Dog-friendly Ampleforth

Ampleforth's village gastropub, relaunched in late 2024 with a Michelin-trained chef, seasonal menus and local ales, plus a large beer garden looking over the Howardian Hills fringe. It is proudly dog friendly, with four-legged visitors welcome in the bar area - the resident cocker spaniel is a Sunday lunchtime regular. Good staging post between Helmsley, Byland Abbey and the White Horse of Kilburn.

A relaxed 4.4-mile loop with only 70 metres of ascent, under two hours, on lanes, field paths and the wooded valley below the abbey where the old monastic fish ponds sit; easy going but muddy along the pond path after rain. Start in Ampleforth village, where there is roadside parking, and the abbey's own visitor car park is available when the tea room is open. The ponds and the beck give water and the field paths take a dog off the lead for good stretches, but the abbey and college grounds are private and working farmland here holds sheep, so lead up at every gate.

A working Benedictine abbey in a wooded valley below the moors, with orchards, a cider press and extensive grounds open to visitors. Dogs may explore the grounds freely, and you can order refreshments from the takeaway hatch at the gift shop while they wait outside.