Somerset dog-friendly autumn walk ranked among best in UK

Research from Fabulous Vegas created a ‘dog-friendly walk hotspot’ index, scoring 66 individual locations mapped around the UK.

The walks were ranked based on the length of the walk, the terrain and elevation and the time it would take to walk the entirety of it.

These three factors were given a weighting out of 100 and each dog-friendly path was ranked based on these factors, according to their difficulty level. 

This was then converted into a final score, in which the higher the number, the ‘easier’ the path is to complete.

A walk at Cheddar Gorge in Somerset was considered one of the best in the UK (Image: Getty Images)

The UK's top 10 dog-friendly autumn walks

The top 10 dog-friendly autumn walks according to the research from Fabulous Vegas were:

1. Botallack village to the Count House walk (Cornwall) - 86.42

2. Gwithian bus stop to Godrevy walk (Cornwall) - 86.28

3. Black Rock limekiln walk (Somerset) - 83.44

3= Boscastle Harbour walk (Cornwall) - 83.44

3= Botallack mining walk (Cornwall) - 83.44

3= Cubert Common walk (Cornwall) - 83.44

3= Dunwich Heath grey trail (Suffolk) - 83.44

3= Herefordshire Views red trail at Brockhampton (Herefordshire) - 83.44

3= Holywell beach walk (Cornwall) - 83.44

3= Lacocok pleasure garden walk (Wiltshire) - 83.44

On the National Trust website, it describes the Black Rock limekiln route as a "gentle and easy walk at Cheddar Gorge" which is pleasant for dogs.

It goes "through a hidden dry limestone valley, ending in a peaceful grassy area, ideal for a picnic."

The walk only takes around 30-40 minutes to complete being a total of 1.6km in length.

It is a flat walk with gates and no stiles and dogs are of course welcome but do need to be on a lead.

Elsewhere on the list, Cornwall had six representatives for leisurely dog walks alongside options n Wiltshire, Suffolk and Herefordshire.