Our drawing of the route, over road and path data from OpenStreetMap. It shows where the walk goes and what it goes through. It is not a survey and not a navigation aid — carry OS Explorer on the hill.
Three and a half miles out to the old green at Exelby and back, an hour and a half, flat field paths and quiet lanes with a handful of gates and one field that turns to porridge after rain. Start from Bedale Market Place beneath the market cross, where parking is free for two hours, and the 73 bus between Northallerton and Bedale stops on the main street. Sheep graze the fields between the two villages so leads go on across the pasture, and there is no reliable water on the route until you are back at Bedale Beck; the lane sections keep it doable in winter but the field paths are heavy going from December onwards, and Exelby's wide green is a pleasant place to let a dog stretch out under supervision.
Easy 3.1-mile beckside circular from Bedale market place along tree-lined waterside footpaths, passing the curious eighteenth-century harbour, a canal basin complete with mooring rings from Bedale's abandoned waterway scheme, plus a small waterfall and the Georgian leech house. Level going that suits all dogs, finishing among the town's cobbles where the Green Dragon keeps gravy bones. Watch for wildfowl on the beck.
Four and a quarter miles of flat field paths, farm track and short lane sections between Bedale market place and Crakehall, allowing a shade under two hours; the going is easy but the field edges hold water for days after rain and there are up to six stiles. Start from Bedale market place, where there is parking, or arrive at Bedale station on the Wensleydale Railway a few minutes away on foot. Much of the route crosses working pasture with sheep and cattle so lead work is needed through the stock fields, the stiles are the awkward step type a heavy dog will need lifting over, and Bedale Beck and Rand Beck both give a drink.
Six miles south-west from the town past the arboretum boundary to the castle village of Snape and back, two and three quarter hours, gently rolling on field paths, estate tracks and quiet lanes with several gates and two stiles. Start in Bedale Market Place with free short-stay parking and a bus link from Northallerton; Snape has a pub and the ruins of the castle chapel at the turn, and the arboretum itself is a separate paid visit. The estate parkland is grazed by sheep and there are cattle in the low fields by the beck in summer, so this is largely a lead-on walk with the lanes and tracks the safer stretches for a run; the beck gives a dog a drink at two crossings, and the tracks stay usable in winter while the clay field paths do not.
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