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.
A flat four and a quarter miles on the Harrogate Ringway between the two villages that sit either side of Crimple Beck, about two hours, mostly good field paths with a handful of kissing gates and one short lane section without a pavement. Start at St Robert's church in Pannal where there is limited village parking, or better, take the train to Pannal station, which is on the Leeds to Harrogate line and sits two minutes from the route. The beck fields carry cattle through the summer and a cow with a calf is the one thing here that genuinely warrants a wide berth, so read the field before unclipping; the Crimple gives a dog a drink at several points, and the low ground stays wet and heavy from December to March.
Scandinavian cafe on Oxford Street famed for cinnamon buns, skillingsboller and open sandwiches. Dogs are welcome inside and out during the daytime and staff make a genuine fuss of them; a civilised alternative to the town's no-dogs tearooms.
Three and a half miles of woodland and old railway on the north edge of Harrogate, about an hour and three quarters, with one steep set of steps down into the beck valley and a steady climb back out. Start from the Nidderdale Greenway access off Bilton Lane, where there is free roadside parking and the number 2A bus reaches Bilton from the town centre; the Greenway itself is tarmac and stays clean in any weather, which is the point of it. Dogs are off lead all the way through the Woodland Trust ground at Bilton Beck and Rudding Bottoms, there is no livestock, and the beck runs clear enough to drink from all year, though the woodland floor turns to deep mud between November and March while the viaduct crossing stays firm underfoot.
Four miles and about two hours from the top of the Valley Gardens out through Cardale Woods to the gritstone outcrop of Birk Crag, returning down the wooded ravine of Oak Beck, with roughly 100 metres of climbing on rooty woodland paths that hold mud through the winter. Start from the Harlow Carr end of Valley Gardens or the roadside parking on Cornwall Road; the 6 and 24 buses both put you within a few minutes' walk. The woods are the best off-lead ground within walking distance of Harrogate town centre and Oak Beck gives a clean drink, but the crag itself drops away suddenly, so call a dog back well before the top.
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