Dog-friendly swimming spots in the Yorkshire Dales

A small, magical tufa waterfall dropping into a clear pool in a mossy wooded glen, a flat twenty-minute walk from Malham village — the gentle, picturesque end of Dales swimming. One of the safer spots here, with shallow paddling at the edges and a deeper pool below the foss. It sits on the edge of the National Trust's Malham Tarn estate, so keep dogs on a lead, especially through the approach meadows in nesting season.

A limestone gorge on the Wharfe just upstream of Burnsall, with a genuine deep plunge pool the locals jump into and stony, beach-like shallows perfect for a dog to paddle from — the classic Dales river beach. A short, lovely meadow walk from Burnsall's bridge and green, linking on to Grassington. It is still the Wharfe, though, so keep dogs to the shallow stony margins and out of the deep gorge water when the river's up.

The closest thing the Dales have to a beach — the largest of their two natural lakes (Malham Tarn is the other), a shallow glacial lake in quiet Raydale where a dog can run on the shore, paddle out a long way and swim in gentle water. No currents or waterfalls, which makes it the safest swim on this list for a nervous dog. It's a Yorkshire Wildlife Trust reserve with breeding and overwintering birds, so keep dogs on a short lead.

A showpiece triple flight of falls on the River Ure over about a mile of wooded Wensleydale, run by the national park — scenic, family-friendly and a fine dogs-on-leads walk. It's a paddling spot at the calmer stretches rather than a swim — the falls themselves are not safe, and after rain the Ure turns powerful with hidden undercurrents. Worth knowing too — campaigners have warned of high bacteria levels here, so it's not the spot to let a dog drink deeply.

A gentle, little-visited multi-step waterfall on Cotterdale Beck near Hawes, reached on a short, flat, accessible path from the road — the quiet alternative to busy Aysgarth or Janet's Foss. Low flow and a modest pool make it an easy, low-stress paddle for a dog, with far fewer people. It still rises after rain and the rocks are slippery, but as Dales water goes this is about as relaxed as it gets.

A spectacular four-and-a-half-mile circuit past six waterfalls and through limestone gorges on the Rivers Twiss and Doe — and on this list precisely because people search for it, but it's a walk to look at water, not swim in it. Dramatic high cascades like Thornton Force, steep drops and slippery gorge edges mean dogs stay on the lead throughout, which the (ticketed, privately run) trail enforces. A grand day out with a dog; just not a paddle.

A wide cascade on the River Ribble beside a 17th-century National Trust packhorse bridge, with a deep pool below it — dramatic, and a confident-swimmer's spot rather than a casual paddle. For dogs, the shallow margins are fine; keep them out of the main pool in high water. Two timing notes — avoid it in or after heavy rain when the flow churns, and in the autumn salmon run (October–November) it becomes a watch-don't-swim spectacle as fish leap the falls.

An easy, pretty riverside walk from Grassington down to the Wharfe, with calmer pools by the weirs upstream that suit a paddling dog, opening onto a gentle meadow path toward Burnsall. One firm warning, though — do not swim at Linton Falls or under the footbridge, where there's a weir and a hydro plant and a young man has drowned. The Wharfe is deceptively cold with hidden drops; the golden rule here is never jump in after your dog — it swims better than you do.