Dog-friendly Thornton-le-Dale

Dog policies here vary from one business to the next, and several places do not publish one. This page lists only what the businesses or this guide's own pages state. Where nothing is published it says so, rather than guessing.

Pubs. The New Inn welcomes dogs in the bar, the courtyard beer garden and its self-catering cottage. The Buck Inn describes itself as dog friendly, with a walled beer garden. A village visitor listing also describes the Buck's letting rooms as dog friendly and says pets are welcome in its bar and lounge areas. CAMRA's pub guide lists dogs as allowed in the New Inn's bar but not its restaurant. The Buck Inn does not publish a rule for its dining area, so ask when you arrive.

Tea garden. Baldersons Welcome Cafe has a large, sheltered tea garden, and this guide's own directory entry notes that part of it is covered and heated, which is useful in winter. The village visitor listing says dogs are always welcome in the tea garden. Check with the cafe before taking a dog inside.

Farm shop. Cedarbarn Farm Shop & Cafe, on Thornton Road just outside the village, has a secure, fenced dog field. Check with the farm shop about booking, any charge, and whether dogs are welcome in the shop and cafe.

Other tea rooms and cafes. Lavenders Tea Rooms has outside tables beside the beck. Cafe Bouchere, Moores Delicatessen and The Chocolate Factory do not publish a dog policy, so check with each before you go. The full list, with hours, is on eating and drinking.

Stanley's Pet Store on the main street sells food, natural treats, beds, toys and accessories for dogs, so it is the stop if you have forgotten something. It posts changing hours on its Facebook page, so check before a special journey (winter hours from late October 2026 are on its directory entry). For other shops, see the shops page and ask whether dogs on a lead are welcome.

Mathewsons' own Plan Your Visit page says there is a no pets rule at its Pickering showrooms. Its page does not mention the museum or assistance dogs, so ring 01751 474455 before you travel if you need to bring a dog. Details are on visiting Mathewsons. If you are travelling as a group, you can take turns to wait outside with the dog.

Several places in and around the village take dogs, on terms that differ. The where to stay page lists each property's own published policy, checked September 2026, including:

• Prospect Farm Campsite: £2 per dog per night.
• Overbrook Caravan Park: dog area and dog shower, short lead at all times.
• High Oaks Grange: dogs only, £8 per dog per night, with a 20-acre dog field.
• Low Farm Campsite, Ellerburn: dogs very welcome, short leads at all times (working farm).
• Sands Farm Cottages, Wilton: four dog-friendly cottages and a dog exercise field.
• The New Inn: welcome in the cottage; rooms not published.
• Station House Holiday Cottages: no pets.

Prices change, so check each business before you book.

All seven circular walks start at the Maltongate car park (YO18 7SD) and all are listed as suitable for dogs. See the full set on the walks page.

• Woods & Maltongate is the everyday dog walk: woods two minutes from the car park, paddling in the beck between two footbridges and a dog-waste bin between them. It is muddy from November to March. 30 to 40 minutes.
• The Ellerburn circular (route notes) follows the lane and beckside path to St Hilda's at Ellerburn. Lead in the churchyard and near livestock. 60 to 90 minutes.
• Woods & Fields: lead across the fields, where there are sheep and lambs. 45 to 60 minutes.
• Dalby Forest. The Green Walk can be extended into the forest for two to three hours (livestock at both ends, leads advised, shared tracks with cyclists). By car, Forestry England describes its Ellerburn trail, starting near the Dalby visitor centre, as suitable for dog walkers, 2.8 km for the short loop and 4.5 km for the long one, on forest tracks that are mostly flat. See cycling for the forest's parking charges, and check the signs on site.

The North York Moors is working farmland and moorland as well as walking country. These are the rules that matter most.

• Near livestock, use a short lead. The National Park asks you to keep your dog on a short lead near farm animals, and never to let it chase animals or birds. A dog that worries livestock can legally be shot, and farmers are entitled to destroy a dog that injures or worries their animals, as the National Park, the Kennel Club and North Yorkshire Council's Countryside Code leaflet all note.
• If cattle become aggressive, the National Park advises that it is safer to let your dog off the lead and move away. Do not hang on to it.
• 1 March to 31 July. On open access land, including moorland, dogs must be on a short lead, no more than 2 metres, even when no livestock is in sight, because rare birds nest on the ground. Look for signs advising leads at sensitive times.
• Moorland. The National Park says dogs are not allowed on most moorland open access land and must stay on public rights of way there. Keep to the path and watch for signs.
• On public rights of way, keep your dog on a lead or to heel. Near cyclists and horse riders, keep it close.
• In Forestry England woods such as Dalby, Forestry England's Dog Code allows dogs off the lead if they are under control: keep your dog close and in sight, put it on a lead if it does not come back when called, and do not let it chase people or wildlife. Take dog mess home and follow the wildlife notices on site.
• Gates. Close every gate behind you. Several of the village walks cross fields with sheep, chickens and a horse.

The one dog-waste bin this guide has recorded on the walks is between the two footbridges on Woods & Maltongate. Out in open countryside there may be none, so carry bags and take mess home, including on farmland, where dog faeces can infect cattle with a parasite that causes abortions.

Park at the National Park car park off Maltongate (YO18 7SD), two minutes from the green. Charges apply every day and change from time to time: see the parking page and check the tariff board on arrival. The public toilets are by the lake over the footbridge. Carry water for your dog, as there is no water point recorded near the car park.

Ryedale Vets Pickering, 133 Eastgate, Pickering YO18 7DW, telephone 01751 472204, treats dogs, cats, birds and small mammals. Pickering is about two miles west of the village along the A170. Its listed opening hours differ between directories and the national register lists out-of-hours cover without a number, so ring before you travel. In an emergency ring the practice first.

Never leave a dog in a parked car on a warm day. The RSPCA says a car heats up very quickly even when it is not boiling hot outside, and that even five minutes in such conditions is too long. If you see a dog in distress in a hot car, ring 999, because the RSPCA has no powers of entry. Carry water for your dog on every walk. The beck is good for paddling but check that Thornton Beck is not in spate after heavy rain.