Quick Summary
- 📍 Base: Landal Woodland Lakes, Thirsk
- 📅 When: May 2024
- 🐾 Dog Friendly Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
In 2024, Winnie was just seven months old when she joined us for a family break near York. At the time, it felt challenging. Looking back now, most of those challenges weren’t because Yorkshire wasn’t dog-friendly – they were because Winnie was still very much a young puppy.
She’s grown considerably since then too. In fact, we changed our car shortly after this trip because she had already started taking up most of the boot space. Today she would probably claim the whole thing as her own.
Staying at Landal Woodland Lakes
For our base, we stayed at Landal Woodland Lakes near Thirsk.
We were travelling as two families and stayed in a four-bedroom lodge. Even with a large group, there was plenty of space for Winnie to have her own area, including room for her crate.
One of her favourite holiday activities seemed to be window watching. Between the lakes, ducks and other wildlife around the site, there was always something happening outside.
Dogs needed to remain on lead throughout the resort, but there were enough paths and walking routes to enjoy several short sniff-filled walks each day. At seven months old, Winnie still had plenty of puppy energy and was more than capable of turning a gentle stroll into an unexpected sprint.
Riding the Wensleydale Heritage Railway
One of the highlights of the trip was travelling on the Wensleydale Heritage Railway.
We travelled between Leeming Bar and Leyburn before returning via Bedale. It turned out to be a fantastic day out for a mixed-age group that included Winnie and three primary-school-aged children.
The journey combined beautiful Yorkshire countryside, interesting stations, cafés, pubs, independent shops and opportunities for short walks. For families looking for an activity that works for both children and dogs, this was one of the most successful days of the holiday.
A Rainy Day at Rievaulx Terrace and Helmsley
Another day took us to Rievaulx Terrace and nearby Helmsley.
The weather wasn’t exactly on our side, so much of the day involved wandering around historic sites in the rain while trying to convince ourselves we were enjoying being outdoors.
By the time lunch rolled around, we had a problem. We were too late for lunch service in some places and too early for dinner service in others. With a large group and a dog in tow, our options were starting to feel limited.
Then we spotted a roadside sign pointing towards “The Best Pub in Yorkshire.”
Naturally, we followed it.
The sign led us to The Carpenter’s Arms, and it remains one of the most dog-friendly pubs we’ve ever visited.
Not only was Winnie welcomed inside, but staff brought a dog bed and water directly to our table. Nothing seemed too much trouble, despite our large group arriving at an awkward time of day. It’s one of those places we still talk about long after the holiday ended.
Exploring York and Harrogate with a Dog
We also spent time in both York and Harrogate.
What stood out most was how dog-friendly Yorkshire generally felt. Winnie was able to accompany us to many places throughout both towns.
That said, travelling with a dog does require some compromise.
Whenever we reached an attraction that wasn’t dog-friendly, our family adopted a simple system: some of us would stay outside with Winnie while others went in, then we’d swap over. It meant everyone got to experience the places they wanted to visit without leaving Winnie behind for the day.
It’s a strategy we’ve used on many trips since.
What We Learned from Travelling with a Puppy
Looking back, Yorkshire wasn’t the difficult part of this holiday.
The difficult part was travelling with a seven-month-old Sheepadoodle who was still learning how to exist in the world.
There were new sights, new smells, unfamiliar accommodation, long car journeys and lots of excitement. We spent much of the trip managing puppy energy, training opportunities and occasional chaos.
But that’s exactly why this holiday remains special.
It was our first real adventure with Winnie, and it taught us that travelling with a dog isn’t about having a perfect itinerary. It’s about adjusting expectations, embracing flexibility and creating memories together.
Yorkshire made that easy.
And although Winnie has grown considerably since then, she’d probably still choose the ducks at Woodland Lakes as the highlight of the entire trip.