Dog-friendly York & the Vale

York's flagship craft brewery on the bank of the Foss off Walmgate, with a 40-tap Bavarian-style beer hall, street-food kitchen and a covered riverside terrace. The brewery's own answer on dogs is emphatic — "We are! Please bring them. We love dogs" — and they even make their own dog snacks. Long benches leave plenty of floor space for bigger breeds.

Atmospheric gas-lit inn on High Petergate, on the site where Guy Fawkes was born in 1570, sitting in the shadow of the Minster. Well-behaved dogs are welcome in the bar and all three beer gardens, but not in the restaurant or the hotel bedrooms. Order from the bar menu and claim a spot by the fire.

The Lendal branch of York's famous medieval drinking den, with a wall of world beers, ancient timbers and hearty stews and boards. The venue's own line is that children and dogs are always welcome here — unlike the original Stonegate branch, which does not admit dogs at all. Weekends get busy, so aim for an afternoon pint if your dog prefers calm.

Traditional local on Ousegate with a beer garden, Sky Sports and a friendly crowd, listed as a child and dog friendly pub. Dogs are welcome in the bar and garden. A no-frills pint stop after a stroll along the Selby Canal towpath or a visit to the Abbey.

An old village pub much extended over the years and now firmly food-led, with a carvery running five days a week and an original core of low ceilings, exposed brick, settles and Britannia tables. The pub states plainly that it cannot accommodate dogs inside the building, but they are welcome outside. A fine-weather stop rather than a wet-day one.

A smartly refurbished inn on Easingwold's cobbled Market Place, listed as a child and dog friendly pub serving food. Dogs are welcome indoors as well as at the outdoor seating and in the garden. A comfortable halt on the old road between York and Thirsk.

Selby's branch of the Lounges, all mismatched armchairs and all-day food, a minute from the Abbey at Market Cross. Dogs are welcome inside and there are treats for four-legged visitors at the counter. Open from breakfast through to the evening, which makes it a dependable default.

All-day dining, brunches and cocktails in the grandly restored Electric Theatre — York's first cinema — on Fossgate. Dogs are welcome in the bar area, where the full menu is still served. High ceilings and generous spacing make it a roomy midweek option with a dog in tow.

Cafe bar in the old motor house tower at the end of Skeldergate Bridge, with a covered, heated river terrace looking along the Ouse. Dogs are welcome across its quirky rooms and on the terrace. Toasties, paninis and tapas in a prime position at the city end of the New Walk riverside loop.

Relaxed independent cafe at 2 Westgate in Tadcaster's brewery town centre, listed as a dog friendly cafe. It makes a civilised stop for coffee and cake after a wander along the Wharfe weir and viaduct. Tadcaster's most reliable option for refreshments with the dog in tow.

Design-led, family-run cafe-restaurant at 112 Micklegate serving breakfast, brunch, lunch and afternoon tea amid rotating local art. Dogs are welcome indoors, and the woodsy, unhurried room is calm enough for nervier hounds. One of the city's best seasonal menus on the dog-friendly circuit.

A busy brunch and lunch spot at the city end of Bishopthorpe Road, cooking with local produce and doing it properly. The cafe is clear that dogs are welcome in the outside area but not indoors, so it is one to save for a fine morning. The pavement tables go quickly at weekends.

A pocket-sized local nature reserve on the south-west edge of the city, giving a mile of woodland and meadow paths in twenty-five easy minutes; a remnant of genuinely ancient woodland with bluebells in May and shade in a heatwave. Park on Acomb Wood Drive or Foxwood Lane and walk straight in, or take the number 4 bus to Foxwood; there are no gates or stiles a big dog cannot manage. Dogs are off lead throughout with no livestock, but the reserve is small, popular and close to housing, so recall matters; the woodland paths get properly claggy after rain and this is not the one to pick in a wet January.

Four and a quarter miles of flat lane and headland path around the fields between Appleton Roebuck and the Wharfe country north of Cawood, about an hour and three quarters with ten metres of ascent in the whole loop. Park on the wide green in the middle of Appleton Roebuck; there is no practical bus service, so come by car and make a morning of it with Bolton Percy church three miles away. This is straightforward arable country with gates rather than difficult stiles and long stretches of quiet lane where a reliable dog can walk loose, but sheep and cattle are grazed in the pasture blocks so lead up when you meet them; there is no open water on the route and the cross-field sections turn heavy after rain.

Yorkshire Wildlife Trust's celebrated fenland reserve on York's south-west edge — Sir David Attenborough called it a cathedral of nature conservation — explored via a 750-metre boardwalk circuit. Dogs are allowed but must stay on a lead and keep to the boardwalk to protect the fragile peatland and its wildlife. Free entry at all times, with a small gravel car park off the A1036 near Askham Bar.

Three flat miles from Newton-on-Ouse along the river and round the edge of the Beningbrough Hall estate, an easy hour and a quarter with ten metres of ascent and firm estate tracks for most of it. Park in the village near the Dawnay Arms and walk in, or use the National Trust car park at Beningbrough and start from there; there is no useful bus, so it is a drive-to walk. Dogs are welcome on the estate parkland and river paths but must be on leads through the grounds where deer and grazing stock are present, and the Hall's walled garden and interiors have their own rules, so check at the visitor reception; the Ouse bank gives water but has steep, undercut edges here, so think twice before letting a dog in.

The largest wood in the old Selby district — 340 hectares of mixed forestry between Cawood and Sherburn in Elmet — with flat, wide rides and easy circular routes of four to seven kilometres. It is loved by local dog walkers and dogs run off lead on the main rides; spring carpets the floor in bluebells and wild garlic. Free roadside parking off the lane through the wood; some side paths get muddy and overgrown.

Three flat miles from Bishopthorpe village out to the Ouse below the Archbishop's palace, upstream along the bank towards Middlethorpe and back on the tarmac of the old railway; an easy hour and a half with no stiles and one gentle ramp. Park on Main Street or Chantry Lane and walk down Acaster Lane to the water; the number 11 bus from York runs through the village every half hour. Dogs can be off lead on the railway path and the riverbank away from the road, and the Ouse gives a swim from the shelving bank, but the riverside meadows are grazed in summer so watch for cattle; the riverside half floods after heavy rain, at which point the railway path alone still gives you a dry there-and-back.

A family-run hotel on a quiet Bootham terrace, five minutes from the Museum Gardens and the city walls. Three bedrooms are set aside for dogs, one dog to a room, and dogs are welcome in the bar as well. Book well ahead, as those rooms go quickly.

Boutique hotel in a 19th-century mansion at 89 The Mount, on the walking line between the racecourse and Micklegate Bar. It accepts dogs under the brand's dog-friendly scheme — check the nightly fee and which rooms when booking. Well placed for an evening loop of the Knavesmire before dinner in the bistro courtyard.

A National Trust-owned William III country house beside York Racecourse, where dogs stay free of charge in the Cottage Suites and Garden Suite by prior arrangement. The hall provides a bed, water bowl and snacks; dogs are not allowed in the main house, spa or formal gardens but may explore the park and lakeside. A grand base with the Knavesmire's open acres on the doorstep.

Georgian complex on Skeldergate a five-minute walk from the riverside and the city centre, with 56 rooms spread across several historic buildings and a quiet garden. The hotel welcomes you and your dog, with dog-friendly rooms bookable — confirm which room categories accept pets when reserving. Quietly placed for the New Walk and Millennium Bridge riverside loop.

Marriott's playful budget-boutique hotel on Black Horse Lane near the Stonebow, a level stroll from Fossgate's dog-friendly pubs and cafes. It accepts dogs — confirm the current fee and any size limits when booking. Modern, well-soundproofed rooms suit city-nervous dogs better than a creaky coaching inn.

Georgian townhouse hotel at 1 Clifton, minutes from the Museum Gardens, where dogs stay for 25 pounds per visit in every room except the smallest. Each dog gets a comfy Ivy & Duke bed, food and water bowls, treats on arrival and a card of recommended local walks; dogs go on leads in public areas and are not allowed in the spa. One of the most polished dog stays in the city.

A National Trust estate of parkland and formal gardens beside the Ouse, eight miles north-west of York, with a long river walk out beyond the ha-ha. Dogs are welcome in most areas, including the shop and the designated tables at the rear of the restaurant, but must be on a short, non-extendable lead throughout. The house itself is not open to them.

Forty-five to sixty-minute sightseeing cruises on the Ouse from the King's Staith and Lendal Bridge landings, plus a hop-on river bus and self-drive hire boats. Well-behaved dogs on a lead travel free on the daytime sightseeing cruises, river bus and self-drive boats; only assistance dogs are permitted on the dining and Santa cruises. The open deck is the best spot for a breezy snout past the Guildhall and under the city's bridges.

The Yorkshire Museum of Farming, four miles east of York, with a reconstructed Viking village, a Roman fort and a yard of rare-breed farm animals. Well-behaved dogs on a lead are very welcome on the site, although not inside any of the buildings. There is plenty of open ground to walk them between the exhibits.

Ten acres of botanic gardens around the ruins of St Mary's Abbey, running down to the Ouse beside the Yorkshire Museum. Dogs are permitted throughout the gardens but must be kept on a lead at all times; the abbey ruins, observatory lawns and riverside edge are the highlights. The resident squirrels will test any recall, which is another argument for the lead rule.

Britain's largest independent air museum, spread across 20 acres of the wartime RAF Elvington bomber base with hangars, a Halifax bomber and a woodland walk. Well-behaved dogs on leads are welcome across the site and in most exhibition areas, though not inside the cafe, the Astra cinema or the shop. Water is easy to come by and the airfield perimeter paths give a decent leg-stretch between hangars.