Cinderdale, the valley of cinders

The old Fish Inn in the middle of Buttermere village, between Buttermere and Crummock Water and at the start of the lake circuit, the Rannerdale ridge and the Scale Force path. The hotel lists dog friendly as one of its headline features, gives a reserved parking space with each room and will lay on a private breakfast at no charge, which is the practical fix for a hotel that does not want dogs in a full dining room. There is a large beer garden and the bar and all-day dining are open to non-residents as well.

A farm cafe in Buttermere village with its own paid car park, a few yards from the start of the lake circuit and the Rannerdale path. Its own site says the cafe is dog friendly, and there is a dog seating area indoors rather than a bench outside the door, which is the difference between a usable stop and a wet one in this valley. The parking charge includes use of the toilets, and the car park is a useful backup when the National Trust one is full.

Seven and a half miles and around three and a quarter hours with very little climb, following the wilder western shore of Crummock Water out to the shingle spit at Low Ling Crag and returning under Melbreak. It starts in Buttermere village from the National Trust car park; there is also a small free parking area at Lanthwaite Green at the far end if you want to walk it the other way round. The spit itself is the point of the walk for a dog - a curved beach of clean shingle with deep water either side and nobody on it - but the shore path is rough and boggy in places, there is a beck ford that runs knee-deep after rain, and the Scale Bridge fields are grazed with lambs from March.