Dog-friendly Cropton

A 5.2-mile circuit with 130 metres of ascent, about two and a quarter hours, dropping from the village past the grassy motte of Cropton Castle to the River Seven and back through the forest edge at Hob Bank Wood; the riverside path is slippery clay in winter. Start in Cropton village, where there is roadside parking near the New Inn, and the Forestry England car park at Cropton Forest, postcode YO18 8ES, is a short drive away if the village is full. The Seven runs shallow and clear for swimming, the forest tracks take a dog off the lead happily, but the field sections between village and river are grazed and there are two awkward stiles.

A small farm site above Cropton village with pitches, hook-ups and views over Rosedale. Pets are very welcome and there is ample ground for walking and exercise straight from the field.

Fifty-eight timber cabins in a grassy clearing deep in Cropton Forest, north of Pickering, run by Forest Holidays on Forestry England land. Pet-friendly cabins take dogs (some up to four), and miles of forest tracks straight from the door mean proper off-lead exercise, though dogs cannot be left alone in the cabins. The dog-friendly New Inn at Cropton village is about a mile away.

Log cabins scattered through Cropton Forest north of Pickering, several with hot tubs and log burners. A good number of the cabins are let as pet friendly, with forest tracks running straight from the veranda.