Food & Drink
Dog-friendly pubs in the North York Moors
By Jon Cosson · Updated 6 October 2026
The moors are one of the best dog-walking landscapes in England, and the pubs know it. Here's where muddy paws are welcome, what to check before you go, and which walks end at the right door.
Almost every village pub on the Moors will take a well-behaved dog in the bar. The real questions are whether they take dogs where the food is served, whether there is water and a flagged floor, and whether you can get there without a car after a walk. This guide answers those, and pairs with our fuller North York Moors with dogs guide.
The rule of thumb
- Bar and snug: dogs almost always welcome, usually with a water bowl and a flagged or stone floor.
- Restaurant: often dogs-free, particularly at dining inns with carpeted rooms, phone ahead if you want a full sit-down meal.
- Beer gardens: the safest bet on a busy weekend, and no one minds wet fur.
- Rooms: many inns take dogs in specific bedrooms for a small charge; ask when booking rather than on arrival.
The full list
There are 35 pubs listed here, each checked against the pub's own published information in September 2026. I walk these places with my own dog, Blaizie, and I'll add first-hand notes pub by pub as we visit. The list is built from the same database as the pub finder, so the count is live. The Fox & Rabbit at Lockton and the Cayley Arms at Allerston are not on it: neither allows dogs inside, guide dogs excepted.
High moors (11)
The Lion Inn
Blakey Ridge, YO62 7LQ
RoomsView
Dogs are welcome in the bar areas but not the dining rooms. Food is served 12pm to 9pm without a break, which is unusual out here.
Downe Arms Country Inn
Castleton
Rooms
Dog-friendly bedrooms as well as a dog-friendly bar, which is rare locally.
The Eskdale
Castleton, YO21 2EU
View
The bar stays open to 11pm but the kitchen shuts at 8pm, and on Sunday food stops at 5pm.
Feversham Arms Inn
Church Houses, Farndale
RoomsView
Severely reduced hours: closed all day Monday; Tuesday and Wednesday from 7pm for drinks only; food Thursday to Saturday 12 to 2 and 6 to 8, and Sunday 12 to 4. The inn changed hands in late 2026 and its own site says a refurbishment closure is likely in early 2027, so ring before setting out. It offers a pick-up and return service for walkers, including from the Coast to Coast at Blakey Ridge.
The Duke of Wellington Inn
RoomsView
Within walking distance of Danby station on the Esk Valley line, so one of the few moorland inns reachable without a car. The Moors National Park Centre is a short walk away.
Horseshoe Hotel
Egton Bridge
RoomsView
A fixed weekly rhythm: curry night Mondays, fish Fridays, roasts Sunday. All dogs welcome at no extra cost, with rooms 3 and 6 suited to larger dogs.
The Arncliffe Arms
Glaisdale
Rooms
A proper locals' pub with pool, darts and quiz nights rather than a dining destination. Glaisdale station on the Esk Valley line is a short walk.
The Inn on the Moor Hotel
RoomsView
The most thorough dog provision of any inn on the moors, and an accessible ground-floor room, which is rare up here.
The Blacksmiths Arms
Lastingham, YO62 6TN
Rooms
Dogs in one restaurant area only, and not in the bedrooms, which is unusually restrictive for this area.
The Coach House Inn
Rosedale Abbey, YO18 8SD
Food Monday to Saturday 12 to 2 and 5.30 to 8; Sunday 12 to 8.
White Horse Farm Inn
Rosedale Abbey, YO18 8SE
RoomsView
Food from noon on Friday, Saturday and Sunday but only from 5pm on other days. Breakfast is not included in the room rate and must be pre-booked. They run a motorhome stopover scheme.
Southern moors & Ryedale (9)
The White Swan
Ampleforth, YO62 4DA
No food Monday or Tuesday, though the bar opens 4 to 8.
The Abbey Inn
Byland, YO61 4BD
RoomsView
Closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays all year. Dogs in the pub but not in the accommodation. Breakfast is not served on site; guests go a mile to Oldstead.
The Grapes Inn
Ebberston, YO13 9PA
Closed Mondays. Food noon to 8 Tuesday to Saturday, noon to 6 Sunday.
The Pheasant Hotel
Harome, YO62 5JG
Rooms
The Black Swan
Helmsley, YO62 5BJ
Rooms
Dogs up to two per room at a nightly charge, with designated dog areas in the pub and restaurant. Food 7.30am to 9pm daily.
The Feathers Hotel
Helmsley, YO62 5BH
Rooms
The Pickwick Bar contains Mouseman oakwork by Robert Thompson of Kilburn. Open 7.30am to 11pm daily.
The Royal Oak Hotel
Helmsley, YO62 5BL
Rooms
A 1am licence Monday to Saturday, by some distance the latest closing time in the area.
The White Swan Inn
Pickering, YO18 7AA
Rooms
The Buck
Thornton-le-Dale, YO18 7RW
Reopened during 2026; its own site gives no reopening date, so hours are worth confirming.
Coast (12)
Raven Hall Country House Hotel
RoomsView
A hotel bar rather than a pub, and essentially the only hospitality in Ravenscar, so there is no alternative if it is closed for a wedding. Built 1774 as Peak Hall, opened as a hotel in 1895.
Hotel Victoria
Robin Hood's Bay, YO22 4RL
RoomsView
Dogs in the Captain's Quarters rooms only, not the main hotel. At the top of the bank, so the Robin Hood's Bay pub you can park near and the one that spares you the climb back up.
Runswick Bay Hotel
Runswick Bay, TS13 5HR
Rooms
Winter hours vary. In the upper village, so you can park and walk in. The accessible choice for anyone who cannot manage the bank.
The Royal
Runswick Bay, TS13 5HT
View
Winter hours vary. Families welcome until 9pm. The lower village has effectively no visitor parking; the car park is at the top and the bank down is severe.
The Bridge Inn
Ruswarp, YO21 1NJ
Reachable on foot or by bike from Whitby along the Esk or the old railway path.
The Hart Inn
Sandsend, YO21 3SU
View
Sunday 11am to 5.30pm only, which is unusually early. Sandsend parking is roadside along the sea wall and fills by mid-morning in summer.
The Plough
Scalby, YO13 0PT
Rooms
Opens at 3pm Monday to Saturday with food from 5pm, so not a lunchtime pub except on Sundays.
The Cod and Lobster
RoomsView
No vehicle access. Cars go in the clifftop car park on Staithes Lane and you walk down a very steep bank. Expect it shuttered in an easterly gale.
Duke of York
Whitby, YO22 4DE
RoomsView
Station Inn
Whitby, YO21 1DH
RoomsView
This was the old Tap and Spile. Dogs throughout the bar, but not for overnight guests.
The Endeavour
Whitby, YO22 4AS
RoomsView
No real kitchen. They invite you to bring in fish and chips and buy a ploughman's or cheeseboard.
The Pier Inn
Whitby, YO21 3PU
RoomsView
Western moors (3)
The Buck
Great Ayton, TS9 6PA
Rooms
Dogs in the pub but not the rooms; they send dog owners to their sister pub, the Royal Oak. No food between 2.15 and 5pm Monday to Thursday in winter.
The Royal Oak Hotel
Great Ayton, TS9 6BW
Rooms
Breakfast 10 to 11.30 daily. Wheelchair accessible. Sister pub to The Buck, and the one of the pair that takes dogs in rooms.
The King's Head Inn
Newton under Roseberry, TS9 6QR
RoomsView
Breakfast from 7.30am, the earliest of any pub on the moors, and light bites 11 to 5 bridge the usual afternoon food gap. The obvious base for an early Roseberry or Cleveland Way start.
Walk-and-pub pairings that work
- Levisham, the Horseshoe Inn sits on the green at the top of a dead-end village. Walk up from Levisham station on the steam railway and the dog gets a proper hill before the bar.
- Thornton-le-Dale, a flat beck and field circuit from one of Yorkshire's prettiest villages, with several pubs and cafés around the market cross.
- Goathland, open sheep-grazed greens (leads essential), the Mallyan Spout waterfall walk, and pubs right on the village edge.
- Rosedale Abbey, an easy valley base with pubs on the green and the old ironstone railway line above for a longer leg-stretch.
- Dalby Forest, miles of forest tracks. The Fox & Rabbit at Lockton on the A169 does not take dogs inside, so dog walkers should look to the Horseshoe at Levisham instead.
On the coast
Coastal villages are good dog territory out of season, but check beach restrictions: several beaches, including parts of Whitby and Scarborough, have dog bans or restricted zones from May to September. Robin Hood's Bay and Staithes have bars used to salty, sandy dogs coming off the Cleveland Way.
Moorland manners
- Leads on open access land from 1 March to 31 July for ground-nesting birds, curlew, lapwing and golden plover all nest in the heather.
- Leads near sheep and cattle all year; if cattle approach, let the dog off and walk away.
- Adders bask on sunny moorland paths in spring and summer, keep dogs on the track.
- Carry water: the high moor has very little shade and few becks on the tops.
Frequently asked questions
- Are dogs allowed in North York Moors pubs?
- Most village and moorland pubs allow dogs in the bar and in flagged or snug areas. Carpeted dining rooms and bedrooms are the usual exceptions, so ring ahead if you want to eat a full meal with your dog.
- Which walks end at a dog-friendly pub?
- Levisham (the Horseshoe on the green), Thornton-le-Dale, Goathland and Rosedale Abbey all have circular walks that finish within a few steps of a pub that takes dogs in the bar.
- Can dogs go on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway?
- Dogs are carried on NYMR services, which makes a train-out, walk-back day possible. Check the current policy and any charge on the railway's own site before travelling.
- Do I need to keep my dog on a lead on the moors?
- Yes in most places. Ground-nesting birds and sheep mean leads are required on open access land between 1 March and 31 July and near livestock at any time.
Dog policies change with new landlords, so a quick phone call still beats any list. More places to eat in the food and drink guide.
Bring the dog
Village accommodation puts a dog-friendly bar within walking distance, no second drive at the end of the day.
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