Well furiends, the weather has been SO glorious lately that even I’ve been struggling to leave the house before 9pm – and I’m a Labrador, we’re not exactly known for lounging about. But as the sun takes a break and cools, only slightly mind, over the next few weeks, there is absolutely no better time to get back out into the woods for a proper sniff – with the trees keeping that sun off our backs.
I’ve been lucky enough to explore some truly sniff-worthy woodland in North Yorkshire, so I’ve rounded up five of my absolute favourites. These aren’t just walks, they’re proper adventures. There’s ancient woodland, gorge trails, reservoir loops, forest tracks big enough to disappear into for hours, and enough muddy ditches to make any self-respecting dog very happy indeed.
Right then. Paws on. Let’s go.
1. Dalby Forest – the ultimate woodland adventure
📍 Low Dalby, Pickering, North Yorkshire, YO18 7LT
If you’re going to do one big woodland walk in North Yorkshire, make it Dalby. This place is enormous – 8000 acres of exceptional dog friendly terrain and facilities, including the visitor centre, gift shop, and designated dog-friendly seating areas in the on-site café. There’s miles and miles of proper forest track, tall pines, and the kind of deep woodland quiet that makes your nose go absolutely haywire with excitement. The smells alone are worth the trip.
A word of warning though – watch out for the adrenaline junkies on bikes absolutely flying round the trails and putting our best dog moves to shame. They’re great to watch, but keep your wits about you near the mountain bike routes. The forest is so big that you can easily wander off and not see another soul (or another bike) for miles of glorious, uninterrupted sniffing.
The tracks are well-maintained and there’s loads of variety – stick to the official trails or go full explorer off-track if your recall’s solid. My pawrents struggle to keep up either way.
Practical bits for the hoomans:
- 🚗 Parking: Pay to enter at the main visitor centre – can be expensive
- 📏 Distance: Trails from approx. 1.7 to 15.5 miles
- 🐕 Dogs: Welcome throughout – on lead near cyclists, horses or other livestock, off lead in the forest with good recall. North York Moors dog code
- ☕ Treat stop: Courtyard Café Dalby Forest on site (not visited yet)
Dylan’s Woofability Score: 🐾🐾🐾🐾 ½
Why not a five? No water on the trail – for a water-mad Labrador that’s the only thing stopping this being a perfect day out. Though frankly no water is better than water you can’t go in. At least Dalby doesn’t taunt you. Also haven’t tested the visitor centre café myself yet, so watch this space.
Read Dylan’s full Dalby Forest review →
2. Nidd Gorge – ancient woodland on the River Nidd
📍 Knaresborough (HG5 9AY), Nidd Gorge (HG5 8PU) Bilton & beyond to Ripley
This one is properly special, furiends. Nidd Gorge is ancient woodland – five woods covering 114 acres, managed by the Woodland Trust, sitting in a steep-sided valley just outside Knaresborough. Ancient woodland means ancient smells. We’re talking thousands of years of sniff history, creatures and critters I’ve never encountered anywhere else. My nose genuinely didn’t know where to start.
The River Nidd runs right through the gorge, which as a water-mad Labrador I consider a critical feature in any walk. It’s a mix of dense woodland trails and open riverside paths, and you can follow the gorge and cycle path all the way to Ripley if your paws, and your pawrents’ legs, are up to it – where a rather famous ice cream shop awaits. Just saying.
Now I have to be honest with you, because honesty is my thing. The River Nidd has sadly suffered from poor water quality, which means I’m no longer allowed in for a swim. I’m heartbroken. It’s genuinely gutting for a Labrador of my aquatic enthusiasm. Before you visit, please do check the Surfers Against Sewage pollution map for the latest water quality alerts – it’s a brilliant resource and worth bookmarking for any walk near water. The woodland itself though? Still absolutely magical and worth every muddy paw.
The Woodland Trust are dog friendly but sensible about it – off lead is fine in areas away from livestock and ground-nesting birds, as long as your recall is solid. Mine is… mostly solid. Ahem.
Practical bits for the hoomans:
- 🚗 Parking: Small free car park on site (fills up fast) – or park in Knaresborough town and walk down to the gorge entrance
- 📏 Distance: Shortest circular is approx.1.4 miles up to 20.6 miles on the Harrogate Ringway. And about 10 miles from Knaresbourgh to Ripley and back.
- 🐕 Dogs: Woodland Trust guidelines apply – off lead with recall away from livestock/nesting areas
- ☕ Treat stop: Knaresborough town centre has plenty of dog-friendly cafes – or walk the full route to Ripley for ice cream at the famous Ripley Castle village
- 💧 Water: River Nidd runs through the gorge but water quality is poor – no swimming. Check the Surfers Against Sewage Pollution Map before any visit
Dylan’s Woofability Score: 🐾🐾🐾
Why not a five? The water quality on the Nidd means I’m not allowed in for a swim – and for a water-mad Labrador, that stings more than a nettle.
3. Harewood House Estate – flat trails with a brilliant cafe (partially wooded)
📍 Harewood House & Muddy Paws, Leeds, LS17 9LJ
Now this one is a treat in more ways than one – and you know treats are basically my love language.
Harewood House sits in 700 acres of stunning estate grounds, and the walk around it is relatively flat which makes it a good shout if your pawrents are tired or if you’ve got older dogs in the pack who’d rather stroll than scramble. It’s well-maintained, pretty, and the kind of walk that feels a bit special without being exhausting. Keep your eyes peeled for the resident deer herd – I spotted them on my visit and very sensibly decided not to challenge them to a game of tig. There were a lot of them.
A word on the café – Muddy Boots is a good spot, dog friendly and uses produce from the estate itself which is a lovely touch. It can vary a little on the day but it’s a solid, reliable stop for the hoomans and they do look after us dogs too.
One thing to flag – there are cattle grids on the route. Do not attempt to jump them. Trust me on this one. Use the gates at the side, save yourself the bruised pride.
Be warned – it’s popular, and footfall can be high on weekends. Go on a weekday if you can and you’ll have a much more peaceful nose around.
Practical bits for the hoomans:
- 🚗 Parking: Muddy Boots Café car park if you’re a customer – donations may apply
- 📏 Distance: Harewood perimeter walk approx 5 miles
- 🐕 Dogs: On lead at all times – Harewood’s policy, to protect visitors and the estate’s free-roaming wildlife
- ☕ Treat stop: Muddy Boots Café – dog friendly, uses estate produce, looks after the dogs too
- 💧 Water: There is water on the estate, the River Wharf, check the Surfers Against Sewage pollution map before any visit
Dylan’s Woofability Score: 🐾🐾🐾½
It’s very much an on lead walk – fair enough given the free-roaming wildlife on the estate, but it does mean less freedom than most of the walks on this list. Also no safe swimming, and it gets busy at weekends. Go on a weekday and it’s closer to a four than you’d think.
Read Dylan’s full Harewood Estate review →
4. Wetherby to Spofforth – the old railway line (partially wooded)
📍 Start: Wetherby old railway station (LS22 6SD)| End: Spofforth village (HG3 1BH) – or vice versa
This one is a bit of a local gem – a converted old railway line turned into a flat walking and cycling track between Wetherby and Spofforth. The middle section between the two towns is partially wooded and honestly one of my favourite bits of trail in the whole area. Flat, easy, and those trees in the middle stretch are chef’s kiss for sniffing.
Fair warning though: it can get busy – especially at weekends near the Wetherby end. Families with prams, cyclists, the lot. Nothing wrong with any of them, but if you’re after a quiet woodland ramble, a weekday is your best bet.
Now. About those ditches. The wooded middle section has ditches either side of the path, and I want to be transparent with you: they are absolutely irresistible, especially for my brother Dexter. They’re brilliant for a splash and a full muddy roll, and once a Labrador has clocked them, it is, as I like to say, im-paws-ible to redirect us. My pawrents have learned to bring a towel. Eventually.
There are also some great offshoots from this route, including towards Kirk Deighton, which is still on my list of places to fully explore. Watch this space.
Practical bits for the hoomans:
- 🚗 Parking: Free car park in Spofforth village | Wetherby old railway station up to 3 hours
- 📏 Distance: Approx. 6.2 miles there and back Spofforth to Wetherby, but you can go further onto Thorp Arch
- 🐕 Dogs: Generally off lead friendly – on lead when it gets busy near Wetherby or near cyclists
- ☕ Treat stop: Cafes and pubs in both Wetherby and Spofforth at either end
Dylan’s Woofability Score: 🐾🐾🐾🐾
Why not a five? Bike and pram traffic near Wetherby at weekends means it’s not always the peaceful woodland wander you’re after – but those ditches almost make up for everything.
5. Thruscross Reservoir – trail, trees and a sunkin village (partially wooded)
📍 Thruscross, North Yorkshire, HG3 4BB
Thruscross doesn’t get talked about enough and I’m here to fix that. This is a proper outdoorsy one – a trail that winds through woodland around a reservoir in the Nidderdale hills. It’s hilly in places, the pawrents will moan, ignore them, and the mix of trees and open water views is genuinely beautiful.
Now. The water. I have to be straight with you furiends, because that’s what I do. All three of the Washburn Valley reservoirs – Thruscross, Fewston and Swinsty – carry the same guidance from Yorkshire Water: no swimming or drinking from the water for dogs or humans. There’s potential for blue-green algae, strong currents and machinery operating under the surface. It’s a no from the pawrents, and honestly a fair one. The woodland walk is brilliant enough to come for on its own – just bring plenty of water for both species because there’s no water station on site. Check out the ruins of the sunken village, flooded in the 1960s, on route.
The main car park now charges, which is a slight paw in the wrong direction, but it’s not extortionate and the walk genuinely earns it.
Practical bits for the hoomans:
- 🚗 Parking: Main car park on Reservoir Road, Thruscross HG3 4BB – charges apply, card only or RingGo app. Note 2.1m height barrier
- 📏 Distance: Full circular is approx. 4.5 miles
- 🐕 Dogs: Welcome on the trail – but do NOT let dogs swim in or drink from the reservoir
- ☕ Treat stop: Nothing on site – bring snacks!
- 💧 Water safety: Yorkshire Water advise no swimming or drinking from the reservoir for dogs or hoomans. Check Yorkshire Water’s site for latest guidance
Dylan’s Woofability Score: 🐾🐾🐾
Why not a five? No swimming, no treat stop on site and parking charges – the woodland is gorgeous but it needs to try a bit harder to get those extra paws.
🐾 More walks coming soon…
I’ve got a couple more North Yorkshire crackers still to tell you about, including Boston Spa, so more full reviews are coming your way soon. Stay tuned, furiends.
In the meantime, have you visited any of these? Got a favourite wooded walk in North Yorkshire I haven’t sniffed out yet? Drop it in the comments – I’m always on the hunt for a new adventure.
Wags and licks, Dylan 🐾
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