WAGFINDER
Walk · South Yorkshire

Melton Wood Country Park

Sprotbrough · DN5 7EB
N 176 YD
1.3MILES
45mON FOOT
40mCLIMB
CircularSHAPE
Off-road 95% 5% shares tarmac with cars
Field & moor path 40%Lane & track 55%Road with traffic 5%

Our drawing of the route — the shape of the walk, not a navigation aid. Carry OS Explorer on the hill. Off-lead information here is what walkers reported or what signage allows — never our advice. Whether and when a dog is off the lead is the owner’s decision and legal responsibility; keep dogs under control near livestock and follow signs on the day.

Starts at
Small car park off Sheep Lane between Sheep Lane and Hangman Stone Road; the council gives DN5 7EB as the nearest usable postcode DN5 7EB
Parking
Small free unsurfaced car park off Sheep Lane with no marked bays and no height barrier; there is no exact postcode for it, and it holds perhaps fifteen cars
Directions to the start →

A mixed wood on the ridge between Sprotbrough and High Melton, bought freehold by the council in 1992 to keep it open to the public after a Forestry Commission lease. It is broadleaf and conifer planted over the 1950s and 1960s on the site of a much older oak and ash wood, and the tracks through it are wide forestry rides rather than narrow paths, which makes it good ground for a dog that runs. There is no lake and no livestock, so under Doncaster's PSPO there is no lead requirement inside the wood itself, only the standard duty to pick up and to be able to produce a bag. The car park off Sheep Lane is small and unsurfaced and there are no toilets, no water and no cafe anywhere on site.

THE SMALL PRINTDoncaster's dog control PSPO covers all council open space: you must pick up, you must be able to produce a bag on request, and an authorised officer can direct you to put the dog on a lead. £100 fixed penalty.

House rules, decoded

Off-lead allowed
REGION · SOUTH YORKSHIRE
GRID · 53.5224, -1.2330
SOURCE · HTTPS://WWW.DONCASTER.GOV.UK/SERVICES/CULTURE-LEISURE-TOURISM/MELTON-WOOD-COUNTRY-PARK
Also in Sprotbrough
WAGFINDER No photo yet
N 440 YD 2.4 MI · OUT & BACK
SOME LIMITS

Sprotbrough Flash and the Don Gorge

Sprotbrough · DN5 7LA
No reviews yet
2.4MILES
1:15TIME
20mCLIMB
95%OFF-ROAD
Livestock — leads on

A Yorkshire Wildlife Trust reserve on the north bank of the River Don where the river cuts a limestone gorge between Sprotbrough and Conisbrough, the only real valley scenery in an otherwise flat part of Doncaster. The walk leaves Nursery Lane, drops to the towpath and runs south-west beside the water past a viewing screen and two bird hides, with the flash itself lying between the path and the wooded slope. The Trans Pennine Trail shares the towpath here so the surface is firm and level the whole way, which suits older dogs, but the Trust requires dogs on a lead at all times because sheep graze the reserve. There is no shade on the towpath stretch and no drinking water on site; the Boat Inn at Sprotbrough Lock is a short walk back east.

VERIFIED 30 JUL 2026 VIEW WALK ›
WAGFINDER No photo yet
Pub SOME LIMITS

The Boat Inn

DN5 7NB
No reviews yet

A stone pub of 1652 on the grassy bank of the River Don beside Sprotbrough Lock, now run by Vintage Inns and rebuilt inside after flood damage with the original layout kept. It is the obvious stop at the end of the Don Gorge towpath and the Trans Pennine Trail passes the door, so muddy dogs coming off the river path are routine. The pub's own dog-friendly page says fresh water bowls are always available, there is a canine menu to ask about and treats are usually on hand, and it points walkers at the gardens. It does not publish which rooms dogs may use, so ask at the bar which side they want you on before you settle by a fire.

In the bar Water bowls Treats
VERIFIED 30 JUL 2026 VIEW ›
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