Great Ayton · 7 checked

Dog-friendly walks in Great Ayton

Boots on. These are the Great Ayton walks worth the drive, with lead rules and livestock warnings marked.

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1.6 MI · LOOP

DOGS WELCOME

Great Ayton village and the River Leven

Great Ayton · TS9 6BW

1.6MILES

45mTIME

30mCLIMB

55%OFF-ROAD

Off-lead allowed

A mile and a half round the middle of Great Ayton, from High Green down the riverside to Low Green, over the footbridge and back by the lanes near the station. The Leven runs shallow and gravelly through both greens, so it is a reliable place for a dog to get in and out of the water without a bank to climb, and the greens themselves are mown grass rather than pasture. North Yorkshire Council's dog control Public Spaces Protection Order, in force from 5 June 2025 for three years, covers only the former Scarborough Borough area of Scarborough, Filey and Whitby, so there is no lead requirement and no seasonal ban anywhere in Great Ayton. The one thing to watch is the road round High Green, which is busier than it looks.

VERIFIED 30 JUL 2026 VIEW WALK ›

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3 MI · OUT & BACK

DOGS WELCOME

Roseberry Topping

Great Ayton · TS9 6QS

3MILES

1:45TIME

210mCLIMB

95%OFF-ROAD

Livestock — leads on

The unmistakable shark-fin summit of the North York Moors, a 1.5-mile climb each way from the National Trust car park at Newton-under-Roseberry, through Newton Wood's oaks and up a well-pitched stone path to 320 metres of all-round views. The Trust rates it a three-pawprint dog destination: dogs welcome in all areas under close control, on a short lead around the sheep that graze the slopes. Steep and rocky near the top - sure-footed dogs only in wet weather.

VERIFIED 29 JUL 2026 VIEW WALK ›

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2 MI · OUT & BACK

SOME LIMITS

Captain Cook's Monument

Great Ayton

2MILES

1:10TIME

160mCLIMB

95%OFF-ROAD

Livestock — leads on

A short, steady climb from the free Gribdale Gate car park up through larch woods to the 60-foot obelisk of 1827 on Easby Moor, raised to the explorer who grew up in Great Ayton below. Views sweep to Roseberry Topping and across the Cleveland plain, and a longer circuit links both summits via the Cleveland Way. Popular with dog walkers, but livestock graze along the trail, so leads on at times.

VERIFIED 29 JUL 2026 VIEW WALK ›

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7.9 MI · LOOP

SOME LIMITS

Captain Cook's Monument and Hutton Moor from Dikes Lane

Great Ayton · TS9 6NA

7.9MILES

3:38TIME

300mCLIMB

90%OFF-ROAD

Off-lead allowed Livestock — leads on

A 7.9-mile circuit with 300 metres of ascent and about three and three quarter hours, taking in Roseberry Common, the woods above Hutton Village and the long moor-top return to the obelisk on Easby Moor; the moor sections are firm sandy track but the climb from Hutton Village is steep and stepped. It starts at the Dikes Lane car park below Roseberry Topping, which is small and free and full by nine on a clear Saturday, with the alternative being Gribdale Gate a mile and a half round the other side. Newton Wood and the Guisborough plantations are grand for a dog off the lead and there are streams to drink from, but Roseberry Common and Great Ayton Moor carry sheep all year and the whole moor holds ground-nesting birds between 1 March and 31 July.

VERIFIED 29 JUL 2026 VIEW WALK ›

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4.2 MI · LOOP

SOME LIMITS

Gribdale Gate and Kildale Woods

Great Ayton · TS9 6LR

4.2MILES

2:09TIME

270mCLIMB

90%OFF-ROAD

Off-lead allowed Livestock — leads on

A compact 4.2-mile round with a hefty 270 metres of ascent and about two and a quarter hours, climbing straight to Captain Cook's Monument then dropping through conifer plantation to the little waterfall above Kildale before a long steady pull back over Warren Moor. The start is the free Gribdale Gate car park at the top of the lane out of Great Ayton, and if that is full Kildale railway station is on the Esk Valley line and lets you walk the loop from the other end. There is water at the Kildale beck and the forest tracks are excellent off-lead ground, but the moor top is grazed by loose sheep, the plantation is stalked for deer, and leads are needed on the open moor from 1 March to 31 July while the birds are nesting.

VERIFIED 29 JUL 2026 VIEW WALK ›

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1.6 MI · LOOP

SOME LIMITS

Newton Wood and Roseberry Common

Great Ayton · TS9 6QR

1.6MILES

55mTIME

100mCLIMB

95%OFF-ROAD

Livestock — leads on Off-lead allowed

The low circuit round the foot of Roseberry Topping from the National Park car park at Newton under Roseberry, for anyone who wants the hill without the summit scramble. It goes up through Newton Wood, which is thick with bluebells in May, then contours across the bracken slopes of Roseberry Common before dropping back to the road. The National Trust's own access statement for the property states that all dogs are welcome and that livestock graze in some areas, so leads go on where you meet stock. The car park has toilets and space for fifty cars at £2.50 up to two hours and £4.50 over two hours, and it is full by ten on a fine Saturday.

VERIFIED 30 JUL 2026 VIEW WALK ›

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10.7 MI · LOOP

SOME LIMITS

Roseberry Topping and Easby Moor Long Circuit

Great Ayton · TS9 6BW

10.7MILES

4:57TIME

390mCLIMB

85%OFF-ROAD

Off-lead allowed Livestock — leads on

The full 10.7-mile village round with 390 metres of ascent and about five hours, linking Cliff Ridge Wood, Newton Wood, the summit of Roseberry Topping and the moor traverse to Captain Cook's Monument before dropping back by Little Ayton; the final pull to the summit is rock steps and the descent off Easby Moor is steep. It starts at the High Green in Great Ayton, which has free short-stay parking and a long-stay car park on Station Road, and Great Ayton station on the Esk Valley line is a five-minute walk from the green. There is water in the River Leven at the start and in the woodland becks, and the woods are superb off-lead ground, but the summit has genuine unfenced drops on its north face, sheep graze Roseberry Common, and leads are required on the open moor from 1 March to 31 July.

VERIFIED 29 JUL 2026 VIEW WALK ›

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Dog-friendly cottages you can book

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.

Roseberry Pond Cottage Yorkshire · dogs welcome 7 nights from £802

Birchwood Stable Cottage Yorkshire · dogs welcome 7 nights from £428

Hawthorn Cottage Yorkshire Yorkshire · dogs welcome 7 nights from £447

Prospect Lodge Halifax Yorkshire · dogs welcome 7 nights from £453

Clover Cottage Osmotherley Yorkshire · dogs welcome 7 nights from £479

Number 2 Bank Top Yorkshire · dogs welcome 7 nights from £484

Havercroft Yorkshire · dogs welcome 7 nights from £485

Whisper Cottage Yorkshire · dogs welcome 7 nights from £520

Lavender Cottage Helmsley Yorkshire · dogs welcome 7 nights from £521

Dove Cottage Old Malton Yorkshire · dogs welcome 7 nights from £649

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