Our drawing of the route — the shape of the walk, not a navigation aid. Carry OS Explorer on the hill.
Four miles and about two and a quarter hours on the flagged causey paths north of the Ure, out by Lady Anne's Way to Sedbusk and back through Hardraw on a stretch of the Pennine Way; the flags are slippery when wet but the route is otherwise easy and well signed. Start at the Dales Countryside Museum car park in Hawes, which is also the bus interchange for the 156 from Northallerton and Leyburn. Every field is a working hay meadow or pasture with sheep in it and the flagged paths run right through them, so keep the dog on the lead and off the aftermath grass; Hardraw Force, England's highest single-drop fall, sits behind the Green Dragon and costs a few pounds to see with dogs welcome on the lead, but the stiles are the sting - this route is famous for its stone squeeze stiles and a Labrador will get stuck in more than one of them.
Six miles and about three and a quarter hours west from Hawes through the meadows to the hamlet of Appersett and on to Cotter Force, a broad staircase waterfall reached by a level, well-surfaced short path that is one of the few genuinely accessible falls in the Dales. Start at the Dales Countryside Museum car park in Hawes; the 156 bus passes through Appersett if you want to walk one way. The final approach to the fall is flat, gated and easy for an older dog and the Ure gives good drinking and a safe paddle at several points, but sheep graze every meadow so the lead stays on, there is a short and unpleasant section on the A684 near Appersett where the traffic is fast and there is no verge, and the meadow paths mix gates with narrow stone stiles - fewer than on the Sedbusk route, but a couple are still too tight for a broad dog.
Quiet family-run caravan and camping park in old walled hay meadows just above Hawes, with big Wensleydale views. Well-behaved dogs are most welcome but must be kept on a lead around the park, which sits amid working sheep pasture. Pitches for tents, caravans and motorhomes plus a handful of pods; open April to October.
Eight miles and about four and a half hours, climbing the old flagged quarry track from Burtersett onto the broad back of Wether Fell and returning along the Cam High Road, the Roman road that runs dead straight across the top of Wensleydale; the summit plateau is peaty and slow after rain. Start at the Dales Countryside Museum in Hawes, walking out through Gayle or along the field paths to Burtersett; the 156 bus makes the walk possible without a car. Above the intake wall this is all open sheep fell with ground-nesting birds from March to July so the lead stays on, and there is no water once you are above the village, which matters on a warm day on ground with no shade at all; the good news for a big dog is the gates, because the Roman road and the quarry track are gated throughout and only the field paths at the Burtersett end have narrow stone stiles.
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