Local nature reserve

Dog walks in Great Wood

Great Wood is a local nature reserve of 27 hectares in Tameside, mostly woodland, 7.2 km from the middle of Ashton-under-Lyne. 17 walks in the app lie mostly in it. 7 of 17 are under 3 km and 5 are loops.

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

StockportBoltonSaleRochdaleGreat Wood10 km
Great Wood on Greater Manchester. Ordnance Survey boundary data.

Three walks in Great Wood

From the 17 walks that lie mostly in Great Wood, those that start nearest its middle: an 8.6 km loop, a 1.6 km there and back and a 3.7 km one-way walk.

Where these go is in the app

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  • Near Great Wood (longest)8.6 km · 147 min · A loop
  • Near Great Wood (shortest)1.6 km · 27 min · There and back
  • Near Great Wood (in between)3.7 km · 63 min · One way

The land and what it asks of a dog

  • Open by permission, not by right21 hectares of the woodlandWoods For All (Forestry Commission)
  • Open by right2 hectares of the woodland

None of Tameside council's orders mentions dogs (read 1 October 2026). Signs on the ground may say more.

What the walks in Great Wood are like

Every share is of the 17 walks that lie mostly in Great Wood, with Ashton-under-Lyne as a whole marked on each bar.

How far they go

8 to 12 km: 5 of 17 walks in Great Wood, against 13% 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
7 of 17
39%
3 to 5 km
2 of 17
21%
5 to 8 km
2 of 17
18%
8 to 12 km
5 of 17
13%
Over 12 km
1 of 17
6%

What shape they are

A loop: 5 of 17 walks in Great Wood, 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
5 of 17
43%
There and back the same way
7 of 17
33%
One way, ending somewhere else
5 of 17
23%

What is beside the path

Under trees for a third or more of the way: 17 of 17 walks in Great Wood, against 40% 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
17 of 17
40%
Beside water for a tenth or more
14 of 17
65%
On open access land for a third or more
0 of 17
1%
Through a park or green space for a third or more
5 of 17
32%
Off road for four fifths or more
4 of 17
3%
On roads or lanes for half or more
11 of 17
85%
Through built-up streets for half or more
0 of 17
12%

What might stop you

No stile, gate or cattle grid: 4 of 17 walks in Great Wood, against 71% 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
17 of 17
87%
Never beside a busy road
12 of 17
44%
No busy road to cross
12 of 17
45%
No stile, gate or cattle grid
4 of 17
71%
No steps
12 of 17
52%

What is on the way

Pass a dog-waste bin: 0 of 17 walks in Great Wood, against 31% 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
13 of 17
98%
Pass a pub
10 of 17
54%
Pass a dog-waste bin
0 of 17
31%
Pass a public toilet
0 of 17
28%
Pass a drinking-water tap
0 of 17
<1%
Pass a busy beauty spot
8 of 17
36%

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

Trekosa, free

Walks in Great Wood, 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. 17 of its 17 walks 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 Great Wood before you set off and its map stays on your phone until you remove it, for when the signal drops among the trees. 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 Great Wood?
Tameside has no dog order that mentions dogs, read on 1 October 2026.
How many dog walks are there in Great Wood?
17 walks in the Trekosa app lie mostly in Great Wood.