Explore Market Drayton's Historic Canals and Walking Routes Perfect for Dog Owners

The Shropshire Union Canal, known locally as the Shroppie, is the spine of the walking network around Market Drayton. Designed by Thomas Telford and completed in 1829, it was built for speed and efficiency,with long straight stretches, towering embankments, and deep cuttings carved through the Shropshire bedrock.

Today it's a genuinely lovely place to walk with a dog. The towpath is mostly flat, relatively wide, and well-maintained. There's constant interest — narrowboats moving slowly through the locks, waterbirds along the margins, and the dramatic sandstone rock faces that appear as you head south out of town. Whether you're strolling into town for a coffee, visiting the market, or exploring the canal, Market Drayton has a growing number of dog-friendly spots to stop along the way.

Dogs love it. There's water nearby, open stretches to get a good pace going, and the towpath keeps them safely away from traffic throughout.

This leisurely out-and-back walk is around 5km, following the Shropshire Union Canal south from Market Drayton to Tyrley and back, passing locks, embankments, and cuttings on the last canal designed by Thomas Telford.

Around a mile from town you reach the five Tyrley Locks — a highlight in any season, with boats working their way through the flight framed by idyllic countryside. The lock keeper's cottages here are picturesque, and if you time it right there's something deeply satisfying about watching a narrowboat work its way through a lock while your dog investigates the towpath edges.

The visual standout on this route is the sandstone. As you head south, the canal narrows between walls of deep red and amber stone carved directly through the bedrock. The colour changes with the light and the season — vivid in summer sun, rich and moody in autumn. It's the kind of detail that makes a straightforward walk feel genuinely memorable.

Good to know: The towpath can get muddy after heavy rain, so decent footwear is worth it. Dogs can be off-lead on quieter stretches but keep them close around the locks.

If you'd like more variety than a there-and-back, this pleasant circular route takes you along lanes between Tyrley Wharf, Chinall, Hales, and Almington, returning to the start alongside the Shropshire Union Canal. It mixes open farmland with canal towpath and gives your dog a proper stretch across varied terrain.

For a completely different feel, Burnt Wood just outside the nearby village of Loggerheads is one of the best dog walking spots in the area. The trail leads through a conifer plantation, a great place for a dog walk or a couples stroll and there's a pub near the trailhead for refreshments afterwards.

About 20 minutes' drive from Market Drayton, Hodnet Hall Gardens is one of the finest gardens in the country, 60 acres of magnificent trees, ornamental shrubs, and woodland walks alongside a chain of pools and lakes, with a 17th-century tearoom open from 10am to 5pm.

The good news for dog owners: dogs are welcome on a lead throughout the gardens. The tearoom welcomes dogs inside too, making this a brilliant option for a slow, couple-friendly morning, walk the lakes and woodland paths, let your dog potter along beside you on the lead, then finish with a coffee and something homemade in the café.

The gardens are open Wednesdays and Sundays from March to October, and Bank Holiday Mondays. Adult admission is £10. Worth it, the water garden alone is exceptional in spring and summer.

For a longer half-day walk, this route from Market Drayton follows the canal south past the Tyrley Locks and Cheswardine Bridge, then leaves the towpath to follow a footpath northeast through the countryside into Cheswardine village — a pretty settlement with some nice pubs and interesting old buildings, multiple times a runner-up in Britain in Bloom. The route then returns to the canal to head back to Market Drayton. 

This is a great option for couples who want a proper walk with a pub lunch in the middle. Dogs are well catered for throughout, and the combination of towpath, open farmland, and a village finish gives the day a satisfying structure.