Walks you can reach from Willington by train

Parks, river and heritage trail.

Museum of Making (30m in)

Darley Park

Time: 6h30 (5h walking, 1h30 lunch)

6 lunch spots: Darley Park (1h15 in) — Darley Park Terrace Cafe, the Little Darley in the Park, the Abbey Inn, or the Darleys; plus the Joiners Arms (3h in), or the Orangery Café (4h in)

4 end-of-walk rewards: the Alexandra Hotel, the Brunswick, the Victoria Inn, or the Waterfall

Adapted from: the Leicester Ramblers.

Similar walk: North Staffordshire Community Rail Partnership.

Off-road walking and cycling alongside canal and river — a waterside network of paths. Passes the historic Trent Bridge.

Time: 5h30 (4h walking, 1h30 lunch)

Walk details: Derwent Valley Line Community Rail Partnership (local insights).

Waterways — River Derwent, Derby & Sandiacre Canal and Erewash Canal.

Time: 7h (5h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)

2 lunch spots: Canal Cottage Cafe (2h45 in), or the Navigation (3h15 in)

2 end-of-walk rewards: Peking House, or the Sawley Junction

Adapted from: the Leicester Ramblers.

Largely urban walking on pavements and a riverside path, through parks and along the line of the Derby Canal.

Time: 4h (2h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)

1 lunch spot: Waterside Café

Warnings: Only a few trains a day call at Peartree.

Walk details: North Staffordshire Community Rail Partnership (tips and turn-by-turn directions).

Mixture of off-road cycle path and on-road sections. Part of the longer London-to-Lake-District route.

Time: 8h30 (7h walking, 1h30 lunch)

Walk details: Derwent Valley Line Community Rail Partnership (local insights).

Canal, river, wooded track and roadside footpath.

Time: 6h (4h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)

2 lunch spots: Wilford Farm (1h30 in), or Dovecote Barn Café (3h in)

Warnings: Short stretch on busy A453.

Adapted from: the Leicester Ramblers.

Repurposed railway track along the Great Northern Greenway.

Duffield Castle (National Trust)

Time: 6h (4h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)

2 lunch spots: the Bell and Harp (1h in), or the Three Horseshoes (2h15 in)

4 end-of-walk rewards: the Alexandra Hotel, the Brunswick, the Waterfall, or the Merry Widows

Warnings: Follows a busy road for a sixth of the walk.

Adapted from: the Leicester Ramblers.

Mostly on canal towpaths. Through Anglo-Saxon Mercia's territory, passing sites associated with Queen Æthelflæd.

Waterway: four fifths along the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal.

Time: 6h (4h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)

Warnings: Heavy traffic on narrow ancient bridge across River Tame near Water Orton.

Walk details: Walk Midlands (tips, photos and local insights).

Recommended: A flat, mostly level walk: busy city and built-up streets at each end with a quiet, scenic, well-maintained towpath along the Beeston Canal in the middle. A cobbled bridge joins the towpath and there are a few short and steep inclines. Frequent buses and trams also run between Beeston and Nottingham; the route passes Beeston Station too.

Waterway: two thirds beside rivers and canals.

Time: 3h30 (2h walking, 1h30 lunch)

Lunch: A quieter alternative at the Beeston side passes the Star Inn, the Victoria Hotel and a café at the Canalside Heritage Centre.

Warnings: A quarter urban. Cobbled bridge to join the towpath and a few short, steep inclines. Some busy street walking at the ends.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Reverse direction: Derwent Valley Line Community Rail Partnership.

Recommended: A very easy, level walk almost entirely along the Coventry Canal towpath, on compacted-stone towpath and pavement, with no gates or stiles. A short noisy section leaving Tamworth and then quiet side streets and open countryside. Passes the Hodge Lane Nature Reserve and Pooley Country Park (public toilets at the visitor centre). The Staffordshire–Warwickshire border is a stream crossing under the canal.

Waterway: four fifths along the Coventry Canal.

Time: 3h30 (2h walking, 1h30 lunch)

Lunch: A pub at Alvecote Marina, roughly midway. Pubs and shops at the Polesworth end; eateries and shops in Polesworth village.

Warnings: The road into Tamworth can be quite busy mid-afternoon. Polesworth has just one train a day.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Good views, lots of interest; the weir at Darley Abbey is spectacular. A straightforward, well-walked route through the Derwent valley, mostly following field and riverside paths with some pavement and quiet village-road sections. Varied countryside with steps, stiles and some mud and plus a short stretch on roads without pavements or verges. The flood-plain section near the A38 can be affected after severe weather. Mainly follows the Derwent Valley Heritage Way through the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site. Well served by buses for bail-out at intermediate points (Duffield, Little Eaton).

Time: 5h30 (4h walking, 1h30 lunch)

Lunch: Refreshment options at Makeney, Duffield, Little Eaton and Darley Abbey, with a pub at each of Makeney and Duffield, and shops, a cafe and a pub at Little Eaton.

Warnings: About 900m is on roads without pavements or verges, though these are mostly quiet village roads. Steps and stiles throughout; some mud. Long grass encroaches in places, so tick precautions are worth taking. The section between the A38 and Darley Abbey is on a flood plain and can be affected after severe weather.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Time: 7h30 (5h30 walking, 1h30 lunch, 30m break)

Walk details: Slow Ways.