ruthin • North wales

All rooms are dog-friendly and we provide a dog bed, blanket and bowls. Maximum two small/medium dogs or 1 large per room. Dogs are welcome in the middle-dining room and bar so you can have breakfast, dinner or even just a quiet glass of wine with your furry friends. When booking breakfast or dinner please let us know you wish to dine with your pets so we can make sure we accommodate the needs of all our guests. Please keep your pets on a lead when on the premises.

The Wine Vaults, St Peter’s Square, Ruthin

This is a friendly pub that has dog treats and has a nice bench at the front to watch the world go by as well as a bowl of water. Doesn’t serve food.

Tafarn y Ddraig, Ruthin Castle Hotel, Castle Street, Ruthin

This is a tavern situated in the grounds of Ruthin Castle Hotel (essentially a wedding venue which is just around the corner from us). There’s lots of outdoor seating - some covered under teepees - as well as indoor bar and restaurant areas all of which are dog-friendly.

Ruthin Craft Centre, Briec Roundabout, Ruthin

The Craft Centre has three galleries all of which allow dogs - on a lead; there is also a good cafe open daily (except Monday) where dogs are welcome. There is some outdoor seating here too if the weather is good.

Leonardo’s Deli, Well St, Ruthin

This is a good lunch stop selling lots of Welsh products and is dog-friendly. There is limited indoor seating and a few tables on the street and is literally a dozen or so steps away from us just up the hill on Well Street towards the square.

Nest, Clwyd Street, Clwyd Street, Ruthin

There are a good number of coffee stops in Ruthin and the best is Nest - lovely homemade cakes and good focaccia lunch options which change weekly.

Ruthin Market Hall, Market Street, Ruthin

Victorian Market Hall with artisan stalls and a cafe - all dog friendly.

A short walk

If you just need to do a quick widdle-walk then go out of the front gate and turn right; down the hill first left (Wynnstay Road). There is some green space at the rear of Crown House (the building opposite us). You can keep going around the block here and you will return to our front door.

20 minute walk • Any weather walk that doesn’t require boots/wellingtons.

Go out the front gate and turn right; keep on Well Street and at the junction of Station Road you cross the road and turn left onto Station Walk - the old railway line now serves as a public walk way with lots of greenery and trees. Follow the path to the end and you reach the Briec Roundabout. Cross the road on your left to Plas Meddyg (surgery) and follow the wall around to your right. Cross Market St onto School Lane and continue up the hill.

At the top of the hill you are at the rear of St Peter’s Church; turn left into the church yard and skirt the church itself and the path takes you into St Peter’s Square by the towns Post Office. Take either side of the square and exit the square on Well Street (to the left of the black and white building - The Old Courthouse - as you look from the church). We are down the hill on the right.

45 minute walk - through parkland and agricultural land; can be muddy if it’s wet!

Out of the front gate turn left; at the top of the hill (in St Peter’s Square) exit by Upper Clwyd Street (by The Wine Vaults Pub). Down Upper Clwyd Street onto Clwyd Street and continue. The parkland Cae Ddol is accessed through the car park just beyond Ruthin Gaol on your left. Into the park through the car park take the first bridge on your right and circumnavigate the parkland. Dogs are allowed off-lead in the park but not onto the rugby fields. It can be quite busy with dogs and whilst most dog-owners are respectful, keep your dog on the lead if they are nervous around others dogs.

At the far corner of the parkland, along the River Clwyd which you passed over the bridge to, there is another bridge going in the opposite direction. Cross this bridge and on your right is a stile; this gives you access to farmland. Go through the stile (make sure your dog is on a lead now) and follow the footpath. There are usually cows in this field so it can be mucky! At the end of the path through another stile and under the pedestrian bridge another stile takes you into different farmland which has crops planted. Don’t let your dog roam where the crops are but keep to the path which takes you past Scott House. When you come to the road go through the stile onto Corwen Road and turn left and this takes you back to St Peter’s Square. Exit the square at Well Street and down the hill you will find yourself back at manorhaus.

Walk around the grounds of Ruthin Castle

Exit the front gate and turn right down Well Street, take the first right - Record Street - and continue to the end of the street. Turn left and you will see the entrance to Ruthin Castle ahead. Go through the entrance and take the path on your right which leads to the Italianate Gardens - circle the gardens (you can see the original ramparts of the Edward I castle from some of the higher vantage points on the path as well as into the gardens of Nant Clwyd y Dre - a visitor attraction on Castle Street - dogs not allowed).

Exit the gardens where you entered and down the path turn right up the castle drive. Further on the left there is a path (marked overflow car park) take this path and you will see the Eisteddfod Stone Circle. Traverse the stones and go to Tafarn Y Ddraig for a well-earned drink with your dog - you passed the entrance to this by the Italianate Gardens. Reverse the way you arrived to get back to manorhaus

Beach • The best beach for dogs is Colwyn Bay or it’s neighbour Rhos-On-Sea. Check the signs for where dogs are allowed as it depends on the time of year. There’s lots of free parking in Rhos-on-Sea and you have to pay at Colwyn Bay but it’s very reasonable. Colwyn Bay Beach: LL29 8ED. It’s a 40 minute drive to get here - if you look on a map it would look like Prestatyn or Rhyl are closer - they both are a 40 minute drive away but the promenade improvements at Rhos on Sea make it particularly appealing.

Country • Loggerheads Country Park is an old tin mine with plenty of free space to roam; you have to pay to park but there’s lots of walking opportunities and a little river which your dog can paddle. You can be off-lead through the whole park. There is also a cafe here and just across the road a dog-friendly pub (We Three Loggerheads). Loggerheads Country Park: CH7 5LH. 15-minute drive from Ruthin.

For great, views walk up Moel Famau - the highest of the Clwydian Range Hills. It’s a steep walk with lots of dogs - there are sheep roaming so keep your dog on a lead - and takes about 45 minutes to ascend from the top car park. You can extend this walk and go over the hill into Loggerheads Country Park but it’s a long walk back! Moel Famau Car Park: CH7 5SH.

Country Estates • There are two National Trust properties within an easy drive which allow dogs on the land but not in the buildings; Chirk Castle and Erddig.