Bude to Sandymouth and Northcott Mouth

A four-mile figure of eight on entirely surfaced paths, comfortably done in an hour and three quarters, that puts the canal towpath and the Storm Tower cliff into the same short walk. It starts at the Bude Canal wharf where the sea lock is, with the big Crescent and Wharf car parks a minute away and buses stopping in the town centre. There are no stiles and no livestock, water birds on the canal instead, and Summerleaze beach takes dogs all year while Crooklets does not in season; the towpath is level and shaded enough for an old dog, though the Compass Point section is unfenced clifftop.

Five and a half miles of clifftop south from Bude to Widemouth Bay and back inland, around two and a half hours with 130 metres of climbing on grass and beaten earth rather than steps. Start from the Summerleaze car park above the sea pool, which is the largest in Bude and the closest to the coast path; the Bude to Widemouth bus lets you make it one way if the wind turns. No stiles at all on the route, which makes it a good long walk for a big dog, but the cliff edge is unfenced almost the whole way and Widemouth is one of the earliest-restricted beaches in the county.