Leads
Where a dog must be on a lead near Alton
The rule that reaches most walks near Alton is the law on open access land. 12% of the 2,090 or more walks within 5 km of the middle of Alton that we measured run on it for a third or more, against 22% across Hampshire.
This page says where a lead is required. It does not say where a dog may be let off, because a map cannot tell us that.
The law on open access land
- From 1 March to 31 July, a dog must be on a lead of no more than 2 metres on open access land.
- Near farm animals, a dog must be on a lead at any time of year.
- Keeping to it is a condition of the right to be on the land. Breaking it is not itself an offence; what is lost is the right to be there.
The rule belongs to the open access right, not to a public footpath across the land. A walker on a footpath uses a different right, so a council's order and any farm animals still decide there.
England. Source: Natural England, on GOV.UK.
Dog orders in Hampshire
We have read the dog orders of every council in Hampshire, and a walk here tells you when it crosses a place an order names.
Orders end and are renewed, so your council's own page has the one in force today.
What this page does not say
- A place with no rule listed here is not a place where a lead is not needed.
- A sign, a landowner, a farmer or a bird site can ask for a lead where no law does, and it is worth doing.
- A map cannot show where it is right to let a dog off, so we leave that out.
Walks near Alton, with the rules that apply to each
If you live in Hampshire, it is your home county, and every walk in it is free, for good. Tell the app about your dog and each walk near Alton says when it crosses open access land or a place an order names.
Walks beyond your home county come with Further, the Trekosa subscription. What Further adds
Questions people ask
- Does my dog have to be on a lead on open access land near Alton?
- From 1 March to 31 July, yes: on a lead of no more than 2 metres. Near farm animals, yes, at any time of year. Outside the nesting months and away from farm animals, the law on open access land does not ask for a lead, and a sign or the farmer's request still can. Keeping to this is a condition of the right to be on the land, not an offence in itself.
- Does a footpath across open access land follow the same rule?
- Not by itself. The lead rule belongs to the open access right. A walker on a public footpath across the land is using a different right, so a council's order and the presence of farm animals still decide what a dog may do there.