We’ve teamed up with Adventuros dog treats to take you and your best friend for some walks on the wild side, taking in castles, forests and beaches, and some of the best places to take a nap
South Downs
Travelling can be stressful when you don’t have your four-legged friend for company.
A recent survey by OnePoll for The Times discovered a quarter of dog owners say they don’t enjoy going away without them at all.
In turn, we know that many pooches crave time outdoors with humans, which begs a simple question – why not take them along for the ride?
With this in mind and the help of Adventuros – delicious doggy snacks available in a variety of wild flavours – we’ve put together a guide combining some great walkies in the British countryside with places to stay where everyone can wolf down a good meal and stretch out for the night.
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Seven Sisters and Friston Forest Circular Walk,
East Sussex, 7.5 miles
Part of the South Downs National Park, Friston Forest has some of the finest views in the south of England.
There are multiple starting points for this walk, with parking at Seven Sisters Country Park (named after the chalk cliffs – the standout attraction you’ll see on your walk), East Dean and Birling Gap.
Start at Seaford Beach and follow the path up and along the top of the cliffs – your furry friend will love the fresh, salty air – while taking good care of yourself and your pet.
Continue on to Hope Gap, where, so long as the tide is low, you’ll have the chance to go down to the beach. Cuckmere Haven is next, which has the best view of the Seven Sisters and is a popular spot with anglers as the mouth of the River Cuckmere provides rich pickings.
You’ll return to your starting point via meadows – a riot of wildflowers in the summer – and forest, as well as The Cuckmere Inn, in Seaford: a good spot for a post-perambulation pint with your pup.
Stop over at The Star in peaceful, picturesque Alfriston, a lovingly revamped 15th-century inn run by TV hotel inspector Alex Polizzi. It has a bar and restaurant and is very dog-friendly.
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Kent
Scotney Castle Parkland Trail, Kent, 2 miles
Rated as one of Kent’s finest walks, this is a moderately hilly stroll around the National Trust’s Scotney Castle and its grounds in the High Weald, an area of outstanding natural beauty just east of Lamberhurst. Prime dog walking country.
Scotney is currently participating in the National Trust’s Pooch Passport scheme, and with 780 acres of estate grounds there are plenty of ways to extend your walk there, though dogs must be kept on a lead at all times for the sake of farm animals and wildlife.
There are in fact two castles here: one a romantic ruin that sits on its own moated island and is the centrepiece of a beautiful garden; the second a mansion house built in the mid-19th century, which was rented for a time by Margaret and Denis Thatcher as a retreat from Westminster (her husband was made the 1st Baronet of Scotney, a hereditary title, in 1991 – the first Baronetcy to be created since 1964).
Parkland and woodland are the order of the day, but do keep an eye out for the 600-year-old Scotney Castle hornbeam, a tree thought to be the oldest of its species in England (owing its great age to the way it has been pruned).
The Grade II-listed Hotel du Vin in nearby Tunbridge Wells has its own restaurant serving highly regarded French cuisine. And for £25, there’s some posh pooch pampering too, including a snuggly dog bed and mat.
Somerset
Bath Skyline Walk, Somerset,
6 miles
This circular walk’s elevated position offers ever-changing views of the city of Bath that can be admired while your dog (let’s hope) digs up some Roman coins. The contrast between the city and this rural haven has earned the area Unesco World Heritage Site status.
Start by Bathwick Fields to the east of the city and walk clockwise, diverting into Sham Castle, a Grade II-listed folly.
The route continues up along Bathampton Meadows – a “green corridor” linking Batheaston and the city along the River Avon – to Little Solsbury Hill, an Iron Age hillfort. Then walk behind the university and back round to pretty Smallcombe Cemetery, which contains the grave of Frederick Weatherly, composer of Danny Boy.
Stretch out at The Bird, a colourful boutique hotel near to the beginning of the walk, which has a restaurant serving food with British and Asian influences. Canine companions receive a bed and water bowl for £25.
pooch-friendly getaways
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Hampshire
Tall Trees Trail Walk, Hampshire, 1.5 miles
If you love trees as much as your dog, you’ll be in heaven right here. The wooded trails in this area include some the biggest trees in the New Forest National Park: Wellingtonia coast redwoods – giant sequoias, similar to those in northern California. Beneath their lofty canopy it’s remarkably peaceful and shaded.
This entire area is criss-crossed by trails, so your walk can be anything from a light 1.5-mile trail – taking in the maturing trees and sculptures of Blackwater Arboretum (start at the free Blackwater car park) – to ten miles by ranging further afield to adjacent woodland and moorland.
The paths here are mostly flat and have no gates. It can get very marshy further afield and therefore wet in winter, so be prepared for a muddy mutt.
Settle down at Balmer Lawn Hotel – a four-star, family-run country house hotel with 20 rooms, including ones with beds for pooped pooches (£25).
North Devon
Heddon’s Mouth Walk, Devon, 2 miles
The north Devon-Somerset coast between Ilfracombe and Minehead is especially beautiful. One of its finest walks descends through lush, ancient woodland of sessile oaks, ash and rare whitebeams alongside the River Heddon to the sea between some of England’s highest cliffs.
Designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest, the valley is home to a variety of wildlife. It’s the perfect place to stop for a breather and perhaps reward your pooch for good behaviour with an Adventuros chew (or maybe a few nuggets – there’s a choice of irresistibly chewy textures in the range).
Starting at the Hunter’s Inn, turn left and follow the footpath signposted for Heddon’s Mouth and descend towards the beach. You can stroll around at low tide before turning around, crossing a wooden bridge and walking back along the path upstream as the cliffside, carved out during the last Ice Age, begins to climb steeply.
If you want to extend the walk, it’s possible to branch left and take the South West Coastal Path past a delightful waterfall into secluded Woody Bay.
Reflect on a great day at Hunters Inn, which is right at the start of the walk. It’s a National Trust-owned pub with ten bedrooms, some of which have balconies overlooking well landscaped gardens. There’s a warm welcome for dogs, too.
Yorkshire Dales
Settle Walk, Yorkshire Dales,
5-6 miles
The Yorkshire Dales is one of 15 national parks in the UK, spanning 841 square miles of hills, valleys, moors, dry stone walls, farmland and hundreds of walking trails.
Settle is a busy market town in the foothills of the Pennines beside the largest outcrop of limestone in Britain, a region of scars, cliffs, caves and potholes. It’s a perfect place to embark on many invigorating walks, with your best friend leading the way.
This is a fairly challenging circular walk that takes in a bit of everything: some fabulous geology, gorgeous scenery and, in town, local history. The core part runs north out of town towards Langcliffe and, just beyond, the cascading Catrigg Force waterfall, before turning back south to a succession of caves where prehistoric bones have been found. The climbs up to them can be steep, however, so bear your dogs’ agility, stamina and fitness in mind before taking the trip, and climb responsibly.
Beyond, Attermire Scar is a delightfully bleak and rugged series of limestone scars, crags and scree slopes before you turn west back to town to discover its Grade I-listed museum and old Quaker buildings. There are bundles of cafés and pubs in Settle but, with dog biscuits and drinking water on hand, The Singing Kettle café in town is top dog.
Put your paws up at The Harts Head Hotel in nearby Giggleswick, which has a special bed for four-legged family members, plus good food and ale for humans.
Shropshire
Stiperstones Circular, Shropshire, 5.5 miles
This is a fantastic walk up among AE Housman’s “blue remembered hills”, along a 500-million-year-old quartzite ridge, via bracing moorland with amazing views at the summit of the surrounding countryside and as far as Wales.
The route runs north from the car park through heathland, along a wood, rising up past Cranberry Rock and Manstone Rock to the Devil’s Chair, supposedly haunted to this day.
More prosaically, it’s rocky and uneven higher up, but you can skirt the area if necessary. It is also one of the furthest places south you can see red grouse in the wild so you’ll need to keep your dog on a lead.
There is a visitor centre and café, The Bog, at the bottom (its speciality: bog cake). A stick’s throw away, The Stiperstones Inn is perfect for a well-earned post-walk pint.
The Castle Hotel, ten miles south in market town Bishops Castle, is a four-star hotel that has gone to the dogs in the best possible way.
Northumberland
Budle Bay to Bamburgh, Northumberland, 3-5 miles
Bamburgh was once the capital of ancient Northumbria. Its imposing Norman castle remains one of the county’s most impressive sights and serves as a backdrop to this route, while the sandy beaches and dunes below are some of the best in England.
Start in Budle Bay, part of the Lindisfarne National Nature Reserve – which attracts puffins and guillemots – and walk past a small lighthouse down the coast to the castle before retracing your route. Set aside time to explore the castle and drink up the views.
Bamburgh has a number of excellent cafés and pubs to fortify yourselves in. A short drive south is Beadnell Towers, a boutique hotel that puts up puppies, has a bar and serves seasonal regional dishes in its restaurant.
The Trossachs
Luss Heritage Trail, Argyll and Bute, Scotland, 1.5 miles
A 45-minute drive (or an hour's bus ride) out of Glasgow brings you and your four-legged chum to Luss on the bonny, bonny banks of Loch Lomond. This picturesque, varied walk takes in the heritage village, along with the waterside, river and ancient woodland.
Luss was originally known as Clachan Dhu – the dark village – because it lay in the shadow of the surrounding hills. Today, neat rows of cottages once owned by slate workers come alive in spring and summer with elaborate flower displays to delight visitors on their way to the loch shore. There are a number of cafés and stores to grab a snack.
The walk takes in a full circuit of the village, river and surrounding countryside, with some steep sections and steps. To extend it further, follow the Luss Glen road up to the hills.
The Lodge On Loch Lomond is a 48-bed four-star hotel and a waterfront restaurant serving local seafood that accepts woofers (fee £25).
County Down
Tollymore Forest Trail, Newcastle, County Down,
0.5-5.5 miles
This is a delightful forest walk full of old follies (including a barn dressed up to look like a church), plus panoramic views of the surrounding mountains and the Irish Sea at Newcastle.
Covering an area of almost 630 hectares at the foot of the Mourne mountains, Tollymore Forest Park was once part of a grand estate but became the first state park in Northern Ireland. There are four trails within the park varying between half a mile and five and a half miles.
Along the way tree lovers and their owners can find experimental forest plots of exotic trees, including eucalyptus, and stop to admire giant redwoods and Monterey pines. Oak hewn from here was used for the interiors of the Titanic.
The section along the Shimna River is marked by rocky outcrops, bridges, grottos and caves. In town, Birch is a vegan/vegetarian and dog-friendly café on the main street.
The five-star Slieve Donard Hotel is a luxury Victorian resort hotel with bar and restaurant next to Royal County Down golf club. It hosts hounds too – for £35 per dog, per night.
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Lake District
Thirlmere Circular, Cumbria,
5 miles
The Lakes are walking heaven for two legs and four. Voted as the UK’s most dog-friendly town by the Kennel Club, Keswick is a perfect base.
This route is one of the less strenuous hikes in these parts, but it still has fine views. Begin at Legburthwaite car park (which has public toilets) and cross the road, keeping your dog on a lead.
The route proceeds south through woodland and along the shoreline of Thirlmere reservoir, offering superb views across to Raven Crag, High Seat and the Watendlath Fell. It then climbs back to the main road alongside one of the feeder streams.
Cross carefully again to a second car park (more toilets). Across a footbridge there’s a view up towards St John’s in the Vale and lofty Blencathra that rivals any Lakeland landscape. Return north past exhilarating waterfalls at Fisher Place Gill.
The Inn on the Square might just be Keswick’s top dog-friendly hotel. Pets can put their paws up for £15 per dog per night, including a dog bed and a bowl. There are two bars and a steakhouse restaurant.
Peak District
Fernilee Reservoir, Goyt Valley, Peak District, 6 miles
Buxton is a charming old thermal spa town and a great base for walking in the Peak District. Fernilee Reservoir, built in the 1930s and situated a few miles north of the town, is an excellent walking spot.
Start from the car park on the west side of Errwood Reservoir; don’t cross the dam but hug the banks of Fernilee. Then make your way through woods as far as the church at Taxal.
Cross over and hug the River Goyt, now on your right, as you walk back south along a disused railway track. Then cross over Goyt’s Lane between the two reservoirs and head back to the car park. There are several route permutations to trim or extend the walk if you prefer.
The Ensana Buxton Crescent Health Spa Hotel is a newly renovated grade I listed Georgian pile that was once the centrepiece of the Fifth Duke of Devonshire’s plans to establish a fashionable Georgian spa town in Buxton. It has 80 bedrooms, a restaurant and two bars to choose from, and welcomes dogs from £20 per night.
Highlands
Loch Ness and Torr Woods Circular, Dores, Highlands,
4 miles
This lovely woodland walk offers great views from the shores of Loch Ness and Aldourie Castle. It begins in Dores, a lochside village that dates back to the 1st century, its name meaning “dark wood”.
Join a footpath behind the shore from the Dores Inn car park, pausing to take in the grand views up the loch to Meall Fuar-mhonaidh, where another excellent walk potentially awaits.
The path leads into Torr Wood, skirting the north of the loch. Just beyond a gate, a hard left turn emerges at Aldourie Pier, with more great views across to Lochend Beach. Back on the path, branch left below the castle, once just a 16th-century tower and later extended by the Victorians.
You can’t access the grounds, so ignore the gate and turn right on to a path that continues through the trees, swinging right and returning through the wood in the opposite direction to the way you came, until you meet the point you first entered the forest. Time for refreshments at the Dores Inn or a coffee at the café opposite.
Kingsmills Hotel is a luxury four-star hotel and spa just south of Inverness city centre. It is happy to host hounds in its pleasant garden rooms – each with its own patio, table and chairs.
North Yorkshire
Roseberry Topping and Captain Cook's Monument Walk, North Yorkshire, 7 miles
This is a bracing hike just a few miles south of Middlesbrough on the edge of the North York Moors, following in the footsteps of a great adventurer.
Begin at Great Ayton village on the River Leven and head due east, crossing the local rail line with care – views up and down its length are good. Carry on straight ahead and then swing right to pick up Aireyholme Lane, then cross Dikes Lane picking up a bridleway until you enter Ayton Banks Wood.
It emerges below Captain Cook’s monument on Easby Moor – well worth a photo.
From there, follow the Cleveland Way north towards Roseberry Topping. You’ll drop down on to a forest track that will lead you to Gribdale Gate car park, then over Great Ayton Moor, ascending slowly to its peak, where you can take in grand views of the National Park and the city.
To return to Great Ayton, face away from your route up, descend through Newton Wood and then take a sharp left through Cliff Ridge Wood (there’s a more direct path down, skirting a quarry, if your legs are weary), then a sharp right and back across the rail track.
Gisborough Hall Hotel is a four-star hotel with an award-winning restaurant, bar and 71 en suite bedrooms. Pups get pampered for £15 a night.
West Yorkshire
Shipley Glen, West Yorkshire,
2.5 miles
This enjoyable circular walk, in an area of woodland and part of a former Victorian pleasure ground, was developed as part of a Natural England-supported nature recovery project.
Beginning at Bracken Hall Countryside Centre and Museum (which hosts exhibitions relating to local natural history), walk a short way down the road where there’s a path to the right leading into Shipley Glen, a steep-sided valley of ancient semi-natural woodland. Brown trout lay their eggs in Loadpit Beck, which flows along the left of the trail.
The path emerges on to a moorland track by Glen Road. Cross over the quiet road by a Second World War anti-tank wall built of large boulders, head up a footpath running beside a drystone wall and begin the slow ascent up to Baildon Moor.
The circular pits surrounded by earthen banks en route are old 18th-century single-shaft coal mines. Skirt a farm on your right to reach the top of Baildon Hill and enjoy great views of the surrounding area.
To return, head down towards Bracken Hall House, keeping a caravan park on your left. There’s an option to extend the walk via the restored Shipley Glen Tramway to Salts Mill on the River Aire, where there’s a fine dog-friendly pub, The Boathouse.
Not far away in Holmfield, Holdsworth House Hotel is a four-star hotel and restaurant set in a historic manor dating back to 1633. It goes out of its way for dogs, providing a blanket, bowls and cage (if favoured by owners).
Powys
Dragon’s Back Circular, Powys,
7 miles
A bracing hike along a dragon’s back with stunning views of the Black Mountains. Start just south of Pengenffordd at the car park and head northeast from the A479. Follow the path that takes you straight up and along the soft ridges of the Dragon’s Back, named after the series of shapely mounds which resemble a sleeping dragon.
The views from its crests are special. The route passes Castell Dinas, an Iron Age hill fort which, at 450m above sea level, is the highest castle in England and Wales. On reaching the plateau, head southeast along the well-defined summit path and navigate the peat bogs up to Waun Fach, the highest point of the Black Mountains.
From the top, take the stone steps leading west to Pen Trumau, which offers more great views. From here the trail drops sharply to a crossroad of paths. Descend into the Rhiangoll Valley, which leads to a country lane, passing Cwmfforest Guest Farm and a muddy track back to the car park. This is a dark-sky area, so it’s worth popping out later for a view of the stars.
Llangoed Hall hotel up in Talgarth has comfortable rooms, a restaurant and is more than happy to cater for your ci (dog in Welsh) in some rooms at £25 a night. It also has a selection of heated kennels if you prefer.
Norfolk
Burnham Overy Staithe Circular, Norfolk, 4 miles
This circular walk loops between the seaside village of Burnham Overy Staithe and Burnham Overy town along the Norfolk Coast Path, passing through Holkham National Nature Reserve.
Start at The Hero pub. Follow signs to the East Harbour Way until you reach Overy Creek and turn right at a black house. Go through a gate and then bear left along the waterfront and the Norfolk Coast Path National Trail.
At the trail junction, turn right through a gate into a marshy meadow that is part of Holkham National Nature Reserve. This leads down to a road: cross carefully at the junction and head south through a couple of fields before taking a right.
Cross the lane and continue down the path towards St Clement’s Church, with its Norman tower. Turn left at the end of the track on to Mill Road and take a grass trail to the right. Go through the gate and into a field, keeping the River Burn to the left, with the round Saxon tower of Burnham Norton in the distance.
At the Burnham Overy Water Mill, turn right on the main road till you reach the imposing black Burnham Overy Windmill, now a holiday let. Pick up the Norfolk Coast Path between the river and the road and head back to the pub for a welcome libation.
The Railway Hotel, a stroll away in Burnham Market, is a luxury room-only hotel in an old station master’s house with dog-friendly rooms, an honesty bar, a secluded garden and a sunken hot tub. You could even begin your walk there.
Worcestershire
Broadway and the Tower, Worcestershire, 4 miles
This is a popular circular route from the archetypal Cotswolds village of Broadway up to the landmark Broadway Tower, which provides spectacular views across the Severn Valley into Wales.
Starting at the village’s war memorial, walk east along the high street and turn right at the listed Broadway Museum & Art Gallery (worth a detour), heading south through fields and over a footbridge until you meet Snowshill Road. Turn left and walk a short way along the generous grass verge till you reach St Eadburgha’s Church, which dates to the 12th century and retains many medieval features.
Pick up Coneygree Lane opposite, doglegging east around Rookery Farm. There’s a nice café here if you fancy a break before you make the gentle ascent up to Broadway Tower. Completed in 1798, this folly was designed by Capability Brown for the Earl of Coventry as part of his estate.
The museum is open daily and – curveball – a hidden nuclear bunker also opens on selective dates. When you’ve drunk in the views (you can see 16 counties on a good day), walk northwest up the Cotswold Way back to Broadway for a well-earned rest.
The Lygon Arms is a four-star spa hotel in a lovely Tudor coaching inn. Dogs are very welcome for £25 per night, which includes bed and bowl. There’s even a dog washing station outside for mucky pups.
Buckinghamshire
Wendover Woods Circular, Buckinghamshire, 7 miles
A terrific walk taking you and your chum to the top of the Chilterns, the chalk hills just northwest of London, offering great views of the Vale of Aylesbury while red kites wheel overhead.
The route begins by St Mary’s Church in Wendover, where you can pick up the ancient Ridgeway footpath heading southeast. You pass a small lake and bear left after Boswells Farm, heading up into woodland for about a mile.
Cross a quiet lane into the 350-hectare Wendover Woods, managed by Forestry England. Turn left, leaving the Ridgeway, then pick up a footpath a short way to the right before joining a marked bridleway. Follow this through the woods to the main car park, where there’s a handy café.
From here, follow a tarmac road then turn left and follow the wide track past a picnic area to another parking spot. Keep straight on, following the Boddington Bank Walk, past the outdoor fitness equipment and pick up a track to the right, continuing away from the hill, formerly the site of an Iron Age fort.
Carry straight on until you reach the road at the bottom. Then turn right and follow the road back to Wendover and its cafés and pubs.
Bel & The Dragon at The Red Lion is a 17th-century former coaching inn, now a bar and restaurant with comfy rooms. Four-legged friends are welcome for a fee of £25.
Cornwall
Kingswood and Pentewan, Cornwall, 3 miles
A short but sweet walk through woodland and alongside the St Austell River and a disused railway that emerges into a pretty coastal village.
Starting from the free car park in the village of London Apprentice, head south along the Pentewan Valley Trail taking the upper track to the left with the river out of sight. This takes you through Kings Wood, an ancient tract of woodland dating back more than 400 years. It is populated with a mix of mature oak, ash, sweet chestnut, birch and beech, making a perfect habitat for a range of bird and insect species, including butterflies such as the holly blue.
There are two silted ponds at the southern end of the woodland trail. These were formerly used to hold water that would be released to flush silt from the busy 19th-century harbour at Pentewan, built by a local mine owner for shipping china clay.
Break at The Ship Inn on the old harbourside for refreshments, or loll on the beach, before returning on the lower track, once the mine’s railway, that hugs the river. Alternatively, extend into charming Mevagissey, along the South West Coastal Path.
Literally on the walk’s doorstep, The Cornwall Hotel and Spa is a 19th-century manor house with stylish rooms, comfortable apartments and self-catering lodges with the bonus of an infinity pool. Dogs are treated as guests.
