Dog-friendly Keswick and around

Pub DOGS WELCOME

The Oddfellows Arms

CA12 5BL

A Main Street pub in the middle of Keswick, a minute from the Moot Hall and the market. Its own dog page says four-legged friends are welcome in the whole pub, so there is no separated-off dog corner and no rule about which room you eat in. That is worth knowing on a wet afternoon in Keswick when the town fills up and most of the alternatives will only take a dog in the bar.

Pub DOGS WELCOME

The Twa Dogs Inn

CA12 4JU

A Marston's roadside inn on Penrith Road, a few minutes east of the market square and handy for the Keswick to Threlkeld railway path. The pub takes its name from the Burns poem and lives up to it, welcoming dogs in every part of the building rather than penning them into a flagged corner. There is a large car park and a beer garden at the back, which matters in Keswick where street parking is close to hopeless in season.

Pub DOGS WELCOME

The Wainwright

CA12 5BZ

A traditional pub on Lake Road with up to eight Cumbrian real ales and oak floors throughout, which is the reason the landlord gives for being dog-friendly. It is the last pub before the Derwentwater landing stages and fills with wet boots accordingly.

In the bar

Pub SOME LIMITS

Kings Arms Hotel

CA12 5BL

A Main Street coaching inn a few doors from the Moot Hall, with a refurbished beer garden at the back that catches the afternoon sun. Dogs are welcome in the bar and lounge all day but not in the restaurant, so an evening meal means eating on the bar side. Nine of the thirteen bedrooms take dogs, and beds and bowls are put out on request, which makes it one of the few places you can walk Skiddaw and be back at your room without moving the car.

In the bar Water bowls

Bank Tavern

CA12 5DS

Bank Tavern is a pub on Main Street, Keswick. It is listed here so you know it is there, but we have not yet established whether dogs are welcome — so there is no verdict on this page and no stamp. If it is your business, claim the page and tell us, and we will stamp it.

Casa's Sports Bar

CA12 5BL

Casa's Sports Bar is a pub in Keswick. It is listed here so you know it is there, but we have not yet established whether dogs are welcome — so there is no verdict on this page and no stamp. If it is your business, claim the page and tell us, and we will stamp it.

Craft Beer Keswick

CA12 5JB

Craft Beer Keswick is a pub on Pack Horse Court, Keswick. It is listed here so you know it is there, but we have not yet established whether dogs are welcome — so there is no verdict on this page and no stamp. If it is your business, claim the page and tell us, and we will stamp it.

Crooked River Brewing Tap

CA12 5JB

Crooked River Brewing Tap is a pub on Packhorse Court, Keswick. It is listed here so you know it is there, but we have not yet established whether dogs are welcome — so there is no verdict on this page and no stamp. If it is your business, claim the page and tell us, and we will stamp it.

Dog and Gun

CA12 5BT

Dog and Gun is a pub on Lake Road, Keswick. It is listed here so you know it is there, but we have not yet established whether dogs are welcome — so there is no verdict on this page and no stamp. If it is your business, claim the page and tell us, and we will stamp it.

Farmers Arms

CA12 5RW

Farmers Arms is a pub on Portinscale, Keswick. It is listed here so you know it is there, but we have not yet established whether dogs are welcome — so there is no verdict on this page and no stamp. If it is your business, claim the page and tell us, and we will stamp it.

Keswick Conservative Club

CA12 4HF

Keswick Conservative Club is a pub on Penrith Road, Keswick. It is listed here so you know it is there, but we have not yet established whether dogs are welcome — so there is no verdict on this page and no stamp. If it is your business, claim the page and tell us, and we will stamp it.

Lake Road Inn

CA12 5BT

Lake Road Inn is a pub on Lake Road, Keswick. It is listed here so you know it is there, but we have not yet established whether dogs are welcome — so there is no verdict on this page and no stamp. If it is your business, claim the page and tell us, and we will stamp it.

Mary Mount Bar

CA12 5UU

Mary Mount Bar is a pub in Keswick. It is listed here so you know it is there, but we have not yet established whether dogs are welcome — so there is no verdict on this page and no stamp. If it is your business, claim the page and tell us, and we will stamp it.

Pack Horse Inn

CA12 5JB

Pack Horse Inn is a pub on Packhorse Court, Keswick. It is listed here so you know it is there, but we have not yet established whether dogs are welcome — so there is no verdict on this page and no stamp. If it is your business, claim the page and tell us, and we will stamp it.

Missing a place?

Know a Keswick pub, cafe or place to stay that lets dogs in? Tell us and we will go and check it.

Sale View North of England · dogs welcome 7 nights from £398

Cottages you can book near Keswick

Real dog-welcoming cottages from our booking partner holidaycottages.co.uk — live prices, booked on their site. Booking through these links supports Wagfinder and never changes the price you pay.

Stable Cottage Bassenthwaite North of England · dogs welcome 7 nights from £418

St Matthews Cottage North of England · dogs welcome 7 nights from £478

Cobble Cottage Retreat North of England · dogs welcome 7 nights from £482

Blencathra View North of England · dogs welcome 7 nights from £507

Black Moss Bassenthwaite North of England · dogs welcome 7 nights from £521

Walla Crag North of England · dogs welcome 7 nights from £526

Johnby Hall Barn North of England · dogs welcome 7 nights from £557

Osprey Cottage Portinscale North of England · dogs welcome 7 nights from £565

Engadine North of England · dogs welcome 7 nights from £577

Restaurants & cafés · 57 All restaurants & cafés in Keswick →

Restaurant DOGS WELCOME

Merienda

CA12 5JD

An all-day cafe and evening bistro on Keswick main street, artisan coffee and cake by day, a globally minded menu after dark. It describes itself as a relaxed dog-friendly space, so wet dogs and hungry hikers are treated as the normal trade rather than an inconvenience.

Restaurant DOGS WELCOME

The Square Orange

CA12 5AS

A small continental cafe bar on St John Street doing Roman-style pizza, good coffee and live music in the corner. Well-behaved dogs are welcome inside; there are no bookings, so arrive early on a wet evening.

Asaya Thai

CA12 5HH

Asaya Thai is a place to eat on Station Street, Keswick. It is listed here so you know it is there, but we have not yet established whether dogs are welcome — so there is no verdict on this page and no stamp. If it is your business, claim the page and tell us, and we will stamp it.

Bench Cafe

CA12 5JD

Bench Cafe is a place to eat on Main Street, Keswick. It is listed here so you know it is there, but we have not yet established whether dogs are welcome — so there is no verdict on this page and no stamp. If it is your business, claim the page and tell us, and we will stamp it.

Booths Cafe

Booths Cafe is a place to eat in Keswick. It is listed here so you know it is there, but we have not yet established whether dogs are welcome — so there is no verdict on this page and no stamp. If it is your business, claim the page and tell us, and we will stamp it.

Bridgedale B&B & Tea Rooms

CA12 5EB

Bridgedale B&B & Tea Rooms is a place to eat on Main Street, Keswick. It is listed here so you know it is there, but we have not yet established whether dogs are welcome — so there is no verdict on this page and no stamp. If it is your business, claim the page and tell us, and we will stamp it.

Brysons Cafe

CA12 5JD

Brysons Cafe is a place to eat on Main Street, Keswick. It is listed here so you know it is there, but we have not yet established whether dogs are welcome — so there is no verdict on this page and no stamp. If it is your business, claim the page and tell us, and we will stamp it.

Cafe Hope

CA12 5DG

Cafe Hope is a place to eat on Lake Road, Keswick. It is listed here so you know it is there, but we have not yet established whether dogs are welcome — so there is no verdict on this page and no stamp. If it is your business, claim the page and tell us, and we will stamp it.

Café HNW

Café HNW is a place to eat in Keswick. It is listed here so you know it is there, but we have not yet established whether dogs are welcome — so there is no verdict on this page and no stamp. If it is your business, claim the page and tell us, and we will stamp it.

Café West

CA12 4NF

Café West is a place to eat on Station Road, Keswick. It is listed here so you know it is there, but we have not yet established whether dogs are welcome — so there is no verdict on this page and no stamp. If it is your business, claim the page and tell us, and we will stamp it.

Casa Bella

CA12 5HF

Casa Bella is a place to eat on Station Street, Keswick. It is listed here so you know it is there, but we have not yet established whether dogs are welcome — so there is no verdict on this page and no stamp. If it is your business, claim the page and tell us, and we will stamp it.

Castlerigg Gallery

Castlerigg Gallery is a place to eat in Keswick. It is listed here so you know it is there, but we have not yet established whether dogs are welcome — so there is no verdict on this page and no stamp. If it is your business, claim the page and tell us, and we will stamp it.

Chinty's

CA12 5AS

Chinty's is a place to eat on Saint John's Street, Keswick. It is listed here so you know it is there, but we have not yet established whether dogs are welcome — so there is no verdict on this page and no stamp. If it is your business, claim the page and tell us, and we will stamp it.

Costa

CA12 5HF

Costa is a place to eat on Station Street, Keswick. It is listed here so you know it is there, but we have not yet established whether dogs are welcome — so there is no verdict on this page and no stamp. If it is your business, claim the page and tell us, and we will stamp it.

Missing a place?

Know a Keswick pub, cafe or place to stay that lets dogs in? Tell us and we will go and check it.

Walks · 7 All walks in Keswick →

3.6 MI · LOOP

Brandelhow Park and the Octavia Hill shore

Keswick · CA12 5UE

3.6MILES

1:30TIME

70mCLIMB

98%OFF-ROAD

The quiet western shore of Derwent Water, on the side with no road, reached by the Keswick Launch to Hawes End jetty. The outward leg runs south along the lake edge through the parkland at Brandelhow, the first ground the National Trust ever bought in the Lake District, past the Low Brandelhow jetty and the bronze hands sculpture to the picnic table at High Brandelhow. The return doubles back on the upper woodland track beneath a line of Douglas firs to the Hawes End Adventure Centre. It is flat, shaded and lined with shallow gravel entries to the water, which makes it one of the better hot-afternoon walks in the northern Lakes.

8.9 MI · LOOP

Catbells and the Newlands round from Keswick

8.9MILES

4:20TIME

410mCLIMB

84%OFF-ROAD

Eight and three quarter miles and 410 metres of climb, four and a half hours: out of Keswick by Portinscale and the west shore to Hawes End, up Skelgill Bank onto Catbells, then down to the Newlands valley and back. Start from the Lakeside car park in Keswick, or take the Keswick Launch to Hawes End - dogs travel for a small fare and it removes three road miles. The ridge is superb for a dog with the head for it, but be honest about the two rock steps low on Skelgill Bank, which are hands-on for people and awkward for a short-legged dog, and the summit ridge is narrow with drops both sides; the fell is grazed throughout and there is no water above the Hawes End gate.

1.25 MI · LOOP

Derwent Water and Cockshot Wood accessible loop

1.25MILES

45mTIME

40mCLIMB

70%OFF-ROAD

A stile-free mile and a quarter from the Lakeside car park, along the Derwent Water promenade and back over the low wooded hill of Cockshot Wood, with the whole line of Catbells and Causey Pike across the water. There is an optional 250 yard spur out to Friar's Crag, where the path narrows to under three feet and drops steeply to the lake, so it is worth thinking twice with a strong dog. Around Strandshag Bay you choose between a compacted upper path through a sheep-grazed field and a rougher lower path on the shoreline with boulders and tree roots. It is the one walk in Keswick that works with a wheelchair or a pushchair as well as a dog.

5 MI · LOOP

Latrigg from Keswick

Keswick

5MILES

2:26TIME

260mCLIMB

90%OFF-ROAD

Five miles and 260 metres, about two and a half hours: the graded zigzag up Latrigg's south side for the classic look down on Keswick and the whole length of Derwent Water, returning by Gale Road and the old railway path. It starts in Keswick at the top of Spooney Green Lane, with a footbridge over the bypass - the small Gale Road car park at Underscar knocks 200 metres of climb off but holds only a dozen cars and the lane to it is single-track. The zigzag is a broad, well-drained grass and gravel path with no stiles, which makes it one of the easier fell tops for an older dog, but the summit plateau is grazed by sheep and the north edge drops away steeply into the Glenderaterra valley.

10.7 MI · LOOP

Round Derwent Water from Keswick

Livestock — leads on Water bowls Off-lead allowed

10.7MILES

4:45TIME

260mCLIMB

88%OFF-ROAD

Ten and three quarter miles and about four and three quarter hours, near-level shoreline the whole way round with only 260 metres of climb in it, most of that on the Manesty side. Start at the Lakeside car park by the Theatre by the Lake in Keswick, paid and large but full by ten in season; the Keswick Launch stops at seven jetties round the lake and takes dogs, so the walk can be cut short at any of them. This is the best long lake walk in the county for a dog - shingle bays every few hundred yards, shade under the Brandelhow oaks, and bowls outside the theatre cafe - but the Calfclose Bay and Manesty fields are grazed, the launch jetties get crowded, and the short stretch of the Borrowdale road at Barrow Bay has no pavement.

4.5 MI · LOOP

Walla Crag and Ashness Bridge from Great Wood

Keswick · CA12 5UP

4.5MILES

2:00TIME

380mCLIMB

88%OFF-ROAD

Four and a half miles from the Great Wood car park on the Borrowdale road, up through oak and larch to the edge of Walla Crag, then south along the rim above Falcon Crag and down to Ashness Bridge. The outward leg follows Brockle Beck past Rakefoot Farm; the top of the crag is an unfenced edge with a straight drop to the lake, which is the reason the National Trust puts leads on the whole route rather than just the fields. The return runs along the lakeside road and back into Great Wood. Note that the car park is not where the Ordnance Survey map shows it.

5.2 MI · LOOP

Walla Crag and the Derwent Water shore

Livestock — leads on Water bowls

5.2MILES

2:38TIME

290mCLIMB

86%OFF-ROAD

Five and a quarter miles, 290 metres of climb, around two and a half hours: up Springs Wood and the Brockle Beck path to the edge of Walla Crag, then down Cat Gill to the lake and back along the shore. It starts in Keswick itself, from the Lakeside or Central car parks, so no separate drive is needed; Great Wood National Trust car park on the Borrowdale road cuts the walk to under three miles if you want the crag alone. Walla Crag is the honest caution here - the summit path runs along the lip of an unfenced 200-metre face and a dog that pulls needs to be on a short lead well before it; the woods below and the shoreline return are enclosed and much easier going.

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Stays · 148 All stays in Keswick →

Stay SOME LIMITS

Inn on the Square

CA12 5JF

A four star hotel on Keswick market square, above the Brossen Steakhouse and the Front Bar. Dogs stay in twenty-five of the thirty-four bedrooms, up to two per room, and are welcome in the bar and lounge; reception hands out dog towels and puts up beds and bowls on request. Dogs are not allowed on the furniture in the rooms and must not be left alone in a room while you are out of the hotel. Parking is a paid extra, which matters in Keswick.

In the bar Water bowls

Stay SOME LIMITS

The Royal Oak at Keswick

CA12 5HZ

In the bar In the dining room Water bowls Treats

An eighteenth-century coaching inn on Main Street with twenty-three en-suite rooms, a couple of minutes from the Moot Hall and the start of Spooney Green Lane for Latrigg and Skiddaw. Dogs are welcome in the bar and the restaurant, so there is no separate dog-only room to eat in, and they stay in selected dog-friendly bedrooms which come with bowls, treats and towels. Not every bedroom takes a dog, so the hotel asks you to say so when booking rather than turning up with one.

Stay SOME LIMITS

The Skiddaw Hotel

CA12 5BN

In the bar In the dining room Water bowls

A large Main Street hotel overlooking the market square, with a glazed conservatory on the front that acts as the dog room. Dogs are welcome in the conservatory all day and can be with you there for breakfast, lunch and dinner, but the restaurant proper is out of bounds. Twenty-seven of the forty-three bedrooms accept dogs, up to two per room, with beds and bowls on request. Being in the middle of town it is a short walk to the Greta and the start of the railway path, though there is no on-site parking to speak of.

Abacourt House Bed & Breakfast

Abacourt House Bed & Breakfast is a place to stay on Stanger Street, Keswick. It is listed here so you know it is there, but we have not yet established whether dogs are welcome — so there is no verdict on this page and no stamp. If it is your business, claim the page and tell us, and we will stamp it.

Acorn House

CA12 4DL

Acorn House is a place to stay on Ambleside Road, Keswick. It is listed here so you know it is there, but we have not yet established whether dogs are welcome — so there is no verdict on this page and no stamp. If it is your business, claim the page and tell us, and we will stamp it.

Acorn Self Catering

CA12 4DL

Acorn Self Catering is a place to stay on Acorn Street, Keswick. It is listed here so you know it is there, but we have not yet established whether dogs are welcome — so there is no verdict on this page and no stamp. If it is your business, claim the page and tell us, and we will stamp it.

Albany

CA12 5DQ

Albany is a place to stay on Lake Road, Keswick. It is listed here so you know it is there, but we have not yet established whether dogs are welcome — so there is no verdict on this page and no stamp. If it is your business, claim the page and tell us, and we will stamp it.

Allerdale House

CA12 4DH

Allerdale House is a place to stay on Eskin Street, Keswick. It is listed here so you know it is there, but we have not yet established whether dogs are welcome — so there is no verdict on this page and no stamp. If it is your business, claim the page and tell us, and we will stamp it.

Amble House

CA12 4DQ

Amble House is a place to stay on Eskin Street, Keswick. It is listed here so you know it is there, but we have not yet established whether dogs are welcome — so there is no verdict on this page and no stamp. If it is your business, claim the page and tell us, and we will stamp it.

Anderville

CA12 4EN

Anderville is a place to stay on Helvellyn Street, Keswick. It is listed here so you know it is there, but we have not yet established whether dogs are welcome — so there is no verdict on this page and no stamp. If it is your business, claim the page and tell us, and we will stamp it.

Appletree Cottage

Appletree Cottage is a place to stay in Keswick. It is listed here so you know it is there, but we have not yet established whether dogs are welcome — so there is no verdict on this page and no stamp. If it is your business, claim the page and tell us, and we will stamp it.

Appletrees

CA12 5ER

Appletrees is a place to stay on The Heads, Keswick. It is listed here so you know it is there, but we have not yet established whether dogs are welcome — so there is no verdict on this page and no stamp. If it is your business, claim the page and tell us, and we will stamp it.

Ashness Farm

CA12 5UN

Ashness Farm is a place to stay in Keswick. It is listed here so you know it is there, but we have not yet established whether dogs are welcome — so there is no verdict on this page and no stamp. If it is your business, claim the page and tell us, and we will stamp it.

Avondale

CA12 4EF

Avondale is a place to stay on Southey Street, Keswick. It is listed here so you know it is there, but we have not yet established whether dogs are welcome — so there is no verdict on this page and no stamp. If it is your business, claim the page and tell us, and we will stamp it.

Missing a place?

Know a Keswick pub, cafe or place to stay that lets dogs in? Tell us and we will go and check it.

Attractions · 2 All attractions in Keswick →

Attraction DOGS WELCOME

Keswick Launch, Derwentwater

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.

Attraction SOME LIMITS

Castlerigg Stone Circle

CA12 4RN

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.

Missing a place?

Know a Keswick pub, cafe or place to stay that lets dogs in? Tell us and we will go and check it.

Also within 10 miles · 255

Restaurant 1.0 mi DOGS WELCOME

The Chalet Tearooms

Portinscale · CA12 5RD

A long-standing tearoom and restaurant in Portinscale, the village across the Derwent from Keswick reached by the suspension footbridge and on the way to the Hawes End and Catbells lanes. It is open all year, has its own car park, and its website states that it is dog friendly and that ramblers and their dogs are welcome. The site does not break that down by indoor and outdoor seating, so ask on the door if the weather is against you.

3.9 MI · LOOP

Livestock — leads on Water bowls

Watendlath and Ashness Bridge

Borrowdale

3.9MILES

1:54TIME

190mCLIMB

86%OFF-ROAD

Just under four miles and less than two hours, 190 metres of climb: the packhorse path from Ashness Bridge up to the hanging valley at Watendlath, then back down the beck past the waterfall to the Lodore shore. It starts at the tiny National Trust parking area at Ashness Bridge on the Watendlath lane, which holds barely a dozen cars - the alternative is Great Wood or the Keswick Launch to Ashness Gate and the walk up. Watendlath Tarn is a fine place for a dog to swim and the packhorse path is walled most of the way, but the hamlet is a working farm with sheep in every field, the Watendlath lane is single-track with passing places and no pavement, and the beck path has an unfenced drop by the falls.

Stay 2.2 mi SOME LIMITS

The Ruddings

Braithwaite · CA12 5RY

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.

Stay 2.3 mi SOME LIMITS

Mary Mount Hotel

Borrowdale · CA12 5UU

A small hotel in four acres of grounds on the Borrowdale road between Lodore and Ashness, with a gate onto the Derwent Water shore path and the woodland below Falcon Crag. Dogs are taken in designated dog-friendly rooms in the main hotel and in Four Oaks Cottage, and the hotel does not charge for them when you book direct rather than through an agent. Not every room is a dog room, so it is worth ringing rather than booking blind.

Stay 2.3 mi DOGS WELCOME

The Coledale Inn

Braithwaite · CA12 5TN

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.

Stay 2.4 mi SOME LIMITS

The Borrowdale Hotel

Borrowdale · CA12 5UY

In the dining room Water bowls

An 1866 hotel in the trees between Lodore and the foot of Shepherd's Crag, half a mile from the Derwent Water shore and on the Borrowdale bus route from Keswick. The hotel has taken dogs since it opened and still puts them in a number of bedrooms, with dog beds and bowls provided on request and a set of dog-free rooms kept back for guests who would rather not. Dogs sit with you in the lounges and the conservatory, including for meals, but not in the restaurant.

Stay 2.7 mi SOME LIMITS

Lodore Falls Hotel and Spa

Borrowdale · CA12 5UX

In the bar In the dining room Water bowls

A big spa hotel at the head of Derwent Water on the B5289, with the Lodore waterfall itself in the woods directly behind the building and the Derwent Water shore path a couple of hundred yards away. Dogs are taken in most bedrooms and some suites and have two rooms of their own to sit in, the Side Lounge to the right of the entrance and the Conservatory beyond the bar, where they can be with you for any meal. They are shut out of both restaurants and out of the Lake View Bar seating, though they may walk through the bar to reach the Conservatory.

3 MI · LOOP

Off-lead allowed Water bowls

Whinlatter Forest from the visitor centre

Braithwaite · CA12 5TW

3MILES

1:40TIME

200mCLIMB

98%OFF-ROAD

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.

Stay 3.5 mi SOME LIMITS

The Cottage in the Wood

Braithwaite · CA12 5TW

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.

Attraction 3.5 mi DOGS WELCOME

Whinlatter Forest

Braithwaite · CA12 5TW

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.

6.3 MI · LOOP

Livestock — leads on Water bowls Off-lead allowed

The Keswick to Threlkeld railway path and the Greta

Threlkeld

6.3MILES

2:41TIME

90mCLIMB

92%OFF-ROAD

Six and a quarter miles and about two and three quarter hours with almost no climb, out along the old Cockermouth, Keswick and Penrith trackbed above the river Greta and back by the field paths on the far bank. It starts at the Threlkeld end, where the free village car park by the old quarry is the sensible choice - Keswick's car parks are paid and the walk can equally be done from there. The trackbed is surfaced, traffic-free and level, with eight bridges and two tunnels over and through the gorge, which makes it the best route in the north Lakes for an old dog or a hot day; the river runs alongside for drinking, but the return field paths are grazed and the path is shared with cyclists throughout.

3 MI · LOOP

DOGS WELCOME

Dodd Summit trail, Dodd Wood

Bassenthwaite · CA12 4QE

3MILES

2:30TIME

400mCLIMB

100%OFF-ROAD

Off-lead allowed

Three miles and a steep 400 metres of climbing on forest roads and footpaths from the Old Sawmill car park opposite Mirehouse, up through Sitka and larch to the bare cone of Dodd at 502 metres. The summit is out of the trees and looks down the length of Bassenthwaite Lake to the Solway and across to Skiddaw's western flank. Forestry England grade the green-waymarked route hard, and the upper zigzags are loose in places. The Lake District Osprey Project viewpoints are signed off the lower forest roads, and the Old Sawmill tea room sits at the foot of the hill.

Grange in Borrowdale · CA12 5UQ

Stay 3.6 mi SOME LIMITS

Borrowdale Gates Hotel

A quiet hotel in its own grounds outside Grange, with the Derwentwater shore path and Castle Crag close by. Because the restaurant is open plan, dogs are not allowed in any of the public areas including the bar: this is a bedroom-only welcome, up to two dogs per room, and not every room qualifies.

Pub 3.6 mi DOGS WELCOME

The Salutation Inn

Threlkeld · CA12 4SQ

A former coaching inn in the middle of Threlkeld, fifty yards down the road from its sister pub the Horse and Farrier, under the south face of Blencathra. Dogs are allowed in the bar, the restaurant, the beer garden and the bedrooms, which is about as unrestricted as a pub with rooms gets in this valley. It sits directly on the Keswick to Threlkeld railway path and at the foot of the Blease Fell and Hall's Fell routes onto Blencathra.