Dog-friendly walks in Knaresborough

Two miles each way of fully surfaced, traffic-free path along the Nidd from High Bridge in Knaresborough out to Bilton Hall Drive, resurfaced in 2013 and effectively flat, which makes it one of the few routes in the district that stays clean and firm right through winter. Start at High Bridge on the Ripon Road below the town, five minutes from Knaresborough station, and at the far end it links straight into Bilton Lane and the Nidderdale Greenway for a longer day. Named after the Yorkshire cycling champion, it is shared with bikes and horses and passes fields of grazing horses and a couple of cattle grids, so keep dogs on the lead and close in; the surface is kind on old joints and takes a buggy or wheelchair without complaint.

Follow the Nidd upstream from Knaresborough's Waterside, beneath the great railway viaduct, into 114 acres of Woodland Trust ancient woodland in a steep-sided gorge. Around 4 to 5 miles out and back on riverside and woodland paths, with a climb out for views over both Knaresborough and Harrogate. Dogs can go off lead with good recall in the woods; free 10-space Trust car park off Bilton Lane.