Dog-friendly attractions in Howden

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.

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.