Dog-friendly walks in Kirkby Stephen

The river Eden and Frank's Bridge from Kirkby Stephen

Five and three quarter miles and about two and a half hours with only 90 metres of climb, downstream from the packhorse arch of Frank's Bridge and then south through Stenkrith Park to the old railway viaduct above the Eden gorge. It starts in Kirkby Stephen market square, where the free car park behind the Cloisters is the one to aim for, and the Settle-Carlisle line station is a mile east up the hill. The Eden is the whole appeal for a dog - grassy banks, gravel shallows and the deep pools at Coop Kernan Hole - and the viaduct section is a surfaced traffic-free path. The riverside meadows are grazed with cattle from May, and the rock gorge at Stenkrith has unfenced drops right beside the path.