Dog-friendly walks in Chesterfield

Five and a half miles there and back along a level, multi-user towpath from Tapton Lock towards Staveley, about two and a half hours with plenty of excuses to stop at locks. Start from the Tapton Lock car park off the A619 roundabout on the edge of Chesterfield, free and rarely full, with the visitor centre and toilets on site. The towpath is wide enough for a dog under close control rather than a lead, the canal is deep with steep banks so a dog that swims needs watching near the locks, and there are moorhens and swans nesting along the margins from spring onwards.

Six miles there and back on a surfaced, off-road trail across old colliery country, two and three quarter hours, with rolling gradients rather than the flat you would expect from a railway path. Start at Grassmoor Country Park car park, free and reached off the B6038 south of Chesterfield, with space for around 50 cars. The trail is traffic-free and shared with cyclists and horse riders so close control is enough, the ponds along the way are fenced in places but Williamthorpe gives shallow access, and the reclaimed grassland is grazed in stretches, which means a lead near the stock.

Three and a half miles and about two hours round three reservoirs in a wooded valley, on made paths with one steady climb between the middle and upper dams. Start from the Severn Trent car park at Linacre off the Cutthorpe road, three miles west of Chesterfield, free and with about 80 spaces but busy on Sunday mornings. Severn Trent requires dogs to be on a lead at all times here because of the wildlife, the water is fenced and steep-sided so there is no swimming, and the beech woods make this the coolest option in the county on a hot afternoon.