares of the woodlandWoods For All (Forestry Commission)
  • Open by right2 hectares of the woodland

Manchester 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 Clayton Vale are like

Every share is of the 65 walks that lie mostly in Clayton Vale, with Ashton-under-Lyne as a whole marked on each bar.

How far they go

5 to 8 km: 24% of the walks in Clayton Vale, against 18% near Ashton-under-Lyne.

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

Walks thatShare of walks measuredAshton-under-Lyne
Under 3 km
40%
39%
3 to 5 km
16%
21%
5 to 8 km
24%
18%
8 to 12 km
12%
13%
Over 12 km
6%
6%

What shape they are

A loop: 24% of the walks in Clayton Vale, against 43% near Ashton-under-Lyne.

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

Walks thatShare of walks measuredAshton-under-Lyne
A loop
24%
43%
There and back the same way
41%
33%
One way, ending somewhere else
33%
23%

What is beside the path

Through a park or green space for a third or more: 98% of the walks in Clayton Vale, against 32% near Ashton-under-Lyne.

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

Walks thatShare of walks measuredAshton-under-Lyne
Under trees for a third or more of the way
15%
40%
Beside water for a tenth or more
87%
65%
On open access land for a third or more
<1%
1%
Through a park or green space for a third or more
98%
32%
Off road for four fifths or more
3%
3%
On roads or lanes for half or more
50%
85%
Through built-up streets for half or more
1%
12%

What might stop you

No busy road to cross: 89% of the walks in Clayton Vale, against 45% near Ashton-under-Lyne.

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 measuredAshton-under-Lyne
Never beside a fast road
90%
87%
Never beside a busy road
80%
44%
No busy road to cross
89%
45%
No stile, gate or cattle grid
100%
71%
No steps
20%
52%

What is on the way

Pass a busy beauty spot: 95% of the walks in Clayton Vale, against 36% near Ashton-under-Lyne.

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

Walks thatShare of walks measuredAshton-under-Lyne
Start where you can park, at a car park or on a minor road
98%
98%
Pass a pub
27%
54%
Pass a dog-waste bin
41%
31%
Pass a public toilet
<1%
28%
Pass a drinking-water tap
<1%
<1%
Pass a busy beauty spot
95%
36%

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

Trekosa, free

Walks in Clayton Vale, for your dog

If you live in Greater Manchester, 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. 15% 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 Clayton Vale before you set off and its map stays on your phone until you remove it, for when the signal drops. Drift off the path and the phone buzzes. It also opens walks beyond your home county, if Greater Manchester 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 Clayton Vale?
Manchester 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 Clayton Vale?
65 walks in the Trekosa app lie mostly in Clayton Vale.

Getting there

4 car parks and 1 pub within Clayton Vale or at its edge, from OpenStreetMap.