Cardiff

Fifty-three hectares of arboretum and riverside meadow along the Taff, gifted to the city by the Bute family in 1947. Off-lead permitted on the open lawns and the Taff Trail; lead required only in the small formal gardens and around play areas.

Northern extension of Bute Park across the river, a vast open expanse of grass and tree-lined paths, the main off-lead field of Cardiff. Quieter than Bute Park on weekdays; the Bridge Café at the southern edge serves excellent post-walk coffee.

1.1 km barrage built in 2001 across the mouth of the Taff and Ely, opening a 2 km dog-friendly promenade between Cardiff Bay and Penarth Marina. Flat, exposed, no shade; dogs on lead the whole way.

2,000-year-old site mixing a Roman wall, a Norman keep and a Victorian Bute family mansion at the heart of the centre. Outer grounds and curtain-wall walks open to leashed dogs; the keep and Victorian apartments are assistance-dog only.

53-hectare Victorian park opened in 1894, organised around a 12-hectare lake and the Scott Memorial Lighthouse. The 3.5 km lake circuit is a local dog-walking classic; leash in the formal gardens, off-lead in the wild park.

Second-largest castle in Britain after Windsor, a 13th-century concentric fortress ringed by extensive water defences, 20 minutes by train from Cardiff Queen Street. Dogs on a short lead admitted on the ground floor, water bowls provided by Cadw.