Dog-friendly Alnwick

The old Ye Olde Cross on Narrowgate, named for the untouched bottles in the front window that local superstition says will kill whoever moves them. It is a Greene King house with rooms above and it sits on the corner where Narrowgate meets Bailiffgate, a minute from the castle gate. Greene King publishes a dog-friendly page for this pub and lists Dog Friendly among its facilities alongside the beer garden, but it does not say which rooms dogs may use, so treat the bar and the garden as the safe assumption and ask about the restaurant side. Nothing is published about dogs in the bedrooms.

The bakery and coffee stop at the entrance plaza of The Alnwick Garden, on the free side of the ticket barrier off Denwick Lane, so you can use it without paying to go into the garden. The garden's own FAQ says The Bakery welcomes dogs on leads every day, which makes it the reliable Alnwick coffee stop when it is not a Thursday or a Sunday and the garden itself is closed to dogs. It sits directly on the walkway between the Alnwick Town and Denwick Lane entrances, which is also open to dogs at any time, and the Waterside Trail starts from the same car park.

Two miles from The Alnwick Garden car park down through the Pastures to the River Aln, west along the bank to the four-arch Lion Bridge with the Percy lion on its parapet, and back up under the castle walls. This is the Waterside Trail published by Northumberland Estates, who own the ground, and it is the walk to do in Alnwick with a dog, because the estate's other big option, Hulne Park, bans dogs outright. Grass and gravel path, gently rolling, one gate. The estate's own instruction is that much of this land is a conservation area, so dogs are to be kept under strict control, and the trail is currently diverted around the Riverbrook Gardens housing works.

The longer of the two Waterside Trail variants that Northumberland Estates publishes from The Alnwick Garden car park, about three and a half miles taking in the Lion Bridge, the north bank of the Aln past the castle's Capability Brown parkland, and a swing east through farmland towards Denwick Bridge before turning back. Field-edge and riverside path with two gates and a short stretch of estate track. The estate's stated rule is that dogs must be kept under strict control here because the land is a conservation area, and the field sections are stock-grazed. Do not attempt to link it into Hulne Park: the estate does not permit dogs there.

Three miles there and back east out of Alnwick Market Place along Bondgate Within and Denwick Lane, past The Alnwick Garden entrance and out between the hedges to Denwick Bridge over the Aln and the hamlet beyond. It is the flattest way out of town on foot and it stays on public highway and verge throughout, which makes it a reliable option when the estate trails are wet or diverted. The county dog control PSPO requires a lead of no more than 1.5m on classified 'A' and 'B' roads and their verges, and Denwick Lane joins the B1340 at the far end, so the lead stays on. There is no exclusion anywhere on the route.

A mile and a half round the historic core, from the Market Place up Narrowgate and along Bailiffgate under the castle gatehouse, out past the museum to Wagonway Road and the old Alnwick station that now houses Barter Books, then back through Clayport and Bondgate Within under the surviving town gate. All pavement, all lit, and short enough to be the last walk of the day from a hotel. The county dog control PSPO places no exclusion on any of it and requires a lead only on the classified roads, in the cemetery and if an officer asks; the enclosed play area off Greenwell Road is out of bounds to dogs year round.

A former convent on Bailiffgate turned into an eleven-room hotel directly opposite Alnwick Castle's gatehouse. Its published terms are unusually specific and worth reading before you book: "Dogs are very welcome. So especially handy for those going shooting we have five comfortable kennels with water provided for your loyal canine friends. Dogs are also allowed in your room, but not in any of the communal areas including the Bistro, Garden or Residents Lounge." That is the reverse of the usual pub arrangement: the bedroom is open to the dog and the bar is not, so you will be eating without them or taking food up. The five kennels are the fallback.

A large Inn Collection Group pub with rooms on Hawfinch Drive at the Willowburn edge of Alnwick, five minutes' drive from the Market Place and with its own free car park, which makes it the practical base if you are arriving late off the A1. The group's published dog policy is that all its pubs welcome dogs in designated dining and bar areas, that some inns keep parts of the dining area pet-free, and that you should tell staff you have a dog so they can seat you accordingly. Dog-friendly bedrooms are booked as an option in the online journey, at 15 pounds a night for up to two dogs, and several are on the ground floor.

A 300-year-old coaching inn on Bondgate Within, in the middle of Alnwick and two minutes from the Market Place, best known for the Olympic Dining Room panelled out with fittings from the Titanic's sister ship Olympic. Its own FAQ answers the dog question directly: "Yes, the bar and lounge area is however the Olympic suite is not, and only certain rooms are dog friendly." So a dog can sit with you in Hardy's bar and lounge but not in the Olympic room, and dog-friendly bedrooms are a limited subset that has to be requested rather than picked online. Ring 01665 602109 to secure one rather than booking blind.

The Duchess of Northumberland's twelve-acre walled garden below the castle, with the Grand Cascade, the Poison Garden and the treehouse. Do not assume this one either way: the garden is open to dogs on two days a week only. Its own visitor FAQ states "The Alnwick Garden is dog friendly on Thursdays and Sundays, when well-behaved dogs on leads are welcome", with a maximum of two dogs per person. Outside those Dog Days, dogs can still use the walkway between the Alnwick Town and Denwick Lane entrances at any time, and The Bakery takes dogs on leads every day. Lilidorei, the play village on the same site, admits registered guide and assistance dogs only, and they must be recognisable as working dogs by harness or lead.