Dog Walking & Pet Sitting in Ickwell
Solo dog walks from your own front door and calm in-home pet sitting around Ickwell's famous green — fully insured, DBS checked and 5-star rated since 2010.
Few villages in Bedfordshire are as instantly picture-postcard as Ickwell. Life here revolves around the enormous village green and its permanent maypole — standing since 1872 and still danced around every May Day — while quiet lanes drift off towards Old Warden and field paths cross to Northill. For dogs it is a glorious place to live: open grass, gentle lanes and very little traffic. We have been walking dogs and caring for pets in the villages around Biggleswade since 2010, and Ickwell remains one of our favourite corners of the patch.
Smiley Pets is run by Liz Bracey, based just down the road in Biggleswade, so your pets see the same familiar local face at every visit — never a rota of strangers. Every walk is solo (your dogs only, up to three from the same household), every cat sitting visit is calm and unhurried, and every new client starts with a free meet and greet.
Dog walking and pet sitting in Ickwell
Our dog walking in Ickwell works the way village life should: we collect your dog from your own front door, walk from there and bring them home happy. There are no van journeys and no mixed packs — we never transport dogs by vehicle except in a genuine emergency. Most owners choose the 60-minute solo walk at £20, though everything from a five-minute pop-in to a 90-minute adventure is on our prices page.
For cats and small pets, drop-in visits come once or twice a day from £10.50: feeding, fresh water, litter trays, medication, plenty of fuss and a WhatsApp photo update every visit. Many Ickwell homes are period properties — some listed, often with older locks and characterful doors — so we take key care seriously: keys are stored security-coded, never labelled with a name or address. We also look after rabbits, guinea pigs and birds, and will happily alternate lights, open curtains, move bins and take in parcels while you are away.
Walks we love around Ickwell
Ickwell Green itself never gets old: a huge, flat sweep of grass around the famous maypole, perfect for an easy lap with a puppy, an older dog or any dog who loves a good sniff in the open. On a quiet weekday morning you often have the green almost to yourselves.
From the green, quiet lanes lead towards Old Warden — steady on-lead walking with barely any traffic, and on Shuttleworth flying days you can sometimes spot vintage aircraft from Old Warden Aerodrome overhead.
For longer outings, the waymarked Old Warden circular links Ickwell, Northill and Old Warden across roughly seven and a half miles of stile-free field-edge and woodland paths, and shorter stretches of it make ideal hour-long walks. Where Northill next door is best known for its woods, Ickwell's charm is out in the open: the green, the lanes and a big Bedfordshire sky.
A local service you can trust
In a village as small as Ickwell, discretion matters. That is one reason we drive an unmarked vehicle — nothing about our visits advertises that your home is empty — and it is one of many habits built up over 16 years of caring for pets and homes around Biggleswade. We are fully insured, DBS checked and canine first aid certified, and proud of our 5-star Google rating.
We deliberately keep things simple: no boarding, no daycare, no grooming and no overnight stays — just reliable solo walks and unhurried home visits done properly, here and in Upper Caldecote, Northill and the surrounding villages. If that sounds right for your pets, get in touch to arrange your free meet and greet.
Good to Know
Ickwell pet care questions
Always from your own front door — never from a van. Depending on your dog's age and energy, we might do a gentle lap of Ickwell Green past the maypole, head down the quiet lanes towards Old Warden, or take the field paths across to Northill. Walks are solo, so the route is always chosen around your dog — see dog walking for how it works.
Yes. Ickwell sits within Northill parish, and the whole area — Old Warden, Northill, Upper Caldecote and beyond — is comfortably inside our roughly 10-mile patch around Biggleswade. Whether you need a regular walker or cat sitting while you are away, get in touch and we will pop round for a free meet and greet.
Happy Clients
What local pet owners say
Hannah D.
“Liz has looked after my high energy collies on a few occasions. Liz is professional and always updates me on her visit so that I have complete peace of mind. Many thanks”
Jo S.
“Smiley Pets have been absolutely fantastic! From Liz's very first visit, it was clear that she genuinely care about animals and go above and beyond to make sure everything is perfect. My cats immediately felt comfortable, which says a lot, and I loved receiving the daily updates and photos — it really put my mind at ease while I was away. The service is reliable, professional, and full of care that make all the difference. I came home to a very happy, and relaxed cats. I couldn’t recommend Smiley Pets more highly — truly a five‑star experience! If you want complete peace of mind and someone who treats your pet like their own, Liz is the ones to choose.”
Looking for a dog walker or pet sitter in Ickwell?
Every new client starts with a free, no-obligation meet & greet. Message us on WhatsApp and we'll arrange a time to say hello.
Get in Touch