# Swithland Wood
**Type:** Walk | **Location:** Swithland, Leicestershire, England, United Kingdom
**Murphy Approved** ✓ — personally visited and approved by Murphy & Me
**Murphy & Me Rating:** 3.8/5 (space, sniff factor, facilities, ease)
## About
We arrived with plenty of time, a good mood, and absolutely zero coins.

The car park takes card payment by phone. The car park also has basically no phone signal. What followed was me pacing around holding my phone in the air like I was trying to communicate with space, while Murphy wondered why we weren't walking yet 📱😅

Eventually it went through. £2 for all day parking — just take coins if you have them and save yourself the stress.

Once we actually started walking, Swithland Wood delivered exactly what we needed on a warm day: full canopy cover, wide open glades under mature trees, and the kind of cool shade that makes you forget it's 24 degrees outside 🌳

The paths are a mixture of gravel tracks and natural woodland routes — some wide and easy, others partially muddy and lined with ferns and brambles that Murphy took very seriously as sniffing opportunities. They're scattered with tree roots and boulders, so worth bearing in mind if you've got a pushchair or aren't confident on uneven ground.

Murphy's main event came about twenty minutes in: his first encounter with horses. Or as he seemed to interpret them, giant dogs with people on top. He was baffled. They were unbothered. It was a stand-off that ended with Murphy deciding discretion was the better part of valour 🐴

We also met seven off-lead dogs throughout the walk. Seven. If your dog loves other dogs, this is brilliant. If your dog is still learning to be neutral around them (hello, Murphy), it takes a bit more managing. Everyone was friendly, but it's definitely a sociable wood.

At the back of the route there are streams for splashing — Murphy made the most of them, obviously — and the whole area connects through to Bradgate Park if you want to make a much bigger day of it.

Poo bins are dotted near the entrances and along the main paths, and we finished with a trip to Bark and Brew just down the road for what Murphy considers the best puppachino in Leicestershire. High praise from the quality assessor himself 🐾☕

## Murphy's Verdict
*Reviewed by Murphy, Cavapoo and chief sniff tester at Murphy & Me — The Dog Edit*
> "Horses are just very tall dogs and I have questions.

Excellent shade, excellent streams, excellent post-walk puppachino.

Would've been a 10/10 if the seven other dogs had given me a bit more personal space, but I can't fault the woodland itself.

Solid day out. 🐾"
## Highlights
- Full canopy cover — perfect for hot days
- Streams at the back of the wood for splashing
- £2 all day parking (take coins — phone signal is patchy)
- Very popular with off-lead dogs — worth bearing in mind for reactive dogs
- Connects to Bradgate Park for longer adventures
- Close to Bark and Brew for post-walk puppachinos
## Dog-Friendly Features
Woodland, Off-Lead, Water / Swimming, Gravel Paths
## About This Review
Swithland Wood was personally visited by Murphy & Me — The Dog Edit, a trusted dog-friendly recommendation network covering Leicestershire and beyond. Every review is based on a genuine visit. No paid placements. Murphy approved where earned.
**Source:** [Swithland Wood on Murphy & Me](https://murphyandme.co.uk/walks/swithland-wood)
**Publisher:** Murphy & Me — The Dog Edit | murphyandme.co.uk
**Published:** 2026-06-29