A day barely seems to pass without someone launching yet another website featuring dog friendly walks, pubs, beaches &c. &c. &c. The problem is that most of the people behind these sites are thinking about how they can make money from them rather than whether the information they are providing is useful and accurate. One exception to this is Driving with DogsWhat I love about this site is that it has been started by dog lovers for dog lovers. The founders, David and Lezli Rees, launched it in 2005 after sitting in traffic for an hour on the M40 with their Border Collie (Jem) and realising that there must be some fantastic walks just off the motorway if they only knew where they were. So they set out to do the research covering 1000 miles on foot and visiting just about every motorway junction in the country.
As if this wasn't enough they then set about adding other walks as well dog-friendly beaches, pubs, accommodation and campsites. What's more, they included other useful information such as access for those with disabilities and so forth. All in all an incredible labour of love done with no thought of profit, only of service.
Lezli came to visit us on our stand at Crufts and showed me the printed version of their website: Motorway Walks. Short Walks for Drivers and Dogs. This is available from the Border Collie Trust.
Anyway, I can't recommend their website enough and - now I have found it - look forward to trying some of the walks! Driving with Dogs.
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