Barbour Dogs Adventures: Introducing Freya

From blissful days spent under the summer sun to leisurely strolls on meandering coastal paths, the Barbour Way of Life

As part of our monthly Barbour Dogs Adventure series, we are sharing a glimpse into the wagnificent lives of our beloved #BarbourDogs. Our four-legged friends are sharing their top adventure recommendations and walking us through their ultimate doggie day out, along with pawing out their top tips and tricks for exploring the great outdoors!

This month we are shining a spotlight on the supaw cute @walkieswith_freya. Freya, a lively three-year-old Hungarian Wirehaired Vizsla hailing from East Sussex, is always on the go alongside her pawrents, Holly-Jane and Shaun. Together, they're on a quest for fresh adventures, from medieval forests to captivating historical sites. Join us as we trace Freya's pawprints and delve into the wonders of her escapades.

You can find @walkieswith_freya on Instagram to see what else she gets up too! We love Freya and think you will too!

List your top three dog-friendly sites/trails to visit and your favourite thing about visiting? 

We have recently moved house from Greater London to East Sussex which has given us a fantastic excuse to explore new places with Freya. Even before the move we would often set ourselves little adventure goals on the weekends to find a new walking trail or explore a new town. We love using Woodland Trust, English Heritage and National Trust to help us discover new areas, and AllTrails or Komoot to plan new hikes. We also gather a lot of inspiration from social media seeing other fellow furry friends and their pawrents adventuring.

In East Sussex we have so many lovely trails, we’ve listed our top three starting from a casual hour-long walk, to a full day of adventuring!

1)  A short walk, taking in the ruins at Bayham Abbey: Bayham Abbey is on the border of Kent and Sussex. The Abbey dates back to the 13th-century and is built from local golden sandstone that on a sunny day glistens. Dogs are allowed anywhere in the Abbey on a lead, so make sure you pack your Barbour lead; our favourite is our Barbour tartan trimmed slip lead.  What we love most about the Abbey is how welcoming it feels, you can wander amongst the ruins, you can take a blanket and lay down reading a book among the history of the site, or take a picnic to have with friends with ancient ruins as your backdrop for the day. If you want to grab a bite to eat, you can visit the Elephants Head pub or the Vineyard gastro pub, both dog-friendly eateries that are just a short walk from Bayham Abbey.

2)  A long stroll at Ashdown Forest: Ashdown Forest is a medieval forest and open heathland in the heart of East Sussex. From exploring waterfalls to the beautiful landscape of purple heather throughout autumn months, this location has so much to offer. After a long day of work, and play for Freya, we come along to Ashdown Forest and wrap up warm in our Barbour jumpers and of course Freya’s Barbour Wax Dog Coat.

3)  A full day of exploring at Tunbridge Wells and Eridge Rocks: Our favourite adventures are a full, jam-packed day out of the house and in nature. We cannot think of a better start to the day than breakfast on the Tunbridge Wells Pantiles. Take a Barbour dog blanket for your four-legged friend and settle in with an espresso and eggs benedict at the Pantiles Cafe, one of the many dog friendly venues in this area.  Afterwards you can explore the common and walk off breakfast before jumping on the steam train at Spa Valley Railway.  This train welcomes pooches, and at no additional cost. Hop off at Eridge Station and walk to the Eridge Rocks nature reserve. Within this nature reserve, lies an area of special scientific interest, the landscape really transports you back in time, you would be forgiven for thinking you were walking through a J.R.R Tolkein movie set! After about 30 minutes you will reach Broadwater Warren, an RSPB (The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) reserve and the smell of pine will fill the air. After all that walking you will need a rest so head to the Deer Park Cafe in Eridge for a spot of lunch.

Walk us through your paw-fect ‘spoil your pooch day!’

A day filled with adventure, enrichment, and decompression! Adventure would be a long walk where Freya can stretch her legs and explore, Eridge Rocks is perfect for that! For enrichment we train together, you will find us out in the fields in our Barbour wellies or working on retrieves down at the lakes! Finally decompression, for Freya that is a nice natural long-lasting chew on her blanket in a pub garden. Chewing and licking are a great way for dogs to decompress, it releases endorphins which helps our furry friends to relax.

What are your top tips for an adventure-filled day with your furry friend?

Pack the essentials.  Treats, dog coat, water bottle, water bowl, settle mat, whistle, first aid kit, poo bags, make sure you come prepared. We keep a little box with everything we need for an adventure in the car and by the door to the house, meaning that we can grab and go whenever adventure calls.

Dress for British weather. We all dream of a lovely tropical British summer, but we know that UK weather can be unpredictable. Come prepared for adventure with a waterproof dog coat. If you come prepared, then your adventure can continue even with a little downpour.

Which Barbour Dogs products are essential for an adventure-filled day?

We do not go anywhere without our Barbour tartan trimmed slip lead. It was one of the first products that we bought when Freya was a pup, and three years later it is still in pristine condition. A waterproof coat is also a must for us. The Barbour wax dog coat is fantastic, it is lightweight and really breathable, meaning Freya can still run and jump and not feel restricted. We also cannot resist a matching pawrent and pooch photo, so any opportunity where we can bring along our matching Barbour wax jackets we do.  

We also love the Barbour dog blanket, boasting the iconic Barbour tartan print on one side and a fleece fabric on the other side, providing great flexibility for both summer and winter weather. Placing the blanket on the floor signals to Freya that it is time to settle down and she can switch off. Finally, the Barbour tartan bandana makes Freya look extra adorable. We brought it with us when we hiked the Lake District and Scotland, and looking back on the photos always makes me smile as Freya beams with pride when wearing it.