Dog-friendly Thirsk

A Market Place pub at the eastern corner of the square with a beer garden behind, listed by Thirsk Tourist Information as simply dogs welcome. Dogs come inside as well as into the garden, and the staff are used to them. One of the easiest stops in the town centre with a dog in tow.

A community free house on Norby Front Street, a few hundred yards north of Thirsk parish church on the Northallerton road. It is listed as dog friendly, with a beer garden, real fire and cask ale, and dogs are welcome in the bar. Quieter than the Market Place pubs and all the better for it.

An old inn on Kirkgate between the Market Place and the parish church, opening from mid-morning and serving through the day. It is listed as dog friendly, so dogs are welcome in the bar. A short walk from the Cod Beck riverside path.

Traditional community pub on Ingramgate with log burners, friendly locals and a large beer garden. Dogs are welcome inside with their owners, and the riverside meadows of Cod Beck are moments away across the road. A drinker's pub first and foremost.

Characterful old inn at 13 Finkle Street, one of Thirsk's most historic drinking houses, with a beer garden and regular live music. Dogs are welcome with their owners, and it is the recommended dog-friendly refreshment stop on the Cod Beck riverside circuit. Gets lively on music nights at weekends.

A backstreet local on St James Green, the smaller of Thirsk's two greens, opening in the late afternoon on most days. Thirsk Tourist Information lists it plainly as dogs welcome, and the bar is the sort where yours will be greeted before you are. A few minutes from the Market Place but a world away in feel.

Market place pub (formerly the Blacksmiths Arms) with a strong local reputation for generous home-cooked food. Dogs are welcome inside, and visiting owners consistently rate it among Thirsk's friendliest stops for a meal with the hound in tow. Just yards from the market cross and the town's Herriot connections.

A Market Place pub in the middle of Thirsk, open from late morning and busy on market days. Thirsk Tourist Information records the dog policy simply as well behaved dogs welcome, which in practice means inside with you at the table. Handy for the square, the racecourse buses and the Herriot trail.

A small independent cafe on the southern side of Thirsk Market Place, doing coffee, cake and cooked breakfasts from mid-morning. It is listed as dog friendly, so dogs are welcome inside with you. Closed on Mondays.

An independent coffee shop on Millgate, a few steps off Thirsk Market Place, known for fresh food and properly made coffee. Thirsk Tourist Information records it as dogs welcome, so yours sits with you inside rather than at a pavement table. Daytime only, closing mid-afternoon.

A small daytime cafe at the Millgate end of Thirsk town centre, opening from eight for breakfast and light lunches. It is listed as dog friendly, so dogs are allowed in with you rather than left outside. Handy if you have parked at the Millgate end of town.

A sandwich shop and cafe in the Old Post Office building on Thirsk Market Place, opening early for breakfast and closing mid-afternoon. Thirsk Tourist Information gives the dog policy as on a lead, meaning dogs come inside so long as they stay tethered to you. Good for filling a rucksack before a Hambleton walk.

Community arts centre cafe inside the old Georgian courthouse on Westgate, run by the Rural Arts charity. Well-behaved dogs kept on a lead are welcome while you have coffee and cake among the exhibitions. Weekday daytime opening, and your money supports arts work across the district.

A plain, friendly cafe on the eastern side of Thirsk Market Place serving tea, toasties and cooked breakfasts to shoppers and market traders. It is listed as dog friendly and dogs are allowed inside. Unfussy and cheap, which is rather the point.

A large garden centre on Blakey Lane on the southern edge of Thirsk, with a coffee shop and a covered patio attached. The centre publishes its own dog policy: dogs are welcome throughout the shopping areas, and on the coffee shop patio, but food hygiene rules keep them out of the main restaurant. Water and a shaded table are easy to find on the patio.

An award-winning independent bookshop on Thirsk Market Place with a large cafe over two floors and a walled garden behind it. Thirsk Tourist Information records that dogs are welcome in the garden and inside as far as the front counter, with assistance dogs allowed everywhere. Barista coffee and Yorkshire baking while you browse.

Tea room on Thirsk's market place where dogs are welcome inside, not just at the pavement tables. Expect proper pots of tea, cakes and light lunches a short amble from the Cod Beck riverside path. A civilised alternative when the pubs are full on market day.

Flat 4.3-mile circular from Thirsk market place following Cod Beck north to South Kilvington, through Underwood Plantation and back through New Thirsk, with fine views to the Hambleton Hills. The quiet riverside and country paths make an easy dog walk, and the beck's shallows are popular for a paddle. Field sections cross grazing land, so keep dogs close where stock are out.

Five miles of fields, quiet roads and tracks out of Thirsk to South Kilvington and Kilvington Mill, returning over the Seven Bridges path beside Cod Beck; no stiles at all, six gates, and some genuinely muddy stretches after rain. Start from the pay and display car park on Marage Road, a mile from Thirsk station, with frequent buses from York taking about forty-five minutes. Cod Beck is the highlight for a dog - shallow, clean and easy to get in and out of, with a veteran oak on the bank - but the middle third crosses grazed pasture and the A19 crossings need a short lead.

Three and three quarter miles from the north-east edge of Thirsk up to South Kilvington and back, about an hour and a half on field-edge paths, an old green track and short lengths of lane. Park on Marage Road in Thirsk and walk out past the auction mart; Thirsk railway station sits a mile the other side of town at Carlton Miniott. There are stiles and kissing gates, the paths run beside arable and grazed fields in roughly equal measure, and Cod Beck comes close enough at the northern end for a drink.

Georgian coaching inn on Thirsk's cobbled market place, a short stroll from the James Herriot museum quarter. Dogs stay in designated pet-friendly rooms (up to two per room, 15 pounds a night) and are welcome in the bar and specified dining areas, with treats, dog beds and even gourmet doggy meals laid on. A sound base for exploring both the Vale of Mowbray and the Hambleton Hills.

A club site inside the racecourse grounds on Station Road, a flat ten-minute walk from Thirsk Market Place. Thirsk Tourist Information records that dogs are accepted on leads. Race days aside, it is a remarkably quiet base for the Vale of Mowbray and the Hambleton Hills.