Dog-friendly Braithwaite

Three miles and about an hour and three quarters of forest walking on gravel roads and surfaced tracks, climbing steadily above the visitor centre for the view across Bassenthwaite to Skiddaw. Start at the main Whinlatter car park, which is pay-on-exit - twenty minutes free, then two pounds ninety for the first hour and fourteen pounds for a full day, with free parking for Forestry England members and anyone arriving by bus or bike. Dogs are welcome throughout the forest and the tracks are traffic-free, well drained and usable in any weather, which makes this the reliable wet-day option in the northern Lakes; the ospreys nest in the valley below, so keep out of the fenced-off areas, and the mountain bike trails cross the walking routes at several points - a lead at those junctions.

A family-run Victorian hotel tucked above Braithwaite, with Grisedale Pike and the Coledale round starting from the garden gate. It advertises itself as a dog-friendly hotel and welcomes dogs to stay with their owners.

A restaurant with rooms on Magic Hill, a thousand feet up the Whinlatter Pass above Braithwaite, looking across at Skiddaw. Exactly one bedroom takes dogs, the Garden Room, chosen because it is the largest, opens straight onto the garden for the middle of the night and is set apart from the other rooms. Dogs may sit with you in the lounge until six in the evening but not in the restaurant, so dinner means leaving the dog in the room. The Whinlatter forest trails start from the door.

A family-run inn on the Keswick side of Braithwaite, at the foot of Grisedale Pike and a short walk from the Coledale and Whinlatter paths. Every bedroom takes dogs and there is no charge at all when you book direct on the website or by telephone, which is unusual for the northern Lakes. Dogs eat with you in the bar areas at breakfast and dinner but are shut out of the main restaurant, so the bar tables get booked up. There are dog washing facilities in the front porch, which is worth knowing after a day on Coledale.

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.