Dog-friendly walks in Pocklington

Flat, sheltered and almost entirely off-road, the Pocklington Canal runs nine and a half miles from Canal Head down to the River Derwent at East Cottingwith. This out-and-back takes the top end from Canal Head past Top Lock, Silburn Lock and Coates Lock to the Bielby Arm and back, which is the tree-lined, un-restored half with humpbacked bridges and no boat traffic to speak of. Most of the canal is SSSI, so keep a dog out of the reed fringe in the nesting season. The Canal and River Trust's own towpath guidance asks for a short lead around locks and bridge holes and says plainly that dogs are not to swim in the canal, which matters here because the banks are steep-sided and hard to climb out of.