Dog-friendly attractions.

Quiet Forestry England woodland two miles north of Okehampton, with forest roads through beech and conifer above the Okement valley. Dogs are allowed and assistance dogs are welcome; there is no cafe and little else, which is rather the point on a busy August afternoon.

One of the city's easternmost parks, on the Bilton Grange estate and reached from Amethyst Road or Valiant Drive, with bowling greens, baseball diamonds, a trim trail, a wildlife area, a community garden and a set of low hills that the Sunday junior parkrun uses for its two-kilometre course. What makes it worth the drive with a dog is the dog agility area, which is about the only piece of purpose-built dog provision Hull City Council publishes anywhere in the city. Hull is a unitary authority entirely separate from East Riding and operates no dog control Public Spaces Protection Order at all, and unlike the council's pages for its other parks this one publishes no dog exclusion of any kind. The park is open around the clock and free; the toilets only open when the water play area is running.

A fortified manor house in a wooded dene north of Corbridge, largely unaltered since the thirteenth century and usually almost empty. English Heritage lists it as dog-friendly, with dogs on leads. The approach lane is single track and the parking small.

A 40%-scale replica of Captain Cook's Endeavour sailing from Whitby harbour, near the Magpie Café. The crew's own words: 'Sea dogs are welcome onboard FREE OF CHARGE' — though it's worth ringing ahead as sailings depend on weather and tide.

Four acres of fenced private farmland at Moss Bar Farm on the western edge of Cowling, hired by the hour for your sole use so no other dog comes through the gate while you are in it. It exists because the owner had a rescue dog that could not be let off the lead in country surrounded by grazing sheep, which is exactly the problem this end of Craven presents, and it is aimed at reactive, nervous and newly rehomed dogs and at recall training. Fencing is inspected daily, there are spare bags and a bin inside the field, and the site asks that reactive dogs do not meet outside the gate, so leave a gap between bookings. A self-service dog wash with shampoo, aprons, towels and a dryer can be booked for afterwards. Booking is online or through their app, seven days a week all year, with a full refund on cancellations up to 48 hours before.

The Priory Church of St Mary on The Bolt in the Old Town, the surviving nave of an Augustinian house founded in 1113 and one of the largest parish churches in the country, with the Bayle gatehouse alongside it. The Priory holds Animal-Friendly Church status and is a member of the Anglican Society for the Welfare of Animals, and says in its own words that dogs, and well-behaved owners, are welcome at the Priory. Its own pages go further and say visitors with assistance and pet dogs are welcome and that a water bowl is put out during services. It is open to the public Monday to Friday eleven to three and Saturday ten to twelve, and the churchyard, managed as a living churchyard for wildlife, is open at any time. Parking is on-street around Church Green and Kirkgate, or in the Old Town car park off Applegarth Lane.

Forestry England valley woodland east of Bodmin, with four waymarked trails along the Cardinham Water and mountain-bike routes above. Dogs are welcome throughout and there is a card-operated dog wash by the car park, plus waste bins along the walking trails. Keep them close by and in sight rather than roaming.

The cavalry fort of Cilurnum beside the North Tyne, with the best-preserved Roman bath house on the wall down by the river. English Heritage lists it among its dog-friendly properties, with dogs on leads across the site. Flat, grassy and easy going compared with the crags.

A Roman supply town rather than a fort, with a street you can walk down and granaries still standing to shoulder height. English Heritage lists it among its dog-friendly properties, dogs on leads. Level paths and a short walk from Corbridge village make it the easiest Roman site in the valley with a dog.

Arkwright's 1771 mill, the birthplace of the factory system and the anchor of the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site. Well-behaved dogs are welcome across the site and in both cafes, though individual shops set their own policy, and the riverside meadow beyond the mill walls is the designated spending area. Guided mill tours, woodland paths and the canal towpath all start here.

Fifty acres of woodland dropping down a steep ravine to the sea, on the line of the prehistoric earthwork that cuts clean across the Flamborough headland from here to Cat Nab on Bempton Cliffs. The council's countryside service asks only that dogs are kept under close control and picked up after, so there is no lead rule and no seasonal ban anywhere on the reserve or its beach. The tree trail and the ravine paths are soft underfoot and shaded, which makes this the sensible Flamborough option on a hot day when the clifftops are baking. Pay and display parking for about 80 cars sits on the site of the demolished Danes Dyke House off Flamborough Road, with toilets open all year and a kiosk in season. A bridleway leaves the top of the exit road, crosses the ravine and heads over the golf course to Sewerby.

A gaunt fourteenth-century curtain wall on a headland, reached only on foot: 1.3 miles from Craster across working farmland with no road anywhere near it. English Heritage lists it among its dog-friendly properties, with dogs on leads throughout. The fields hold cattle and sheep in most seasons, so the lead is not a formality here.

Forest tracks around Fernworthy Reservoir, high on the moor above Chagford, with stone circles and cairns on the open ground beyond the trees. Dogs are allowed on the forest trails; the pay-and-display car park is run by South West Lakes Trust and it is a long way from a shop, so bring water.

Two hundred and twenty acres of clifftop grassland and chalk cliff wrapped round the lighthouse at the tip of the headland, the most northerly chalk outcrop in Britain. The council's own page for the reserve says dogs are allowed but must be kept under close control and picked up after, and there is no lead order and no seasonal ban here in any month. Walking is on foot only across open field and cliff-edge grass where restharrow, carline thistle and kidney vetch grow, and the drop is unfenced in places, so a recall you can rely on matters more than a lead does. The beach at Selwicks Bay is down a long flight of steps from the grass. There is a large pay and display car park by the lighthouse with toilets open all year, picnic benches and a seasonal cafe and shop.

A secure hire field of just over an acre behind Squires Bikers Cafe on Newthorpe Lane, a couple of miles east of Sherburn in Elmet. It is fenced to six feet and booked by the half hour or the hour in daylight, at six pounds for thirty minutes with up to three dogs and eleven pounds for the hour, rising to eight and fifteen pounds for four or five dogs; five dogs is the maximum in one session. Inside there are weave poles, runs, a sandpit, a swing ball, a shelter, picnic benches and drinking water on tap with bowls provided. Parking is directly outside for three or four cars with more off-street spaces nearby, dogs must not be left unattended, and the owners are honest that they cannot guarantee a determined escaper will not get out.

Eight thousand acres of forest between Coniston Water and Windermere, threaded with waymarked trails, sculpture and easy-access paths from the visitor centre. Dogs are allowed on the trails and there is a cafe and shop at the centre; the forest is worked, so expect timber lorries on the roads.

Forestry England's largest site near Exeter, on the ridge above Kennford, with waymarked walking and cycling trails through conifer and broadleaf. Dogs are allowed on the trail network and assistance dogs are welcome throughout; the site asks visitors to read its dogs-in-the-forest guidance before setting off.

Heathland headland and nature reserve between the sea and Christchurch Harbour, with an Iron Age fort, the beach huts of Mudeford Spit and views to the Isle of Wight. BCP Council names Hengistbury Head as open to dogs all year round. Ground-nesting birds use the heath, so keep to the paths in spring.

The most complete fort on the wall, laid out on a ridge with a half-mile uphill walk from the car park to reach it. English Heritage lists Housesteads among its dog-friendly properties, dogs on leads throughout. Sheep graze the whole site and the wall path either side of it.

A pocket of flood meadow, reedbed and open pond at Marsh End, barely three minutes on foot from Howden Market Place and the minster, managed by Howden Town Council as a local nature reserve. A flat surfaced route and a boardwalk laid on the bed of the dismantled railway carry you right round the water, with no fence or barrier at the pond edge, which is worth knowing if your dog goes straight in. The council's own visitor entry says dogs are welcome, that you must pick up and keep the dog under close control, and asks you to remember that not every visitor is comfortable around dogs. There is no car park here at all, so use the free on-street parking on Hailgate or the Market Place and walk down Marsh End.

Spectacular show cave reached by the pretty mile-and-a-half nature trail up the wooded valley from Clapham village. Unusually for a show cave, well-behaved dogs on leads are welcome on the trail, inside the cave itself and in the Old Sawmill Cafe, and there is no charge for the dog. Guided tours run along a concrete floodlit path past 350-million-year-old formations.

The round-the-lake launch from the Keswick landing stages, calling at eight jetties including Hawes End and Ashness Gate for the classic lakeshore walks. Well-behaved dogs are welcome on board and travel free of charge, which makes a one-way ticket the easiest way to shorten a long day.

A restored eighteenth-century walled garden on Plantation Road at Kirkleatham, two miles inland from Redcar seafront, with growing beds, glasshouses and a cafe inside the walls. The garden's own visitor page states it is dog friendly and that four-legged friends are welcome in the cafe as well as the garden, which is unusual for a paid-entry garden. Open Wednesday to Sunday 9am to 4pm with last garden entry at three; adult admission is £4.00, children £3.00, under-threes free. Parking on site is free, and it is a sheltered option on a day when the coast is unwalkable.

A preserved steam branch line running three and a half miles up the Leven valley from Haverthwaite through Newby Bridge to the pier at Lakeside, where the trains connect with the Windermere steamers. The railway states that the station welcomes dogs and that they ride the train free of charge, which makes it one of the cheapest days out in the district with a dog. The tea room at Haverthwaite station is open daily from nine until half four with last food orders at three. The 2026 steam season runs from 28 March to 1 November.

The rose-red ruin of the priory that made this island famous, with the celebrated rainbow arch still standing over the crossing. English Heritage lists it among its dog-friendly properties, dogs on leads. Time the visit around the causeway tides, and expect the whole village to be busy in the middle of the day.

Two hundred species of tree planted in the 1950s beside Lynford Water in Thetford Forest, with a lake, a picnic area and hawfinches in the paddocks in winter. Dogs are allowed, and the surfaced rides make this the sensible Brecks walk when everywhere else is under water. There are no toilets on site.

Four miles of preserved line between Rowsley South, Darley Dale and Matlock Riverside, worked by steam and heritage diesels. Well-behaved dogs travel free on all ordinary trains; the railway asks only that you keep them off the seats. Restrictions apply to the Santa and dining trains, so check before booking those.

A secure hire-by-the-slot dog field at The Mile on the A1079 side of Pocklington, in front of the farm shop, open every day from seven in the morning until eight at night. Slots are half an hour at £3.50 or a full hour at £7.00, and the ratio is one person to two dogs with a maximum of six dogs in the field at once unless agreed beforehand. Inside there is agility equipment, an undercover seating area, a shaded picnic bench, water and a doggy menu from the cafe. The operator warns that there is no netting under the wire, so a determined digger needs watching, and dogs must be vaccinated, wearing ID tags, accompanied at all times, and neither aggressive nor in season.

Sixty-four hectares of reclaimed colliery ground off Lund Hill Lane on the Royston side of the Dearne, built on the spoil of Monkton Colliery and Royston Drift Mine and opened as a country park in 2011. The paths climb to open viewpoints over the whole Dearne valley, with woodland and wetland below and a rabbit figure cut into the hillside by local schoolchildren. There is a free car park with a 2.1 metre height barrier and seasonal opening, plus alternative parking on Lund Hill Lane itself. The Land Trust, which manages the site, states plainly on its own page for the park that dogs are welcome.

One of the largest village greens in Yorkshire, a long open rectangle of mown grass ringed by brick cottages, the church and the Jemmy Hirst, with the embanked River Aire immediately behind the north side. It is unfenced on every side and the through lanes are quiet, which makes it the easiest place in the west of the patch for a dog to stretch out for twenty minutes off the bank. Nothing here is a dog exclusion area: the council's only seasonal dog ban is on the four North Sea beaches at Bridlington, Hornsea and Withernsea, and its other restrictions are named children's play areas. The green is used for the Rawcliffe Feast and for cricket in summer, so pick your corner.

A half-mile curve of grass terrace laid out in the eighteenth century to frame the abbey ruins below, with a temple at each end. The National Trust says dogs are very welcome here, and there are few better places for a slow walk with acres of open lawn.

Narrowboat trips aboard the Pride of Ripon from the canal basin at Bondgate Green, running down the Ripon Canal towards the Ure. Dogs are welcome aboard, and there is free parking at the basin so you can walk the towpath afterwards.

The closest of the Broads to Norwich, a sheltered stretch of water with moorings, canoe hire and a walk down through the woods from the car park. Dogs are welcome for walks, day visits and camping. Calm water and a short, flat approach make it an easy first Broad with a dog.

A wooded chalk valley dropping to the RNLI slipway on the south side of the Flamborough headland, with a circular nature trail through the trees and out along the clifftop above Bridlington Bay. The council countryside service asks only that a dog is kept under close control and picked up after, noting that not everyone is comfortable around dogs, so there is no lead rule and no seasonal ban here in any month. The main access path has a firm surface, is wide enough to walk two abreast and is suitable for a wheelchair, and there is an access-for-all route round the two ponds with interpretation boards and picnic benches a hundred metres along the trail. The beach is down seventy-five steep steps. Admission is free, parking is charged for a hundred cars on the upper level, and the lower level is RNLI and permit holders only with fixed penalties for anyone else.

A narrow-gauge line running north out of Alston up the South Tyne valley, worked by steam and diesel on a former branch line. The railway states plainly that it is dog friendly, so a dog can travel with you rather than wait in the car. Combine it with the riverside path back for a there-and-walk-home outing.

Seventeen and a half miles of the Cromford and High Peak Railway, running from High Peak Junction at Cromford up to Dowlow near Buxton and meeting the Tissington Trail at Parsley Hay. It is traffic-free and surfaced throughout, so it walks well in winter and suits wheels and old dogs, but note the inclines: cyclists and riders are directed round the western route at Middleton Top. The 1829 winding engine at the top of the incline opens on selected weekends, and there is a shop, cycle hire and toilets at the car park.

Eight and a half miles of the old Midland Railway between Coombs Road at Bakewell and Blackwell Mill in Chee Dale, level, compacted and completely traffic-free. Four long tunnels are lit during daylight hours, and ramps at Bakewell, Hassop, Great Longstone and Miller's Dale mean wheelchairs, pushchairs and stiff old dogs get the same walk as everyone else. Dogs are welcome the length of it; keep to close control where the trail runs between grazing fields.

Thirteen miles of the old Ashbourne to Buxton line, running from Ashbourne up to Parsley Hay where it joins the High Peak Trail. The surface is level compacted stone the whole way, with accessible car parks, picnic sites and toilets, which makes it the kindest long walk in the county for an arthritic dog. Tissington's old station yard is the best mid-point start; dogs need close control where the trail runs between grazing fields.

Historic vessels working between Glenridding, Howtown, Aira Force and Pooley Bridge, and the neatest way to walk the Ullswater Way one-way. It is a dog-friendly attraction and dogs travel on the boats with you; the Howtown to Glenridding shore path is the classic sailing-and-walking combination.

Heritage railway running from Leeming Bar station on Leases Road up the dale to Leyburn, with stops including Bedale. Dogs travel for a one pound ticket and are welcome aboard the trains and in the station cafes, with wide, almost step-free carriage doors that suit less agile hounds. Hop off at Bedale and walk the beck before catching a later train back.

England's only true mountain forest, rising steeply above Braithwaite with waymarked walking trails, red squirrels and a visitor centre and cafe. Dogs are allowed on the trails; keep them clear of the mountain-bike descents, which cross the walking routes.

Twenty acres of walled and woodland garden begun in 1765, sheltered enough for tree ferns and palms, with a viewpoint over Chesil and the Fleet. Dogs are welcome throughout the gardens on non-extendable short leads, and waste bins are provided around the paths. They are not allowed at the Swannery, the same estate's other attraction.

A whisky distillery and Anglo-Saxon museum built new on Wooler's South Road, telling the story of the royal palace excavated at Yeavering nearby. Dogs are welcome on the outdoor patio seating overlooking the garden, but not through the museum or the indoor restaurant. Worth an hour when the Cheviots are in cloud.

A working Benedictine abbey in a wooded valley below the moors, with orchards, a cider press and extensive grounds open to visitors. Dogs may explore the grounds freely, and you can order refreshments from the takeaway hatch at the gift shop while they wait outside.

The great red-sandstone block on its whinstone crag, still lived in by the Armstrong family and open to visitors most of the year. Dogs on short leads are welcome across the grounds and in the Victorian Stables and Tack Room Takeaway, with water bowls dotted about the site. The State Rooms, Clock Tower Cafe and the aviation museum are for assistance dogs only.

A boulder-strewn woodland gorge on the eastern moor, with a seventy-foot waterfall and marked trails of varying difficulty. Dogs are welcome but a strict dogs-on-leads rule is enforced for the sake of the resident animals and wildlife, and the Animal Discovery Zone is closed to them.

Forestry England conifer plantation and riverbank beside the East Dart at Postbridge, with easy tracks and a clapper bridge within walking distance. Dogs are allowed, but native Dartmoor ponies graze freely in and around the forest and must not be fed or chased, so this is close-control country rather than a free run. Two pay-and-display car parks, at Bellever and in Postbridge village.

A National Trust estate of parkland and formal gardens beside the Ouse, eight miles north-west of York, with a long river walk out beyond the ha-ha. Dogs are welcome in most areas, including the shop and the designated tables at the rear of the restaurant, but must be on a short, non-extendable lead throughout. The house itself is not open to them.

A romantic Tudor ruin in a wooded valley outside Totnes, reputedly the most haunted castle in Devon. English Heritage lists it as one of its dog-friendly Devon sites, with dogs on leads; the approach is a single narrow lane, so parking is the constraint rather than the dog.

England's first purpose-built infantry barracks, put up from 1717 to Nicholas Hawksmoor's design around a parade square off The Parade, with the Main Guard sentry building down on Palace Street. English Heritage names Berwick-upon-Tweed Barracks and Main Guard on its own published list of dog-friendly properties, so a dog on a lead can come with you. English Heritage's stated rule for its dog-friendly sites is to keep the dog on a lead near livestock and to clean up after it. The barracks square is gravel and cobble with no shade, and the site sits directly on the ramparts walk, which makes it an easy add-on to the walls circuit rather than a destination in itself. Check opening before travelling, as parts of the site have been in and out of use during the Living Barracks redevelopment.

The finest parish church in England sits at the bottom of Highgate with open lawns on three sides, and those lawns are the easiest bit of green in the middle of Beverley. The Minster itself takes assistance dogs only, and the Sanctuary and Herb Garden is reached through the building so it is assistance dogs only as well. The Secret Garden and the Quiet Garden, both off Highgate by the Parish Centre at number 38, are the two you can actually use, and the Minster says well behaved dogs are welcome in them provided you clear up. The grounds outside carry a long-standing council Dogs on Leads order, so clip the lead on at the churchyard edge.

Paul Theakston's famous independent brewery on the edge of Masham, with daily tours, the Sheepy Shop and a popular bar and kitchen. Dogs are welcome in the bar and bistro seating areas, and the venue is a regular haunt for walkers doing the Masham riverside circuit; production tours themselves are not suitable for dogs. Expect the full range of Black Sheep ales at the source.

Georgian county gaol on the edge of Bodmin, now an immersive walk-through museum with the execution shed intact. Dogs are more than welcome in the courtyard, the Moor Café and the gift shop, but not in the main attraction itself because of the way the museum experience works. One of your party dog-sits and gets a free drinks token for the café.

Cavendish fantasy castle on a ridge above the Vale of Scarsdale, with a wall walk and a long view west over the valley. English Heritage allow dogs on leads in the grounds only: the Little Castle, the Riding Range and the horsemanship displays are closed to them. Worth timing a visit round the terrace rather than the interiors if the dog is with you.

John Ruskin's house on the east shore of Coniston Water, reached by the narrow lane round the head of the lake or by the Coniston Launch from the village. Its visitor page states that dogs are welcome on a lead in the gardens and in the Terrace Cafe, which is the practical point: the eight gardens run to 250 acres of hillside with woodland trails above and level paths below, and the cafe looks straight across the water to the Old Man. The house itself is not covered by that welcome. Parking is free for visitors and the cafe is open 10am to 4pm daily.

The valley road ends at Hartside, past river shingle, hillforts and cleared settlements, with parking on the haughs at Ingram and Bulby's Wood. The national park's own guidance is the one to follow here: dogs are very welcome but as a general rule should be kept on a lead, with particular care not to scare sheep and lambs or disturb birds. There is no shop past Powburn and no mobile signal in the upper valley.

The National Trust's surreal 320-million-year-old gritstone tors scattered across open moorland above Summerbridge, with miles of sandy paths weaving between balancing rocks and heather. Dogs are welcome everywhere on site, including the moorland, but must stay on a short lead throughout to protect ground-nesting curlew and the cattle that graze May to October. Parking charge for non-members; kiosk refreshments near the visitor centre.

An Elizabethan house of 1601 still lived in by the same family, set behind a Norman gatehouse on the A614 with walled gardens, a yew maze and a woodland sculpture walk. The estate's own booking terms state that dogs are permitted in the Gardens and Grounds, that all dogs must be kept on a lead at all times, and that dogs are not permitted inside Burton Agnes Hall with the exception of assistance dogs. The visitor pages add that dogs are very welcome on leads except in the playground, so the adventure playground is the one bit of the outdoor estate that is off limits. The Carriage House Cafe has outdoor seating, and the woodland walk with its hidden sculptures is the part worth the ticket if you are here mainly to walk. Gardens, woodland and playground open daily from 11am to 5pm.

A rare survival, the vaulted stone undercroft of a Norman manor of about 1170 standing in the grounds behind Burton Agnes Hall, cased in brick in the eighteenth century and now in the care of English Heritage. Entry is free and English Heritage's own visitor page says plainly that dogs on leads are welcome, which makes it the one part of the Burton Agnes estate you can take a dog into a building on. It is a single cool dark room with massive round piers, so a five-minute look rather than an outing in itself, but it pairs with the churchyard of St Martin's next door and the Hall gardens beyond. Park in the car park behind the church off Shady Lane and follow the signs for the Hall. Open in line with the Hall, daily from 11am to 5pm in season.

The huge broken rose window and green-glazed tile floors of a Cistercian abbey below the Hambleton Hills. Entry is free and the site is listed by English Heritage as dog friendly, with the Abbey Inn opposite for a pint afterwards.

The un-restored house in a deer park of ancient oaks, ponds and woodland walks, and one of the National Trust's best rated places for a day with a dog. Dogs may be off lead and under close control in the open parkland when no stock is grazing, but must be on a short lead in the gardens and stableyards, and on a lead wherever livestock are - typically the meadows, the historic drive and Lime Avenue. Dog bins and water are provided, and there is a dog walking guide at the visitor centre.

Since 25 November 2023 the cathedral has admitted dogs to the main building as well as the grounds, which makes it one of the few indoor wet-weather stops in the city you can take a dog into. A water bowl is kept opposite the main door. The rule is one dog per adult, on a short lead, and it does not extend to services, to the tours that go above ground level, or to the Treasury. Guide, therapy and assistance dogs were already admitted and are unaffected.

Three vast slate chambers cut into the Loveny valley, one with an underground lake, plus woodland and an enchanted gardens walk above. Dogs on leads with respectful owners are welcome at all times in the outdoor areas, but not underground — only registered assistance dogs go into the caverns. Take dog waste away with you as there are no bins on site.

Severn Trent reservoir on the southern edge of the Peak, with a visitor centre, cycle hire and a circuit of the water through woodland and bird hides. Dogs are welcome but must be kept under control and on a lead at all times, because of the wildfowl the reservoir was built to attract. Parking is paid on exit or within 24 hours through the Trust app.

The great baroque house and its lakes, temples and woodland walks in the Howardian Hills north of Malton. The gardens are dog friendly, water bowls are put out at the cafes, and well behaved dogs may come inside the Coffee Shop, Farm Shop, Fitzroy, Boathouse and Courtyard cafes.

Thirty-eight stones in a field east of Keswick with Blencathra and the Helvellyn range around them, free to visit and open at any reasonable hour. Dogs on leads are welcome; the field is grazed by sheep and the ground churns up after rain.

The Victorian funicular that has linked Scarborough's town centre to the South Bay beach since 1881 — and saves tired legs (and paws) the climb. All dogs are carried free of charge provided they're kept under control and on a lead; the operator reserves the right to refuse a dog behaving badly towards others.

A thousand acres of Capability Brown parkland along the Derwent, free to walk, plus the 105-acre garden with its cascade and rock garden. Dogs are welcome everywhere in the garden and park but must be on a lead at all times because of the sheep and deer, and there are drinking stations by the toilets and in the Stables courtyard. The house, farmyard and playground are out of bounds; the Carriage House Café has a dog-friendly seating area, and there are tethering posts by the Game Larder.

Forty-five to sixty-minute sightseeing cruises on the Ouse from the King's Staith and Lendal Bridge landings, plus a hop-on river bus and self-drive hire boats. Well-behaved dogs on a lead travel free on the daytime sightseeing cruises, river bus and self-drive boats; only assistance dogs are permitted on the dining and Santa cruises. The open deck is the best spot for a breezy snout past the Guildhall and under the city's bridges.

A medieval drove road climbing out of Alwinton over the hills to the Border ridge, still a green track for most of its length. Alwinton is the last village in upper Coquetdale: beyond it there is no fuel, no shop and no signal, and the Otterburn military ranges lie to the east with live firing on published days. Leads on for sheep and nesting birds, and turn back early rather than late.

The most private valley in the Cheviots, running south from Hethpool to the Border ridge under the Cheviot itself. The estate issues only a small number of vehicle permits each day on a first-come basis, so most visitors walk or cycle in from Hethpool. Remote, unserviced hill country: leads on for sheep and nesting birds, and take everything you need with you.

The white circular keep above Conisbrough is the finest twelfth-century tower of its kind in England and stands on a steep motte over the Don valley, run by English Heritage. English Heritage states plainly that dogs on leads are welcome in the grounds only, so a dog can come round the bailey and the earthworks but cannot go up inside the keep or the visitor centre; assistance dogs are welcome across the whole site. The grounds are grass and steep in places and there is no shade on the motte on a hot afternoon. There is no visitor car park of its own: English Heritage recommends Calvert Way opposite the private car park at the bottom of Castle Hill, with street parking in the village and a few accessible bays by the visitor centre.

A thousand-year-old royal fortress blown apart by Parliament in 1646 and left as one of the great ruins of England, standing over the village and the Purbeck ridge. The National Trust allows dogs throughout, on short leads at all times. The climb through the outer bailey is steep and stony underfoot.

Limestone gorge honeycombed with caves that hold Britain's only known Ice Age rock art, with a level path round the lake below. Dogs on leads are welcome outside, including on the gorge walk, but not in the museum or the cave tours; the cafe has covered outdoor seating. A good short walk with real substance to it.

A gun fort wedged into the rocks at the mouth of the Dart, reached by a mile of coast path or the seasonal ferry from the town. English Heritage lists it among its dog-friendly places, with dogs on leads welcome around the site; the standing request is that leads go on around livestock and that you clear up.

The most photographed limestone dale in England, with the stepping stones a few minutes upstream of the pay-and-display car park at Thorpe. The stones are flat-topped but spaced and go slick after rain, so most dogs are happier wading the shallow Dove alongside them, and you can stay on the Thorpe bank and not cross at all. The National Trust asks for short leads throughout, as there are sheep, lambs and cattle in the fields; from Ilam there is an alternative route that avoids the cows and the stiles and takes ten minutes longer.

Two hundred and eighty acres of clifftop downland and National Nature Reserve above Swanage, with the Victorian Great Globe and a castle turned visitor centre and cafe. Well-behaved dogs are welcome in the Castle, the visitor centre and the cafe as long as they are on a short lead, and there are water bowls outside the Castle and Learning Centre. The park asks that dogs stay on the paths, and sells dog treats and ice cream in the shop.

The substantial ruins of a Premonstratensian abbey set in a bend of the Swale, reached by an easy mile-and-a-half riverside walk from Richmond Castle. English Heritage confirms that dogs on leads are welcome throughout the site, and admission is free. One of the most rewarding short walks in Richmondshire for anyone with a dog.

The former ironworks and colliery workshops of the Fitzwilliam estate on Wath Road, now a run of stone buildings round a yard holding antiques units, craft workshops, a heritage railway and the only Newcomen-type engine still in its original place. Admission and parking are both free, so it works as a stop rather than a day out, and the yard is flat setts and tarmac. Dogs are welcome outside and at the outdoor seating of both cafes, The Pantry and Brambles Tea Rooms, and the centre asks that they are kept on a lead. Assistance dogs are welcome in all areas of the buildings; other dogs are not taken inside.

A hundred and thirty acres of wet woodland, candelabra primulas and boardwalk around a private inner broad, with a boat trip out onto the water. Dogs are very welcome on short leads at all times, which suits the narrow boardwalks. Level, shaded and walkable in almost any weather.

A gentle family animal park on Scarborough Road with meerkats, wallabies, alpacas and aviaries in landscaped gardens. Pets are welcome at the park provided they are kept on a leash.

The Yorkshire Wildlife Trust's stretch of clifftop between Thornwick Bay and Breil Nook, a mile and a half of chalk grassland and sea-pink ledges with puffins, kittiwakes and razorbills below and the odd bottlenose dolphin offshore. The Trust's own reserve page gives the dog rule as on a lead, and asks you to pick up after your dog and use a bin, which is stricter than the council land either side of it. The way in is the coastal public footpath from the North Landing car park, and the Trust warns the path is hilly and steep in places with steps, and to take extra care in wind. Parking is not the Trust's own: use the charged car parks at North Landing or Thornwick Bay, with seasonal toilets and a cafe at North Landing. There is a picnic area on the reserve itself.

England's largest monastic ruin and the Georgian water garden beside it, a World Heritage Site four miles from Ripon. Dogs on short leads are welcome in all the outdoor spaces, from the abbey nave to the moon ponds and the deer park, and even in the visitor centre restaurant; water bowls and dog bins are dotted around the estate. Only Fountains Hall, Porters Lodge, the Studley tearoom and the play area are off limits.

A Bronze Age settlement of two dozen hut circles inside a stone enclosure wall, high on the moor between Widecombe and Postbridge. English Heritage lists it as dog friendly and there is no gate or ticket, but the whole approach is grazed common land, which is the honest caveat on all of central Dartmoor.

Bess of Hardwick's glass-walled Elizabethan showpiece, with parkland, ponds and Lady Spencer's Wood to walk. Dogs on leads are welcome across the parkland, the stableyard and the formal gardens, and the Great Barn restaurant has an indoor dog-friendly seating area. Leads must be short at all times because of the wildlife and grazing stock; water bowls and dog bins are provided.

A single-track road runs south-west from Wooler into the Harthope burn, ending in a valley of bracken, sheep and crags with Hedgehope and the Cheviot either side. Verge parking only, no facilities, no shop and patchy phone signal: this is the remote end of Northumberland and should be treated as such. The national park asks for dogs on leads here, with lambs and ground-nesting curlew and lapwing on the ground.

The gaunt split keep and deep earthworks of a twelfth-century castle, right at the edge of Helmsley market place. English Heritage lists it among its dog-friendly properties, so a lead-length tour of the ramparts is easily fitted around a walk on the Cleveland Way.

A restored five-acre Georgian walled garden beneath Helmsley Castle, run as a horticultural charity, with orchards, hot borders and glasshouses. Well-behaved dogs on leads are welcome throughout, including the shop and plant centre, and dog biscuits and water are laid on - the Vine House cafe within the garden is dog friendly too. A gentle, sheltered hour that slots neatly into any Helmsley day.

Romantic and Picturesque 1830s cliff-top mansion in twenty-eight acres of grounds, with a tearoom and a path down to the beach. Dogs are welcome in the grounds and the gift shop but must be on a lead in the cultivated areas, main driveway, front lawns, tearooms, car parks and gift shop; only assistance dogs may go inside the Castle. The visitor information also spells out the seasonal beach dates below.

The Cavendish family's estate at Cark, two miles from Cartmel, with formal and woodland gardens, a deer park and a cafe, open Wednesday to Sunday and bank holiday Mondays from mid-March to the end of the season. Holker states that dogs are very welcome everywhere on the estate except inside the Hall, and asks that they are kept on leads at all times and picked up after, with bins provided across the estate. Tickets are bought at the kiosk on arrival; there is no pre-booking. The gardens run to twenty-five acres and the wider parkland walks are the reason to bring a dog rather than the borders.

The old Hornsea Freeport on Rolston Road, now trading as Hornsea Village, is an outdoor outlet shopping village of low brick units around lawns and lakes on the southern edge of the town. Its own visitor page says it is a dog friendly shopping centre, that some stores allow dogs inside, and that there are water bowls around the village and plenty of seating, so the honest position is that the open ground is yours and each shop decides for itself at its own door. Parking is free in two large public car parks with allocated disabled bays. Opening is ten to half five Monday to Friday, half nine to half five on Saturday and eleven to five on Sunday. Cycling is not permitted around the village, which keeps the paths calm for a dog on a lead.

The excavated longhouses of a village abandoned in the fourteenth century, on open moor below Hound Tor itself. It is one of English Heritage's dog-friendly Devon sites, free and unstaffed; the walk in crosses grazed common where sheep, cattle and ponies roam, so leads go on.

Dramatic 80-foot limestone ravine near Lofthouse in upper Nidderdale, carved by How Stean Beck and explored on walkways, footbridges and caves. Dogs under control are welcome on site and in the glass-floored cafe cantilevered over the drop, though they cannot join the via ferrata and gorge activities. Clear up after your dog and mind the sheer edges.

The parish church of St Peter and St Paul fills the whole east side of Howden Market Place, and behind it stand the roofless fourteenth-century chancel and octagonal chapter house, kept by English Heritage and open to walk round at any reasonable daylight hours for nothing. English Heritage's own page for the site says dogs on leads are welcome, so you can take a dog right up to the tracery and the shattered vault. There is no car park and no access to the interior of the ruins, only the outside; use the pay and display in the Market Place and walk in through the churchyard gate off Hailgate. The ground inside the ruin is uneven old stone and nothing is fenced off, so keep a short lead.