Dog friendly walks from Howscales Cottages
The following dog friendly walks from Howscales are all on quiet country lanes; there are a variety of distances but be warned, they all contain hills!
We would always suggest being vigilant and listening for approaching traffic; the lanes are narrow and we would advise stopping, stepping aside, and allowing the traffic to pass. We would not recommend wearing headphones for this reason.
The routes are suitable for dog walking, but we would recommend keeping your dog on a lead.
The common start to all the dog friendly walks from Howscales:
Turn left out of the gate at Howscales Cottages. At the first junction turn left and proceed through the double hamlet of Parkhead until you reach a T junction (routes 1, 2 and 3 continue from here).
Dog friendly walk 1 – 2.3 miles approx. in total
At the T junction turn right, continuing up the hill (this section is less steep) to a crossroads. Turn right, heading back along a steady downhill to Howscales (which will be on your right). Ignore the right turn to Parkhead.
Dog friendly walk 2 – 4.5 miles approx. in total
At the T junction turn right, continuing up the hill (this section is less steep) to a crossroads. Turn left, the lane is flat for a while and then descends steeply to what is known locally as “Five Lane Ends”. At this junction, turn left in the direction of Renwick.
A short climb and a steep descent present you at a T junction, turn left. This lane approaches the bottom end of Renwick village. At the T junction turn left descending away from the village.
At the bottom of the hill where the road bends to the right, turn left. You are now joining route 3 but heading in the opposite direction.
Continue along this lane, a steep descent and steady climb will follow which present you back to the start of route 2. Turn right, in the direction of Park Head.
This is now the ‘common start’ but in other direction. Continue through Park Head to the T junction, turn right and return to Howscales which will be on your right.
Dog friendly walk 3 – 6.5 miles approx. in total
We call this the turn left route, as from Howscales every junction you reach has the same action!
At the T junction, turn left descending steeply to the side of the beck and climbing a short but steep hill. At the next T junction, turn left and continue for approx. one mile of steady climbing. During the climb, turn left (signposted for Kirkoswald).
Continue along this lane, ignoring lanes off, until you reach the next junction at High Bankhill. Turn left and descend into Kirkoswald village.
In the village the lane turns sharp left at a rough crossroads and descends into the heart of the village with the square on your right.
Cross the bridge over Raven beck and take the left after Laces garage and immediately left again for the final 1.5 miles back to Howscales Cottages, which will be on your left.
This is a challenging route but really rewarding at the same time. Well worth a try.
