Dog-friendly walks in Bowness

The lakeside circuit south out of Bowness Bay, and the only easy way to get a dog to the water's edge in the middle of town without crossing the launch slipways. From the Glebe Road car park the promenade runs north to the piers, then back south across the Glebe to the point at Cockshott, where the shore path swings round to face Belle Isle. Ferry Nab and the Windermere Ferry slip close the loop, and the return leg is along Ferry Nab Road. Two of the three named sections carry a lead requirement under the council's dogs order, so treat this as an on-lead walk throughout.

Eight and three quarter miles and four hours, linking the two viewpoints above the lake with the length of Bowness in between: quiet lanes and field paths north of Windermere, then the Dales Way out of Bowness Bay onto the little rocky top of Brant Fell. It starts at Windermere station and can be broken at Bowness Bay, where the 599 bus runs back up the hill every twenty minutes in season. There is drinking water and a bowl outside several of the Bowness cafes, the bay itself is a good paddle away from the boat landings, but the middle mile through the town is pavement and busy with day visitors, and both fell tops are grazed - lead on above the last gate.