Dog-friendly Kendal

The pub side of the Castle Green Hotel on the eastern edge of Kendal, under Castle Green Lane and within walking distance of Kendal Castle and the river Kent path. The pub states that it is proud to be dog friendly and that four-legged companions are always welcome, and it keeps a range of dog snacks and dog drinks behind the bar. Food is wood-fired pizza, burgers and pub standards in the evening, with Sunday lunch from noon. Drinks run from three in the afternoon Wednesday to Saturday and from noon on Sunday, so it is an evening stop rather than a lunch one for most of the week.

A 1741 pub in Kirkland at the bottom of Kendal, next to the parish church and reputedly the only pub in the country built on consecrated ground. It states plainly on its own site that it is a dog friendly pub and invites you to bring your dog when you call in for a drink. Six or more real ales are on hand pull across the two bars, listed on chalkboards rather than a menu. It sits at the town end of the riverside path to Abbot Hall and the castle, which makes it a natural finish to a Kendal walk.

A vegetarian cafe and soup kitchen in Berrys Yard off Kendal Highgate, walk-ins only and consistently busy at lunchtime. It lists itself as dog friendly, and take-away is available if the tables have gone.

An independent licensed coffee house in a grade II listed building of 1575 on Stricklandgate, named after the nineteenth-century brush works that used the site, with the carved bristly hog still above the door. Its own site describes it as a dog friendly cafe, downstairs only, so the upstairs rooms are out with a dog. All-day breakfasts, main meals and afternoon teas, with vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options, and coffee from Rinaldo's and Pennington's. Open nine to half past four Monday to Saturday and closed on Sundays, which catches people out at weekends.

Two and a half miles and an hour, forty metres of climb: over the Kent by the Miller Bridge, up the green mound to the castle ruin for the view along the town, and back down the riverside path through the parks. It starts on Miller Bridge in the middle of Kendal, a few minutes from either station, and the town car parks at Blackhall Road and the shopping centre are both paid but usually have space. This is the easy town walk that works for any dog - level tarmac and grass path, a river with several shallow gravel entries for a drink or a swim, and no stiles or livestock at all; the castle mound is open ground shared with dog walkers from the estates either side, and the riverside path is busy with cyclists.

Ten miles and four and a half hours for only 230 metres of climb - south out of Kendal along the Kent, over the long whaleback of The Helm above Oxenholme, and back by field paths and the Natland lane. It starts in central Kendal and can be shortened by catching the train back from Oxenholme, which is a mile from the summit and takes dogs free of charge. The riverside first half is level, shaded and full of water access, and The Helm itself is short grass with a trig point and a big view of the Howgills, but the hill is grazed with sheep the year round, several of the field boundaries have narrow slotted stone stiles, and a mile of the return is on a lane with no pavement.

Nine and a half miles and about four and a quarter hours for 310 metres of climb, walked out of the town onto the limestone escarpment: Cunswick Fell first, then the mile-long edge of Scout Scar past the domed shelter known as the Mushroom, with the whole Lakeland skyline in front. It starts in central Kendal, five minutes from the bus station and fifteen from the railway station, so the walk needs no car at all; the free Scout Scar car park on the Underbarrow road cuts it to four miles but holds only about 30 vehicles. The turf is springy and dry underfoot even in winter, but the escarpment edge is an unfenced 60-metre limestone cliff for its entire length, sheep and sometimes cattle graze the top, and there is no water anywhere on the plateau.

A family-owned hotel in old stone buildings on the bank of the River Kent, five minutes walk from Kendal town centre and the castle. It bills itself as dog-friendly and does dog-friendly dining and drinks in Tanners, its bar; the Riverview restaurant is the smarter, dog-free option.