I TRIED a "unique" dog walking trail in Wrexham and was really impressed!
The Tail Trail has recently opened at Lower Park Farm, situated between Rossett and Holt.
The 1,400 acre organic dairy farm is owned by Richard and Sadie Tomlinson, but predominantly ran by their sons, George and Will.
The pair are very busy on their social media (Rossett Park Farming), posting videos about life on the farm and what they get up to on a day to day basis.
The trail, which is open 24/7, is a 2-mile loop round their farmland, giving amazing views and an insight into the life of a farmer.
It is free to use, but the farm do ask for a donation to help with maintenance and the up keep of the trail which is £2 per adult and £1 per dog, children go free.
The trail is made up of 23, 200m sections, with a self-closing gate separating each section. The idea behind the sections is that you don't move on until the next one is free.
This is aimed at allowing your dog to run freely without worrying they're going to run off if they see something that catches their eye.
On Thursday (August 29) I headed down to the farm to meet with Will and to test out the new trail, after finding out about the walk, I set off.
Will even let me borrow his dog Donny so that I could get the full experience.
The sun was shining and it made for a really enjoyable morning walk. The trail takes you on a circular loop from the car park, round the farm and back.
There were great views of the Cheshire plane and Welsh hills, as well as being able to see some cows up close (behind a four foot fence).
There is a seated sheltered area halfway round, as well as a water station for the dogs, which was implemented following a suggestion from the public.
The large majority of the walk is within the farm's fields, with the last 200m or so being along the country lane adjacent to the farm.
In total it took around 45 minutes, but it was fairly quiet and I didn't need to wait at all, so depending on how busy it is, it could take you anywhere from 40 minutes to just over an hour.
The gated sections meant I could relax while enjoying the walk, knowing that there was no way Donny could get out anywhere.
I'd highly recommend trying the Tail Trail and getting a glimpse into farming life.
When discussing the trail, Will said it was all about giving the community somewhere to enjoy and to try and educate people on farming.
He said: "We just want to educate people on farming and what happens on a farm.
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"We've got plenty of farm land that people walk on anyway so we thought we'd create this dedicated area for for the local community to use.
"We've done it as a hard track, meaning people in wheelchairs are able to use it, as are those with prams.
"We've got the different sections so that you don't need to worry about your dog running away. The idea is you stay in your section until the next one becomes free.
"It's free to use, we just do ask for a donation to help with the maintenance and upkeep of the trail, which is £2 an adult and £1 per dog.
"The feedback we've had has been brilliant really, there have been a few suggestions like a water stop half way through, which we've introduced and we're looking at other suggestions too.
"We just want people to be able to see what goes on at a farm and this unique trail will hopefully allow people that opportunity to learn more about it."
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