Walks you can reach from Bottesford by train

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

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

Canal, river, wooded track and roadside footpath.

Time: 4h30–9h30

2 lunch spots: Wilford Farm (1h30–3h in), or Dovecote Barn Café (3h–6h in)

Warnings: Short stretch on busy A453.

Adapted from: the Leicester Ramblers.

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

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

Village greens and countryside.

Time: 3h30–6h30

2 lunch spots: Caffe Velo Verde (1h30–3h in), or the Royal Oak (2h–4h30 in)

1 end-of-walk reward: the Butter Cross

Adapted from: the Leicester Ramblers.

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: 2h–4h30

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.

A most enjoyable walk. A long, pleasant but indirect walk through quiet arable farmland, mostly on good unsurfaced field paths with mown grass headlands and cross-field paths and plus quiet roads and riverside sections. Clay soil is sticky when wet; there are stiles and one short flight of steps. Passes Beacon Hill, Cranmer's Mound, a motte and bailey, the Elston Old Chapel and 3-metre green-man sculptures at Screveton; the riverside finish passes Newark Castle. A community shop at Elston (mornings, serves coffee); cafe/tea room at Screveton; garden centre cafe near the A46. Pubs bypassed at Flintham and Elston.

Lunch: A cafe/tea room at Screveton and a garden centre cafe near the A46; pubs at Flintham and Elston are just off route and may not be open midday.

Warnings: The unavoidable road section into Bottesford is the busiest, with a constant stream of large lorries and no pavement, only a narrow verge. There is one short flight of steps south of Flintham, and a level footpath crossing of the railway at Bingham. Cross-field paths are often not reinstated by farmers, so the plot is essential. The route avoids a A46 crossing.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Superb view of the Trent Valley. Mostly quiet field paths, some surfaced and free of stiles and with a final short climb up to The Cliffs above the River Trent. Some muddy patches when very wet. Uses parts of the Trent Valley Way. A substantial housing development at Newton means the bridleway nearby may be subject to temporary closures. Both ends are served by trains and a frequent bus service.

Time: 3h–6h

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Excellent walk. Field paths.

Time: 2h30–5h

Warnings: Short stretch on a fast-traffic road with limited verge.

Walk details: Railwalks.

A long, mostly good route on field paths, riverside banks, quiet lanes and surfaced tracks, with stretches following the Spires and Steeples trail. Steps, stiles and muddy sections and in wet conditions ploughed fields can be very muddy. Some field crossings have no cut path on the ground. Predominantly follows the Spires and Steeples waymarked trail, though it diverges at several points. Ruskington, with shops and a railway station, makes a good place to break the journey.

Time: 5h30–11h

Warnings: Steps, stiles (around seven) and a small flight of steps down to the path below the A17. Ploughed fields and field paths can be very muddy in wet weather. Some field crossings have no marked path; the riverbank section is narrow at times. Note the route diverges from the Spires and Steeples trail in places.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Largely flat, sticking to the south side of the South Forty Foot Drain on a good but unsurfaced footpath that can get muddy when wet and plus field and town sections. A two-mile section on the verge of the A17 west of Swineshead. Follows the South Forty Foot Drain; a surfaced cycle path runs as far as Hubberts Bridge.

Time: 6h–12h

Warnings: Follows a busy road for a fifth of the walk. A two-mile section along the A17 west of Swineshead, parts of which have no pavement (a verge and short stretches of old road can be used); one gate on the Drain path was padlocked, requiring a climb.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

An exceptional walk over the meadow. A typical country walk with a few stiles but lots of easy gates, following the delightful Trent riverside path on a good surface shared with bikes and horses, with meadows where cattle may graze, an in-summer overgrown woodland path. There are quiet lanes and bridleways and a path alongside the Ouse Dyke; the riverside may flood in extreme conditions. Follows the River Trent riverside path. Carlton and Bingham are linked to Nottingham by rail and frequent buses.

Time: 4h–7h30

Lunch: Services in abundance at Gunthorpe.

Warnings: The riverside path may flood in extreme conditions. Cattle may be grazing the meadow. A summer-overgrown woodland path. A narrow no-pavement bridge on Chandos Street, though the road is fairly quiet.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

A long, level walk that is fairly dry underfoot, mostly on good tracks and quiet roads with a section of the Grantham Canal, plus a few less-trodden field paths through villages. Plenty of stiles, a few steps and one steeper climb up the hill out of Harston. Follows the Grantham Canal out of Grantham. Can be split, and there are village shops/pubs at intermediate villages such as Harlaxton and Waltham-on-the-Wolds.

Time: 8h–15h30

Lunch: Shops and pubs in intermediate villages including Harlaxton, Denton and Waltham-on-the-Wolds.

Warnings: Plenty of stiles and a few steps; a couple of short sections without pavement on quiet roads, and a steeper climb over stiles up the hill from Harston towards Croxton Kerrial; some field paths a little muddy in places.

Walk details: Slow Ways.