National Trust rangers are hosting a guided walk at Marsden Moor in West Yorkshire on March 7, 2026, to help dog owners learn how to protect local wildlife. The event, called Doggy Rangers, will run from 10:30 to 13:30 and offers a sociable route for people and their pets to explore the landscape together.
The National Trust team will use the walk to remind visitors that dogs must be kept on a short lead of no more than two metres between March 1 and July 31. This rule is in place during the nesting season to prevent dogs from disturbing rare birds like the curlew and golden plover, which build their nests on the ground.
Keeping pets on leads also protects farm animals from being chased or harmed while they graze on the moorland. Rangers will share information about the fragile environment, which has suffered hundreds of thousands of pounds in damage from large fires in 2019, 2021, 2023, 2024, and most recently in 2025.
Visitors can also learn about a peat restoration project called Stitching the Landscape, where volunteers help plant native species and use wool logs to repair the ground. Marsden Moor is recognised as a Special Area of Conservation and a Site of Special Scientific Interest because of its unique plants and animals.
