Dog Friendly Cambridge

Cambridge is a lovely, flat, walkable city for a dog, ringed by riverside commons and open meadows. The one real limit is the colleges, which apart from assistance dogs keep their courts and gardens closed to dogs, so you admire those from the street. Everywhere else is easy: Jesus Green, Grantchester Meadows and the Cam towpath give miles of walking, and a great many pubs and cafes welcome dogs inside.

Yes, and without fuss. Dogs travel free on local buses at the driver's discretion, kept on a lead and off the seats, which is rarely a problem for a well behaved dog. On the trains into and out of Cambridge you can bring up to two dogs free of charge under the national rail conditions, on a lead or in a carrier. That makes car-free days out to the villages and the coast very doable.

There is plenty of open space for it. Jesus Green has large stretches where dogs can run off the lead, and Coe Fen and Sheep's Green nearby are much the same. Midsummer Common is grazed by cattle at times, so a lead is sensible there, and Grantchester Meadows runs beside the river with livestock in the fields. Out of town, Wandlebury Country Park gives woods and open grass to roam.

The classic is the riverside route from Jesus Green along the Cam, past Midsummer Common and out to Grantchester Meadows, a proper afternoon's walk with a village pub at the end. Coe Fen brings water meadows right into the city centre, Cherry Hinton Hall has parkland and grounds, and Wandlebury Country Park in the Gog Magog Hills offers woodland trails and an old hillfort a short drive south.

Very much so. Unlike the United States, pubs here welcome dogs inside at the landlord's discretion, and Cambridge is full of them, from the riverside Fort St George on Midsummer Common to the ancient Pickerel Inn. Many cafes are happy to seat dogs too, with Hot Numbers a reliable favourite. Food-led restaurants can be stricter, so a quick check on the way in never hurts, but you will rarely struggle to find a welcome.

Walk the Backs along the river for the college views, wander the commons, and follow the towpath out to Grantchester for tea in the Orchard garden. The open-air market and many independent shops are relaxed about dogs, and a riverside walk pairs perfectly with a dog friendly pub lunch. The colleges themselves and the big indoor museums admit assistance dogs only, so keep those for a dog-free day.

Yes. Wandlebury Country Park and Milton Country Park are both a short hop out and welcome dogs on their trails and lakes. For something bigger, Anglesey Abbey has parkland walks, and the Norfolk coast, with its wide dog friendly beaches out of season, is within a couple of hours by car or train. The flat Fenland droves and the Cam towpath also give long, quiet lead-free walking close to the city.

Under UK law your dog must be microchipped and wear a collar with your name and address on it in any public place. You must clean up after your dog, and the city runs a Public Spaces Protection Order requiring you to put your dog on a lead if an officer asks and to keep dogs out of marked play areas, with a fixed penalty for breaches. Off-lead is otherwise fine in most open spaces.