Bath

Bath rewards a dog with tired legs and a full water bowl faster than almost anywhere else in the West Country. Skip the queue for the Roman Baths, dogs aren't allowed in, more on that below, and head straight for Royal Victoria Park instead: 57 hectares of open grass edged by the Royal Crescent, with room to properly stretch a lead before you've even reached the golf course.

For a proper walk, the Bath Skyline is the one locals actually do. It's a six-mile circular route across National Trust farmland and ancient woodland, with views back over the city's rooftops. Keep your dog on a short lead through Larch Wood and the Woodland Play Area, and around any grazing sheep; if cattle approach, the National Trust's own guidance is to let your dog off the lead and call them back once it's safe. The going is varied, roads, surfaced paths, a rocky uneven section and a stile or two, so it's not one for sore paws or a nervous walker on the lead.

If you'd rather stay flat, the Kennet and Avon Canal towpath runs east from the city centre towards Bathampton, a level, mostly traffic-free stretch of around two miles each way that's easy on joints and paws alike. The Canal & River Trust's Towpath Code simply asks that you keep your dog under close control and clean up after them, which in practice means a lead near the water's edge, cyclists and moored boats.

Refuel afterwards at the Marlborough Tavern on Marlborough Buildings, which confirms on its own website that well-behaved dogs are welcome inside and that water bowls are provided, a proper sit-down pub lunch rather than an outside-table consolation prize. Alexandra Park, on the south side of the city, is another solid off-lead option: its own website states dogs can roam freely across the park, with the fenced children's playground the only exclusion.

One practical tip that saves a wasted trip: Charlotte Street and Avon Street are Bath's two main long-stay car parks, open 24 hours with no maximum stay, so you're not racing back to feed a meter mid-walk. If you're travelling by train, Great Western Railway lets you bring up to two dogs free into Bath Spa station, a short walk from both Royal Victoria Park and the towpath.

Here's the one thing to plan around: the Roman Baths and Bath Abbey, Bath's two biggest draws, only admit assistance dogs. Every other pet stays outside. It's a fair trade for a city this walkable, but build it into your day rather than discovering it at the door with a disappointed dog and a queue behind you.