Dog-friendly walks in Norwich

Five and a quarter miles one way, about two and a half hours, on the flat trackbed of the old Midland and Great Northern line as it leaves the city through Train Wood and follows the Wensum out past Hellesdon to Drayton. Start at the Barn Road trail head beside Train Wood, ten minutes from the city centre with no car park of its own, so use the St Crispins or Anglia Square parking and walk in, or take the bus and walk back. The whole route is traffic-free with a mix of tarmac, compacted gravel and earth, no stiles and no livestock, the Wensum is reachable at three or four points for a drink, and it is shared with cyclists and horse riders so a lead near the narrow bridges is sensible.

Two and a half miles on a level gravel and grass path all the way round the Great Broad, an hour at a steady pace and the easiest proper walk within sight of Norwich Cathedral. It starts at the country park car park on Whitlingham Lane, postcode NR14 8TR, which charges by the half hour and is enforced by an external contractor, so buy enough time; a yearly permit is £65 online. Dogs are welcome under effective control but must be on a lead in the Conservation Area, on Trowse Water Meadow, at the play area, around the Flint Barn Cafe patio and meadow, and in all the car parks, and the broad's banks shelve steeply into deep water.

Four and a quarter miles in about two hours on riverside path, marsh boardwalk and a stretch of suburban pavement, from the country park along the Yare and the Wensum to the river green at Thorpe St Andrew and back over Whitlingham Marsh. Park at the Whitlingham Country Park car park on Whitlingham Lane, NR14 8TR, paying by the half hour, or take the train to Thorpe and walk it the other way. Dogs must be on a lead in the Conservation Area and on Trowse Water Meadow and in the car parks, the marsh boardwalk sections are narrow with deep dykes on both sides, and there is water at the cafe end.