Walks · ALL OF GREAT BRITAIN
1,136 listed across the country. The 1,136 below carry a human-checked stamp — the rest are listed and waiting their turn.
A pocket-sized local nature reserve on the south-west edge of the city, giving a mile of woodland and meadow paths in twenty-five easy minutes; a remnant of genuinely ancient woodland with bluebells in May and shade in a heatwave. Park on Acomb Wood Drive or Foxwood Lane and walk straight in, or take the number 4 bus to Foxwood; there are no gates or stiles a big dog cannot manage. Dogs are off lead throughout with no livestock, but the reserve is small, popular and close to housing, so recall matters; the woodland paths get properly claggy after rain and this is not the one to pick in a wet January.
A four-mile linear walk back into Northallerton on field paths, farm tracks and Myers Lane, taking around an hour and three quarters, with several stiles and a level crossing at the start. The trick is to catch the half-hourly Bedale bus out from Northallerton, get off at Ainderby Steeple by the church and walk home. Dolly Lane is the sting in the tail, a narrow rat-run with fast traffic and thin verges where a short lead is essential, and the field sections are working pasture with cattle.
An out-and-back on open sand with no dog order of any kind over it, because the council Public Spaces Protection Order covers four named beaches in the county and Aldbrough is not one of them. Drop down the ramp at the seaward end of Seaside Road, past the caravan parks, and turn north with the clay cliff on your left. This is the sharp end of Europe’s fastest-eroding coastline: Aldbrough has lost its cliff road repeatedly, bungalows have gone over the edge within living memory, and at Great Cowden a mile and a half on you pass the remains of the old Rolston army range where concrete blocks and pillboxes lie on the beach where they fell. Turn round there. Go on a falling tide, because at high water the sea reaches the clay in several places and there is no way up; keep well out from the cliff foot throughout.
A short round from one of the largest village greens in the country, out west on the footpath along the north side of Aldbrough Beck and back on the path to the south, so it is a genuine loop rather than the same field twice. Under two miles, almost flat, and mostly grass and field-edge path rather than road, which makes it the best short walk in this cluster of villages for a dog that wants to be off the lead. There is no seasonal dog ban and no lead order in Aldbrough St John, because North Yorkshire's seasonal controls apply only to parts of Scarborough, Filey and Whitby. Fouling is the one enforced offence, at a £50 fixed penalty in the Richmondshire area and up to £1,000 on conviction.
A working-docks walk rather than a pretty one, and the better for it: Hull City Council's signposted circuit leaves St John's Church on Rosmead Street, crosses the park with its playground and exercise zone, and takes the old Withernsea branch line cycleway to the blue bridge over the railway into the dock estate. From there it follows the Holderness Drain down to Hedon Road, past the Alexandra Dock gatehouse and the restored hundred-ton steam crane that Associated British Ports keeps on the quay, with a short optional spur out to the Humber bank or into Hedon Road Cemetery, before returning past Hull Prison and up Southcoates Lane. It is Hull City Council land and highway, and Hull has no dog control Public Spaces Protection Order of any kind, so the only instruction on the council's route page is to pick up after your dog. Hedon Road is a dual carriageway with heavy port traffic and the drain bank is unfenced.
Three and a half miles and 195 metres of climbing in about two hours through the largest area of ancient semi-natural woodland in Northumberland, up one bank of the River Allen and back over Morralee Tarn. Start at the National Trust car park at Ridley Hall, signposted from the A69 between Haydon Bridge and Bardon Mill; it is charged for non-members and holds about 80 cars. This is a genuinely good off-lead wood with the Allen alongside the whole way for a drink and a swim, but the gorge paths run along steep drops above the river, the suspension bridge bounces and some dogs baulk at it, and red squirrels are a reason to keep a recall close.
Four miles in a shade under two hours, down to the East Allen at the old smelt mill and up the wooded riverside to Oakpool before returning by Monk’s Wood on a section of Isaac’s Tea Trail. Start in the market place at Allendale Town, where roadside parking is free and there is usually space except on the day of the New Year tar barrel parade. The river is beside you for most of the way with easy shelving access for a drink or a swim, the woodland stretches are safe off the lead, and the two hay meadows above Oakpool are grazed by sheep from autumn.
Six miles of nearly unbroken sand and dune in three hours, south past Buston and Birling Links to Warkworth beach and inland to the castle. Begin at the Alnmouth dune car park and come back on the X18 bus, which runs hourly between the two villages most of the day. This is the emptiest big beach on the county’s southern coast, unrestricted all year and off-lead the whole way, with burns crossing the sand for a drink; the dune slacks are grazed in places and the last half-mile follows the Coquet through Warkworth on lanes.
Four easy miles in about an hour and three quarters, along the beach below the coloured houses, round the mouth of the Aln and back beside the estuary to the village. Start from the beach car park on the dunes at the north end of Alnmouth, which is pay-and-display and modest in size; the streets themselves are largely residents-only. Alnmouth beach has no seasonal dog restriction and is off-lead sand, but the estuary mudflats are a roost for waders and the sheep-grazed dune bank between beach and river needs a lead.
Five and a half miles there and back in around two and a half hours, upstream from England’s highest market town on riverside path and old trackbed to the green at Garrigill. Start from the station car park at Alston, beside the South Tynedale Railway, which is free and the largest parking in the town; the cobbled market place has only a handful of spaces. The South Tyne is alongside almost the whole way with plenty of places for a dog to get in, and much of it is safely off the lead, but riverside meadows are grazed by sheep and there are stiles and gates to negotiate at the field boundaries.
Three point two miles of cliff and cove walking out to the fossil headland at Hope's Nose and back over the flat limestone top of Walls Hill, about two hours with 210 metres of climbing and several long flights of steps. Start at the pay-and-display car park on Anstey's Cove Road, a ten-minute walk from Kents Cavern and on the number 22 bus route; the descent to the cove itself is steep and Redgate Beach beyond it is fenced off because of rockfall. Anstey's Cove and Babbacombe are two of the Torbay beaches where dogs are allowed all year, so this is the reliable Torquay walk in August, but the meadow on Walls Hill is grazed in places and the cliff edges above Hope's Nose are unfenced and crumbling.
Green corridor tucked directly behind Northallerton High Street, where the Applegarth's grass and surfaced paths follow Willow Beck, one of several becks that thread through the town towards the River Wiske. A short, level town walk of a mile or so, ideal for an older dog or a quick leg-stretch between shops. No stock to worry about, though the beck banks can be muddy after rain.
Four and a quarter miles of flat lane and headland path around the fields between Appleton Roebuck and the Wharfe country north of Cawood, about an hour and three quarters with ten metres of ascent in the whole loop. Park on the wide green in the middle of Appleton Roebuck; there is no practical bus service, so come by car and make a morning of it with Bolton Percy church three miles away. This is straightforward arable country with gates rather than difficult stiles and long stretches of quiet lane where a reliable dog can walk loose, but sheep and cattle are grazed in the pasture blocks so lead up when you meet them; there is no open water on the route and the cross-field sections turn heavy after rain.
Two and a half miles there and back, an hour at most, out through the lit railway tunnel under the town and back by the Henmore Brook and Church Banks. Start from the Mapleton Lane car park at the Tissington Trail head, pay-and-display and the closest parking to the tunnel mouth. Level and surfaced almost throughout, so a good short leg-stretch for a dog that cannot manage hills, with close control rather than a lead needed on the trail, a shallow paddle in the Henmore, and a short pavement section on Church Street where a lead goes back on.
Two and three quarter miles with 80 metres of climbing, an easy hour and a quarter up the South Tyne from Garrigill to a waterfall you can walk behind, returning on the trail above. Start at the village green in Garrigill, where roadside parking is free but limited to perhaps fifteen considerate spaces, so a weekday is easier. Pools and cascades all the way up give a dog constant water and shallow paddling, the wooded gorge section is fine off the lead, and the only cares are the wet rock behind the fall itself and the sheep in the meadows either side.
Four and three quarter miles and a little over two hours, out of the market town on the Weavers' Way, the 61-mile path from Cromer to Great Yarmouth, down to the old Bure navigation and its lock at Aylsham mill and back on field-edge paths. It starts from the free long-stay car park off Aylsham Market Place, which is untimed except on Monday and Friday market days when the front rows fill by nine; the Bure Valley Railway station car park is the paid alternative. The going is flat with kissing gates rather than stiles, the Bure gives a shallow drink at the mill and again at the lock, and the meadows are grazed by cattle from spring to autumn so leads on there.
Four and a half miles round the windswept headland between Croyde and Putsborough, about two and a half hours with 180 metres of climbing, two gentle pulls and a stony narrow path along the north side. Start at the National Trust car park at the end of Moor Lane in Croyde, free to members and paid otherwise, and the busiest small car park in North Devon by nine on a surf morning. Dogs run free on the old fields along the top and there is a stream at Putsborough, but the drops on the seaward side are severe with no fence, seabirds nest on the cliffs from spring, and the crumbling walls hide sheep in the fields at the Croyde end.
Two and a half easy miles beside the Wye, an hour at most, on level gravel paths and a short stretch of pavement through the town. Start from the Bakewell Recreation Ground car park by the bridge, which is pay-and-display and the best bet in a town where parking is scarce on market Mondays. The river is slow and shallow at the weir and dogs swim there constantly, the packhorse crossing at Holme Bridge is a quiet spot to dry off, and only the last few hundred yards along Buxton Road need a lead for traffic.
Five and a half miles in about three hours, out along the sand and rock under the castle to the lighthouse at Blackrocks Point, round Budle Point to the mudflats at Waren Mill and back inland over the golf links. Start from the pay-and-display car park on Links Road in the village, which is the largest in Bamburgh and still full by mid-morning in August. Northumberland has no seasonal dog ban on this beach, so the sand is off-lead all year; the return crosses grazed fields and a working golf course, and the Budle Bay flats hold roosting wildfowl that a loose dog will scatter.
Seven and a half miles with barely 70 metres of climbing, three hours of it, south down four miles of open sand to Seahouses harbour and back on the dune path and field edges behind. It starts at the Links Road car park in Bamburgh, and if that is full the alternative is to run the walk in reverse from the big pay-and-display behind Seahouses seafront. The whole beach is free of any seasonal dog restriction, so it is off-lead sand nearly the entire way out, with fresh water where the Hoppen Burn crosses the beach; the inland return passes through sheep fields and along a short stretch of the B1340.
A field circuit from the middle of Barton: south down Marygate out of the village, on by farm track to the lane corner near Richmond Road, then back north-west on the bridleway to Wells Lane and Silver Street. It stays on the quiet side of the village, away from the A1(M) which runs close by to the west, and the only tarmac is the village end and the last half mile back up Marygate. There is no seasonal ban and no lead requirement on the rights of way, but the tracks run between working arable and grazing fields, so leads through anything with stock in it. Dog fouling on land the public can reach is a £50 fixed penalty in the Richmondshire area, £1,000 maximum on conviction.
A short lead walk round the built-up part of Barton: east along Silver Street past the market cross and the green, up East View and St Cuthberts Green, back down Silver Street and round by The Porch and Marygate. Under a mile and entirely on pavement and quiet village street, which makes it the one to do before work or in the dark rather than the field circuit south of the village. There is no dog exclusion order on the green and no seasonal restriction of any kind in this part of North Yorkshire. Fouling is the enforced offence, a £50 fixed penalty in the Richmondshire area and up to £1,000 on conviction.
A short two and a half mile hour on the flat, out along the whinstone spur of Ebb’s Nook past the ruined chapel and back through the village and dunes. Park at the harbour car park by the eighteenth-century limekilns, which is pay-and-display and small; the walk can also be started from the roadside at the south end of the village. Sand and rock with no seasonal dog restriction anywhere on this beach, so leads can come off, but the Nook is a narrow grassy promontory with abrupt low cliffs on both sides and the tide covers the causeway of rock at its base.
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 half miles around the outskirts of Bedale and Aiskew, almost entirely on pavements and surfaced paths with one low stile, and splittable at Bedale Beck bridge into a southern loop of about two and three quarter miles and a northern one of one and three quarter miles. Start at Bedale Leisure Centre on Firby Road; the red route is wheelchair friendly, though you may need to detour slightly for dropped kerbs around Sandhill Lane in Aiskew. This is the walk for a wet week or an elderly dog - hard surfaces throughout, water at the beck bridge and no field mud - and the one low stile is on the path near Big Sheep and Little Cow; it is pavement walking, so a lead is on for most of it.
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.
A 3.7-mile circuit of about two hours from the shingle at Beesands past the ruins of the village the sea took at Hallsands, returning by tracks and green lanes with 200 metres of climbing and one long flight of steps. Start at the free seafront car park at Beesands, reached by narrow lanes from Stokenham, with the Cricket Inn and toilets beside it; the lanes are single track with passing places so a wing mirror is a genuine consideration in August. Beesands is a dog-friendly beach all year and the ley behind it holds fresh water, but the green lanes get overgrown in high summer, the fields hold sheep, and the cliff edge above Hallsands is undercut and unfenced.
Beverley Beck is the town's three-quarter-mile cut down to the River Hull, and the towpath from Beckside is the flattest serious walk in the East Riding. From the old warehouses and the Barge Preservation Society's shed the path runs dead level past the Beck lock to the river at Grovehill, then turns north along the flood bank all the way to Hull Bridge at Tickton. The bank is grazed in places and the drop into the Hull is steep and tidal with no easy way out, so a dog that swims is better on a lead along the river section. There is no dog control order anywhere on this route; East Riding of Yorkshire Council's own countryside guidance is simply to keep the dog on a lead, or in sight at all times and confident it will return promptly on command.
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.
The largest wood in the old Selby district — 340 hectares of mixed forestry between Cawood and Sherburn in Elmet — with flat, wide rides and easy circular routes of four to seven kilometres. It is loved by local dog walkers and dogs run off lead on the main rides; spring carpets the floor in bluebells and wild garlic. Free roadside parking off the lane through the wood; some side paths get muddy and overgrown.
Three flat miles from Bishopthorpe village out to the Ouse below the Archbishop's palace, upstream along the bank towards Middlethorpe and back on the tarmac of the old railway; an easy hour and a half with no stiles and one gentle ramp. Park on Main Street or Chantry Lane and walk down Acaster Lane to the water; the number 11 bus from York runs through the village every half hour. Dogs can be off lead on the railway path and the riverbank away from the road, and the Ouse gives a swim from the shelving bank, but the riverside meadows are grazed in summer so watch for cattle; the riverside half floods after heavy rain, at which point the railway path alone still gives you a dry there-and-back.
Twenty hectares of plantation in the parish of Cantley-with-Branton, laid out around two hundred years ago as private hunting woodland on a seven thousand acre estate and closed to the public for most of its life. The Forestry Commission took it on in 1953 for timber and still kept people out; the council bought it in 1994 and opened it for the first time. Timber production continues alongside conservation work, so expect forestry rides, stacked logs and the occasional closed compartment rather than a manicured park. It is council open space under the Doncaster PSPO with no lake and no livestock, so no standing lead requirement, and it is quiet enough that you will often have the whole wood to yourself.
Two and three quarter miles and about an hour and three quarters on waymarked woodland circuits with a short scramble up onto the gritstone outcrop for a view over the whole Derwent valley. Start from the Black Rocks car park above Cromford, a county council site where charges apply at £3.50 for three hours or £7 all day, with toilets and picnic tables. The forest tracks are wide, shaded and free of livestock so a dog can be off the lead under close control, but the top of the outcrop is a genuine unfenced cliff used by climbers and no place for a loose dog, and there is no water on the route.
Four and a quarter miles in about two hours on the grassed sea wall, a stretch of flint lane and a farm track back through Blakeney village, with the whole of the Point and its seal colony laid out to the north. Start from the quay car park at the bottom of the High Street, pay and display and the only sensible place to leave a car in Blakeney; the village streets are narrow and largely permit-only. The sea wall is fenced from the grazing marsh but cattle are often on the Freshes and the ditches hold brackish water, so leads on past stock, and there is no drinkable water on the route until you are back at the quay.
Five and a half miles, about two and a half hours, on field paths, a quiet flint lane and the raised sea wall, linking three flint villages and the two great wool churches at Wiveton and Cley. It starts from the quay car park in Blakeney and can be shortened to three miles by turning back at Wiveton Bridge; the Coasthopper stops on the main road at the top of the village. Field-edge paths mean stiles and kissing gates, sheep and cattle graze the Glaven meadows so leads on there, and the River Glaven at Wiveton Bridge gives a safe shallow drink and a swim on a hot day.
Three and a half miles with 140 metres of climbing, an hour and a half up the Shildon Burn past the old lead-mine engine house, over the hill on a bridleway and back down the Derwent by Baybridge. Start from the free village car park just before the bridge at Blanchland, which holds about 30 cars and is the only sensible parking in this single-street estate village. Riverside and woodland where a dog can safely be loose with the Derwent to swim in, but the middle section crosses grazed pasture with gates, and the lane past Baybridge is narrow with fast cars in summer.
Three and a half miles of lane and field path out of Bolton Percy, past the enormous fifteenth-century church that dwarfs its village, with barely ten metres of climbing and about an hour and a half on the move. Park considerately on the village street near the church; there is no useful bus, so this is one for the car, and it pairs neatly with the station nature reserve half a mile down the lane. Quiet single-track lanes make up a good share of the route so a steady dog can walk loose between fields, but the arable land is worked and stock appears in the pasture, and the cross-field paths go to heavy clay in winter which makes this a firm-ground walk rather than a January one.
A two-mile perimeter circuit of one of York's four medieval strays, a big open triangle of grazing land on the northern edge of the city, level throughout and done in under an hour. Park on Wigginton Road or come out on the number 5 or 6 bus from the centre; the stray also links straight through to Haxby Road and the Foss on foot. Dogs get a proper off-lead gallop across the open grass, but cattle are turned out here through the summer and cows with calves will take an interest in a loose dog, so lead up and skirt them; the tracks round the edge drain reasonably and stay usable in winter, though the middle turns to a quagmire.
Forestry England's yellow-waymarked loop from the Guisborough Forest and Walkway visitor centre at Pinchinthorpe, 2.75 miles and about an hour and a half. It opens with a steep pull up through the beech wood behind the car park, then settles onto forest road and track through mixed plantation with Guisborough and the whole of Teesside laid out below. There is no seasonal closure and no blanket lead rule: the Forestry England dog code asks only that dogs are kept close and in sight, and put on a lead if recall is unreliable. The beck gives a drink on the lower section, and the car park is Redcar and Cleveland pay and display, £1.50 up to an hour to £6.00 all day.
The short option from Pinchinthorpe visitor centre, 1.9 miles on orange markers and about three quarters of an hour. It climbs through beech woodland onto the higher forest roads, takes the view out over Guisborough and Teesside, then drops back to the car park. Almost all of it is firm forest road, which makes it the trail to pick after rain or with an older dog, and there is no seasonal closure. The cafe and toilets at the visitor centre stay open until 3pm at weekends and bank holidays when the centre itself is shut.
Five miles and about two and a half hours, out onto the heather and gorse of Barrow Common for the view over the whole harbour, then down through Brancaster village and back along the Norfolk Coast Path past the Roman fort at Branodunum. Start at the harbour car park at Brancaster Staithe by the boatyards, free but small and usually taken by boat crews by mid-morning; the alternative is roadside space on the A149 through the village. Barrow Common allows a well-behaved dog off lead, the coast path section crosses grazed marsh where leads are needed, and the tidal creeks at the Staithe fill fast and run deep even in summer.
A mile and a third round the wooded hill that is the only rise for miles in this corner of the Vale, thirty-five minutes, undulating woodland path with a couple of short pulls but nothing steep and no stiles. The car park off Brayton Barff Road between Brayton and Thorpe Willoughby is free, and Selby station is two miles away with an hourly bus passing the lane end; it is signed off the A19 south of Selby. Dogs run free here and it is a local favourite for exactly that reason, there is no livestock and no cliff or road hazard, but there is also no water at all on the hill, so carry a bottle in summer; the sandy soil drains well and the paths stay walkable in winter when the surrounding fields are under water.
A flat mile and a bit round the part of Bridlington most visitors never see, a mile inland from the front. Start at the Priory on Church Green, go through the Bayle, the fourteenth-century gatehouse that is all that is left of the monastery buildings, then west along the cobbled Georgian High Street past the Board Inn and the Black Lion to Market Place and the old stocks outside the Pack Horse, and back by Applegarth Lane and the churchyard. No dog control order applies anywhere on the route, because the East Riding order covers only four named beaches, so the only real requirement is a lead on the road and picking up. The Priory itself holds Animal-Friendly Church status and will let a dog inside. Parking is the Old Town car park off Applegarth Lane, or on-street with a one-hour limit on the High Street.
Two and a half miles in an hour and a quarter, walking both waymarked routes back to back: the hard-surfaced pink circuit of 0.8 miles through the woodland and the 1.6-mile purple route out among the sweet chestnuts, where the ground is uneven and muddy after rain. The main entrance is off Haveringland Road from the B1149 Norwich to Holt road between Horsford and Felthorpe, postcode NR10 4DF, and the car parks are free with free admission to all 122 hectares. Dogs are permitted throughout this Norfolk Wildlife Trust and district council site, the pink route is firm enough for an old or short-legged dog, and there is no open water on either circuit so bring a bowl.
Five and a third miles of field paths around Brompton and Water End, about two hours, with sixteen stiles and eleven gates - a great deal of climbing for a dog and a reason to leave a stiff old hound at home. Start at the crossroads in the middle of Brompton; the Darlington bus stops at the church and the Stokesley bus at Water End, and there are pubs at both. Brompton Beck runs beside the first stretch for a drink, the fields are grazed and worked throughout, and the narrow concrete ford is genuinely slippery in wet or icy weather.
A short there-and-back down the old Great North Road from St Edward the Confessor's church to the River Aire, where John Carr's bridge of 1804 still carries the lane across into Ferrybridge and marks the county boundary. It is pavement nearly all the way, which makes it a usable evening walk in the dark and in bad weather when the field paths south of here are unwalkable. North Yorkshire Council's dog control order does not reach this parish beyond the fouling requirement, so there are no lead orders, no exclusions and no seasonal ban anywhere on the route; the £100 fixed penalty for not picking up is the only rule that applies. The riverbank below the bridge is steep and the Aire runs fast and deep here, so it is not a place to let a dog into the water.
Four miles of road and track walking with three grass fields to cross, about an hour and three quarters; because the fields are grass rather than plough it stays firm, which makes it one of the best wet-weather routes near Northallerton. Start from the Fox and Hounds car park at Bullamoor, where walkers are welcome to park if they call in for a coffee afterwards, or walk out from the town in twenty minutes. Expect a single-strand electric fence to step over near Stank Hall, cattle in the fields, and a stretch of lane with fast blind bends where a lead is essential.
Four and a half miles there and back, a flat and undemanding two and a quarter hours on the compacted trackbed that runs beside the fifteen-inch Bure Valley Railway for its nine miles between Wroxham and Aylsham. Start at the railway station car park at Hoveton and Wroxham beside the bridge, which is the trail head and has the largest parking in the village; the whole path can be walked one way with a train back if you time it with the timetable. It is traffic-free the entire distance with no stiles and good width for a nervous dog, the Bure is reachable at Belaugh and Coltishall for a drink, and steam trains pass close enough that a noise-shy dog wants a lead.
Six and a third miles of almost entirely quiet tarmac lane from Burrill through Bedale and back, about two and three quarter hours; unglamorous, but it is the walk to choose when every field in the vale is under water. Park considerately in Burrill, or start instead from Bedale market place, which has parking, toilets and a bus service. The verges are wide but these are working farm lanes with tractors and stock trailers, so a lead is sensible throughout, and there is little running water until Bedale Beck at the halfway point.
Five and a half level miles of dismantled railway along the Camel estuary, about two hours each way on a hard all-weather surface that stays walkable in the wettest week of the year. It starts beside the old station at the head of Padstow harbour; the harbourside pay-and-display car parks are the nearest and fill by mid-morning from Whitsun onwards, and Wadebridge has its own car park at the far end if you prefer to walk it inland to sea. There are no stiles, no livestock and no cliff edge, but this is a shared cycleway carrying fast bikes in both directions, so a short lead is the sensible default; the estuary itself is fenced off from the trail for most of the way.
Five and a quarter miles across the flat carr land between Carlton Miniott and Thirsk, roughly two hours on field paths, farm track and quiet road with almost no ascent at all. Start at Carlton Miniott, which has roadside parking, Thirsk railway station and a regular bus into town if you would rather walk one way. This is low, wet ground that stays boggy well into spring, several field paths cross grazing, and the East Coast Main Line and its crossings run alongside, so a lead is essential near the railway.
Five miles and around two and a half hours on chalk track, water-meadow path and the broad green line of the Peddars Way, out of the finest medieval village in Norfolk past the priory ruins, down the Nar to West Acre and back over the fields. Start from the free village green car park inside the castle bailey at Castle Acre, postcode PE32 2AE, which is untimed and takes about thirty cars; the priory has its own small car park when it is open. The Nar is a shallow chalk stream that gives a safe drink and a swim the whole way, sheep and cattle graze the meadows so leads are needed there, and the Peddars Way itself is stile-free.
The earthworks of a Norman motte and bailey castle on the ridge above Mexborough, kept as a small public park between Doncaster Road and Church Street with a memorial and long views over the Dearne valley. The motte and its ditch are the whole point of coming: the ground is grass and undulating rather than surfaced, and the climb onto the mound is short but steep. It is council open space with no lake and no livestock, so the borough PSPO imposes no standing lead requirement, only the duty to pick up and to keep out of any fenced play area. There is no car park, so it is street parking on Castle Hills Avenue and the roads off Doncaster Road.
A hidden gem painted by Turner: the falls tumble into a rock pool just two minutes' walk behind West Burton's village green, with free honesty-box parking. Dogs are welcome, and the walk can be extended up the Walden valley on field paths, but this is active farmland with sheep and sometimes cattle, so keep dogs under close control; several stiles and squeeze gates can defeat larger dogs. The dog-friendly Fox and Hounds sits on the green for afterwards.
A 7.5-mile circular of a little over three hours with 140 metres of climbing, dropping through the woods to Cayton Bay sands and then heading south on the Cleveland Way over Lebberston and Gristhorpe cliffs to the Gristhorpe Man tumulus, returning inland by field paths. Start from Cayton village, which has parking near the church and the 12 bus from Scarborough and Filey; the Killerby Cliff car park on the A165 saves you the first mile. Cayton Bay allows dogs all year and the sands are a superb swim, but the clifftop is unfenced and actively landslipping, the descent to the beach is steep and stepped, and the tide cuts the bay off under Osgodby Point.
Open parkland off Wigton Road on the west side of the city, laid out over medieval ridge and furrow that still shows in low sun. A network of surfaced paths links the restored Georgian Garden, the Manor grounds with their old trees and rebuilt ha-ha, a hay meadow that is cut once a year, and football pitches. It is a good short-legged or elderly-dog walk: nothing steep, everything surfaced, and a free car park at the community centre. Cumberland Council states no lead requirement and no exclusion here, only the duty to clear up, which carries a fine up to £1,000.
Five and a half miles there and back along a level, multi-user towpath from Tapton Lock towards Staveley, about two and a half hours with plenty of excuses to stop at locks. Start from the Tapton Lock car park off the A619 roundabout on the edge of Chesterfield, free and rarely full, with the visitor centre and toilets on site. The towpath is wide enough for a dog under close control rather than a lead, the canal is deep with steep banks so a dog that swims needs watching near the locks, and there are moorhens and swans nesting along the margins from spring onwards.
Seven miles of heritage-coast clifftop between Whitby and Robin Hood's Bay, with bay and beach views for most of the way. It is the classic coastal leg of the Cleveland Way, dropping you into the huddled red roofs of Bay at the far end.
A flat 3.5-mile circuit of riverside floodplain meadows just downstream of Clifton Bridge, and one of York's favourite off-lead romps along the Ouse. Cattle graze parts of the Ings in summer, so read the field before unclipping and lead up around stock — there are alternative paths to route around a herd. These are working flood washlands: after heavy rain the whole area can be underwater, so check conditions first.
A mile and a half of ridge-and-furrow meadow, scrub and old airfield concrete tucked behind Clifton, level and quiet and easily done in half an hour, which makes it a sensible choice for an arthritic dog or a hot afternoon. Walk in from Rawcliffe Lane or Water Lane; there is no dedicated car park but plenty of residential parking, and the number 20 bus stops on Water Lane. Dogs can be off lead on the meadow paths with no livestock to worry about, though the reserve is managed for wildflowers and ground-nesting birds so keep to the mown paths in spring and early summer; the wartime hardstanding gives you firm footing when everything else in York is mud.
An easy 4.7-mile circular of about two hours, north on the Cinder Track from Burniston to Cloughton old station and its millennium milepost, out to Cloughton Rocks and the Wyke, then south along the clifftop to Crook Ness and back by field path. Park in Burniston village or at the Cinder Track access on Limestone Road; the 12 and 13 buses from Scarborough stop on the main road through the village. Level, well-surfaced and gentle enough for an elderly dog on the railway half, though the clifftop stretch is unfenced above a sheer drop and the fields inland are grazed by sheep.
A 6.7-mile circular of about three hours with only 140 metres of climbing, out to the flat rock scars of Cloughton Wyke, north along the clifftop past Roger Trod and Hundale Point to Hayburn Wyke, and back down the Cinder Track. Park at the Cinder Track car park by Cloughton old station, signed off the A171 in the village, where the 12 and 13 buses from Scarborough also stop. The clifftop path is famously muddy even in high summer and runs unfenced along a crumbling edge, but the old railway back is wide and gated for off-lead running, and the rock pools at Cloughton Wyke are a fine place for a dog to paddle at low water.
Two and a bit miles out and the same back, around two hours all told, on the flattest and best-drained stretch of the old Scarborough to Whitby line, barely 80 metres of gradient, no stiles, no gates and no road crossings. Start at the old Cloughton station on the Cinder Track, where there is a small free car park and the number 115 bus stops on the A171 five minutes away. This is proper off-lead country, wide, enclosed by hedge and cutting, with becks under the bridges to drink from, though cyclists come through quickly on the descents and the track is shared with horses.
Danby Wiske is the lowest point on Wainwright's 192-mile Coast to Coast Walk, and the flat vale stretch through the village makes a satisfying out-and-back of any length along quiet lanes and field paths beside the River Wiske. This is working dairy and arable country crossed by stiles, so expect cattle and sheep and keep dogs on leads through pasture. The White Swan at the halfway point welcomes dogs inside.
A 3.4-mile loop of the whole 450-acre estate, an hour and a half on tarmac drives, laid paths and bridleways through parkland, water meadows, three ornamental lakes and the woods above Manscombe, with only 110 metres of climbing. Park in the pay-and-display car park by Cockington Court, five minutes from Torre Abbey and served by town buses, and note that the shorter lake circuit is fully surfaced if the woodland tracks are wet. Dogs are welcome across the park and there is water in the lakes and the stream, though the ornamental rose garden and the craft studios are best done on a lead; the Drum Inn at the village end takes dogs and serves food daily.
A gentle 1.2-mile circuit of a tree-fringed moorland reservoir just north of Osmotherley, on a wide, well-surfaced and largely gated path that suits dogs of all ages - many walk it off lead. Leads go back on where the route touches open moor and the Cleveland Way, as sheep graze right up to the water in places. Free parking at the reservoir and in the village, which has toilets and a shop.
Flat 4.3-mile circular from Thirsk market place following Cod Beck north to South Kilvington, through Underwood Plantation and back through New Thirsk, with fine views to the Hambleton Hills. The quiet riverside and country paths make an easy dog walk, and the beck's shallows are popular for a paddle. Field sections cross grazing land, so keep dogs close where stock are out.
Four miles down both banks of the Nidd below the town, an hour and three quarters, largely level riverside path with a short flight of steps at Waterside and a stretch of woodland that gets slippery when wet. Start from the pay-and-display car park at Conyngham Hall, which is signed off the A59 and never quite fills, and Knaresborough station is a ten-minute walk away on the Leeds to York line. Dogs can run the whole riverside once you are past the Waterside cafes, the Nidd here is deep and slow with easy shelving entries for a swimmer, and there is no livestock; the far bank below Grimbald Bridge floods after heavy rain, in which case turn it into an out-and-back rather than wading.
Two flat miles round the edge of Copmanthorpe on lanes and field paths, under an hour and with ten metres of climbing in total, which makes it about the gentlest genuine countryside loop within reach of York for a dog that no longer does distance. Park on Main Street or by the recreation ground; the number 12 bus runs frequently from York, and the village sits right beside the A64 for anyone passing. Gates rather than stiles throughout, quiet lanes where a steady dog can walk loose and open arable where recall matters more, with sheep occasionally in the pasture blocks; there is no natural water, and while the lanes stay clean all winter the field paths turn heavy, so a lane-only variation is the January answer.
A signposted Hull City Council route that follows the Setting Dyke drain west from National Avenue, then climbs a footbridge over the Hull to Cottingham and Scarborough branch line to reach Priory Drive and the tree-lined track and cycleway that runs behind the Shropshire Close and Warwickshire Close estates. It ducks under the County Road North flyover and comes back down the drain, so the whole thing is a green corridor squeezed between the railway and the western suburbs. It is Hull City Council land and highway, not East Riding, and the city has no dog control Public Spaces Protection Order at all; the council's own route notes ask only that you pick up after your dog. There are gates, chicanes and steps at the bridge, and the drain-side sections are rough and boggy after rain.
Seven and a third miles south round Black Head to a hidden cove under an Iron Age cliff castle, four hours with 300 metres of climbing on a coast path that is rocky and slow rather than steep. It starts from the Coverack car park and there is no shop or tap between there and the turn, so carry water for the dog as well as yourself. Stiles are reported fine for dogs and every beach on this stretch, five of them, allows dogs all year, which makes it the best long August walk on the Lizard; the compensation is a great deal of unfenced clifftop.
A gentle two and a half mile loop around Crakehall's huge village green and down to the watermill on Bedale Beck, about an hour on grass, unpaved track and a short length of pavement beside the A684. Park considerately on the green itself; the Bedale to Leyburn buses stop on the main road through the village and the Bay Horse stands beside the green. The green is one of the few places in this patch where a dog can genuinely have a run off the lead, but the beck path passes grazing land and the A684 traffic is fast, so lead on for that stretch.
Six and a third miles linking Crakehall to Bedale by way of Langthorne Wood, roughly two and a half hours over field paths and farm tracks with about a third of the distance on quiet tarmac. Start from the parking at the north end of Crakehall green; Bedale, halfway round, has cafes, toilets, parking and the Wensleydale Railway station if you want to cut it short. Cattle and sheep graze several of the pasture fields and the wood turns to deep mud from November to March, so this is a boots-and-lead walk rather than a free run, with Bedale Beck the best drinking water.
A six and a half mile linear half-day of about three hours along the least-walked stretch of the Northumberland Coast Path, past Cullernose Point, Howdiemont Sands and Sugar Sands to the fishermen’s village of Boulmer. Start at the Craster quarry car park; there is no bus back on Sundays, so either arrange a lift from Boulmer or accept a thirteen-mile day. Long empty beaches with no seasonal dog restriction and burns to drink from, but the cliff path is unfenced above Cullernose, several fields hold cattle, and the last mile into Boulmer crosses grazing where the fixed penalty for a dog off lead near stock is the farmer’s to report.
The best-known walk on this coast: four and a half miles and a little over two hours, level turf out to the castle, then sand round Embleton Bay and farm tracks back over Dunstan Square. Start from the Northumberland Coast car park in the old quarry at Craster, pay-and-display and the only real parking in the village, which is full by ten on any decent summer day. The clifftop grazing means leads on for the cattle between Craster and the castle, but Embleton Bay is dogs-all-year sand with no council restriction, and there are two gates rather than stiles on the inland return.
A short circuit from the south end of Croft Bridge that takes in the whole of the village: down the A167 past St Peter's Church, out along Richmond Road, back on the field path towards Spa Bank where the old spa wells were, and home along South Parade beside the Tees. There is no seasonal dog ban anywhere here, because North Yorkshire Council's seasonal dog control measures cover only parts of Scarborough, Filey and Whitby. What does apply is the fouling offence: fail to pick up on land the public have access to and it is a £50 fixed penalty in the Richmondshire area, up to £1,000 on conviction. The A167 stretch by the bridge carries fast traffic on a narrow pavement, so this is a lead-on start whatever your dog is like.
Ten and a half miles there and back along a dead-level towpath through the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site, four to four and a half hours, and one of the few long days in Derbyshire with no climbing in it at all. Start from Cromford Wharf, a county council car park where charges apply at £3.50 for three hours or £7 all day, 8am to 8pm from April to October and 9am to 5pm in winter. The towpath is a Site of Special Scientific Interest with water voles and nesting waterfowl so keep a dog out of the reed margins, close control is enough on the path itself, and Leawood Pumphouse and High Peak Junction both break the walk up with something to look at.
Four and a half miles in two hours, south from the harbour along low cliffs to the basalt columns of Cullernose Point, then inland by Howick Hall and field paths back to the village. The start is the quarry car park at Craster; it is pay-and-display and the busiest on the coast, so an early arrival or a weekday is worth planning for. Fulmars nest on the Cullernose cliffs and the path runs unfenced along the top, so leads on for that half-mile, then cattle and sheep on the fields inland; the Howick Burn gives a drink and the whinstone shore below has no seasonal dog ban.
A 4.2-mile waymarked forest loop with 100 metres of ascent and a shade under two hours, following Dalby Beck upstream on wide forest road before climbing gently onto the rigg and dropping back; the going is gravel and forest track throughout, which makes it a reliable choice when everything else in Ryedale is under water. It starts at the Dalby Forest visitor centre at Low Dalby, reached by the toll Forest Drive from Thornton-le-Dale where a car pays a day charge at the barrier, so this is not a walk to arrive at on a whim. Dalby Beck runs alongside for two miles with easy access for drinking and splashing, there is no livestock at all, and dogs may be off the lead on the trail, though the forest is worked and the drive itself carries slow but constant traffic.
Over 8,500 acres of Forestry England woodland in the southern moors, entered via the toll road from Thornton-le-Dale, with waymarked walking trails from easy-access lakeside strolls at Low Dalby to all-day forest hikes. Dogs are welcome and can run off lead on the forest tracks under control - keep them close near the visitor centre, cyclists and wildlife areas. Open daily 8am to 8pm, with a cafe and facilities at the visitor centre.
The council's own two-mile circuit of the ravine, down through the woods to the shingle at Dykes End, across the beck and up the far bank, then north along the ravine top to Flamborough Road and back. It is the one walk on this headland that is properly sheltered, so it works in a gale off the North Sea when the clifftops are unwalkable. No dog order applies anywhere on the reserve, and the council asks only for close control, so a dog can be off the lead the whole way apart from the short section beside the access road. There are steps at both ends of the beach crossing and the ground is rough and root-crossed in the woods. Start and finish at the pay and display car park on Flamborough Road, grid reference TA215694.
The reclaimed ground of Dinnington colliery, which closed in 1992 and is now woodland, wetland and meadow owned by The Land Trust and looked after with The Conservation Volunteers. The main path network is surfaced and mostly wider than two and a half metres, with narrower unsurfaced trails running off it through the trees; gradients range from flat to one in ten in places. Access is open, with barriers at the entrances that still let motorised buggies through. The entrance is on Church Lane at the eastern edge of Dinnington.
Three miles and a steep 400 metres of climbing on forest roads and footpaths from the Old Sawmill car park opposite Mirehouse, up through Sitka and larch to the bare cone of Dodd at 502 metres. The summit is out of the trees and looks down the length of Bassenthwaite Lake to the Solway and across to Skiddaw's western flank. Forestry England grade the green-waymarked route hard, and the upper zigzags are loose in places. The Lake District Osprey Project viewpoints are signed off the lower forest roads, and the Old Sawmill tea room sits at the foot of the hill.
The Driffield Navigation is the eleven-mile cut that made Driffield a market town, and the top of it is a proper canal basin at Riverhead, five minutes from the Market Place and a couple of hundred yards from the railway station. This out-and-back follows the towpath south past Whin Hill Lock and Bethells Bridge to Snakeholme Lock, with the crystal-clear chalk stream of the River Hull running alongside for much of it and hardly a gradient anywhere. It is one of the few genuinely all-weather flat walks in the Wolds and the surface is grass and mown towpath rather than stone, so it takes a boot after rain. The navigation is privately maintained by the Driffield Navigation Trust rather than the Canal and River Trust, the banks are steep and the water is deep and cold, so a dog that swims is safer on a lead near the lock chambers.
A 2.8-mile hour-and-a-half loop over the double summit of the wooded hill that rises out of Blackmore Vale, 230 acres of ancient small-leaved lime coppice with bluebells in May and long views west from the clearings. The main east to west track is stoned but steep near the entrance gate, and the side paths are grass, wet and genuinely muddy in winter. Start from the free Woodland Trust car park off New Lane three miles west of Shaftesbury, room for about twenty-five cars, with a two-metre height barrier at the entrance that rules out high vans. Dogs are welcome in Woodland Trust woods and this one is unfenced from any road, which makes it good off-lead ground; roe deer are everywhere, so recall matters.
Three point nine miles of easy coast above the eastern shore of the Salcombe estuary, taking around two and a quarter hours with 190 metres of climbing on rocky cliff path, a surfaced lane and one green lane. Start at the small East Portlemouth car park, or leave the car in Salcombe and cross on the passenger ferry from Whitestrand, which takes dogs for a small fare and saves the long drive round by Frogmore. This is the best dog walk on the estuary because Mill Bay, Sunny Cove and Rickham Sand all stay open to dogs year round, there is sheltered water to swim in on the way out, and the only care needed is the unfenced cliff top by Gara Rock and stock in the fields on the green lane home.
Four point one miles and two and a quarter hours out to the most southerly point in Devon, down ancient green lanes to the coastguard lookout and back along the raised beach terraces, with 210 metres of climbing and a couple of steep pulls. Start on the green at East Prawle, which has a small free car park, two pubs and no public transport at all, so the car is the only way in and the lanes down from Chivelstone are single track. The green lanes and cliff terraces make for a long off-lead run, there is water at the Pigs Nose for dogs and drinkers, and the hazards are honest ones: cattle on the terraces, sheep in the fields and a low unfenced cliff above Langerstone Point.
A 4.6-mile circular of about two hours on the old private toll road that runs beside the Esk from Egton Bridge to Grosmont, out past Barnards Road toll cottage and back by field paths above the river; easy underfoot with one modest pull. Start at Egton Bridge station on the Esk Valley line, or park considerately in the village near the Postgate Inn and the stepping stones. The toll road is broad, gated and sees only the occasional car, so it suits a dog off the lead, but the return crosses grazed fields with gates and the Esk is deep and quick in the pools by the stepping stones.
The gentlest of the Dalby waymarked routes at 3.4 miles with only 40 metres of ascent and about an hour and a half, running south-west down the valley towards Ellerburn on level forest road with one short rise back to the centre. It begins at Low Dalby visitor centre, where the pay-and-display is included in the Forest Drive toll, and the centre has a cafe, toilets and outside water taps that make it an easy first stop of the day. The beck is close for most of the way, the surface is kind on old joints and puppy paws alike, and there is no stock and no stile on the whole route, so a dog can be off the lead the entire way with only forestry vehicles and cyclists to watch for.
A Green Flag park on Armroyd Lane with terraced ornamental gardens dropping to the old canal-feeder reservoir, which is a local nature reserve with a bird hide on its bank. Barnsley Council sets no lead rule here, so the borough dog control PSPO is the whole of the law: clear up at once, carry bags, keep out of the fenced play area. The circuit round the water is level and the climb back through the terraces is the only gradient. Elsecar Heritage Centre and the heritage railway are five minutes away at the bottom of Wentworth Road, so the park and the yard make one outing.
Three miles of flat field path and lane out of Elvington to the River Derwent and back, an hour and a quarter of gentle going with only about ten metres of climbing in the whole route. Start from Main Street in the village where there is roadside parking near the bridge, and the number 46 bus from York stops in Elvington; the Yorkshire Air Museum makes an obvious pairing for the drive. The riverbank gives dogs a drink and a shallow entry, the lanes are quiet enough for a good dog to walk loose, and there are no stiles, but the fields are worked and often have stock so keep the lead handy; the low-lying sections beside the Derwent hold water badly and this is a summer and autumn walk rather than a January one.
Kingswood was built on drained carrland in the 1990s and 2000s, and the Engine Drain that made the building possible now runs through it as a tree-lined trail, which is the one properly green thing in a district otherwise made of retail sheds and new housing. Hull City Council's signposted circuit starts at the Kingswood Retail Park bus interchange by Asda, picks the drain up at the zebra crossing and follows it past the playground and Kingswood Parks Primary School to the Village Green shops, returning by Runnymede Avenue, Richmond Way, Barnes Way, Ashcombe Road and Althorp Road. It is all Hull City Council land and highway, and Hull has no dog control Public Spaces Protection Order at all, so the council's own guidance for the route asks only that you pick up after your dog. It is flat and hard-surfaced almost throughout, which makes it a good winter option, but there are several busy estate-road crossings.
The best six miles of the Esk Valley Walk, a linear 6.1-mile stage of about two and a half hours with only 70 metres of climbing, past the stepping stones at Lealholm, on through Glaisdale, over Beggar's Bridge and the Monks' Trod to Egton Bridge and down to Grosmont. Start from the car park by the bridge in Lealholm; every village on the stage has a station on the Esk Valley line, so you can walk one way and take the train back. Riverside meadows and woods with several safe places for a dog to get in the water, but there are grazed fields and gates throughout and the stepping stones at both Lealholm and Egton Bridge go under after heavy rain.
Three miles there and back along the towpath of the oldest ship canal in the country, an hour and a quarter of completely level walking on a wide surfaced path from the warehouses on Exeter Quay to the lock keeper's house at Double Locks. Start at the Quay itself, ten minutes downhill from the High Street with paid parking on Haven Road and a free bike and boat ferry crossing the basin in season; the towpath is traffic free the whole way and shared with cyclists. It is the reliable all-weather city walk for a dog, flat and firm with grass verges to sniff and the canal to drink from, but the water is deep and steep-sided with few easy exits, the towpath is busy with bikes at commuting times, and there is no livestock or stile anywhere on it.
Forty-two acres of steep wooded banks, becks and wetland in a cleft below Coulby Newham, the old grounds of Gunnergate Hall and now a Green Flag site. The perimeter walk from Gunnergate Lane runs round the lake, past the bird hide and the carved wooden statues, and climbs the wooded sides on paths the council itself warns are uneven. It is the muddiest ground in Middlesbrough after rain and the closest thing the town has to a proper wood. Middlesbrough's only Public Spaces Protection Order covers the TS1 town centre, so there is no lead requirement here and no seasonal ban.
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