Walks near Grantham by train
MapA day hike in the countryside is just a simple train journey away — explore the most charmingly located railway stations near Grantham and plan your next day of green.
Alternatively, view walks directly from Grantham.
Waterbeach to Ely (Cambridgeshire)
1 hour from Grantham, with one change.
Highly recommended
Waterway: two thirds beside rivers and canals.
Ely Cathedral: the 'ship of the fens', a great Norman cathedral visible for miles across the flat fenland (5h15 in).
Oliver Cromwell's House (5h30 in)
Ely (5h15 in)
Time: 7h30 (5h30 walking, 1h30 lunch, 30m break)
2 lunch spots: the Five Miles Inn (2h in), or Wren Cafe (3h in)
5 end-of-walk rewards: the Cutter Inn, the Drayman's Son, the Kings Arms, the Minster Tavern, or the Prince Albert
Adapted from: The Rough Guide to Walks in London & the South East (3rd edition).
Nottingham Circular via Attenborough Nature Reserve (Nottinghamshire)
30 minutes direct from Grantham.
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).
Oakham Circular via Manton (Rutland)
45 minutes from Grantham, with one change.
Villages, churches and views across the Vale of Catmose.
Time: 7h (5h walking, 1h30 lunch, 30m break)
2 lunch spots: the Horse and Jockey Pub (1h45 in), or the Blue Ball (3h15 in)
2 end-of-walk rewards: the Royal Duke, or the Grainstore Brewery
Adapted from: the Leicester Ramblers.
Ely Circular (Cambridgeshire)
1 hour from Grantham, with one change.
Open fenland, flat drained farmland, long straight tree-lined farm tracks, hedge-lined meadows, river banks, dykes and catchwater drains, quayside and historic city.
Ely Cathedral: the 'ship of the fens', a great Norman cathedral visible for miles across the flat fenland.
Time: 5h30 (4h walking, 1h30 lunch)
Warnings: Exposed river banks.
Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).
Nottingham to East Midlands Parkway (Nottinghamshire)
30 minutes direct from Grantham.
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.
Sheffield to Meadowhall Interchange (Yorkshire)
1 hour from Grantham, with one change.
Flat urban canal towpaths and riverside paths along the Sheffield & Tinsley Canal and Five Weirs Walk, past Victoria Quays and the Tinsley locks. An easy waterside start to the trail.
Victoria Quays: A large canal basin in Sheffield constructed 1816-1819 as the terminus of the Sheffield Canal.
The Sheffield & Tinsley Canal: A canal opened in 1819 to link the city with the navigable River Don, famous for featuring in the opening scenes of the film The Full Monty.
Time: 3h30 (2h walking, 1h30 lunch)
Walk details: Penistone Line Trail / Penistone Line Partnership (PDF).
Sheffield to Bamford (Yorkshire)
1 hour from Grantham, with one change.
Urban streets, landscaped Victorian cemetery, municipal parkland, narrow wooded valley, open moorland, rugged gritstone edges and a scenic descent into lush valley.
Time: 8h30 (6h30 walking, 1h30 lunch, 30m break)
Warnings: Can be muddy.
Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).
Derby to Nottingham (Derbyshire)
30 minutes direct from Grantham.
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).
Melton Mowbray to Oakham (Leicestershire)
45 minutes from Grantham, with one change.
Rural countryside.
Time: 7h30 (5h30 walking, 1h30 lunch, 30m break)
2 lunch spots: Little Spice Box (3h15 in), or the White Lion Inn (3h15 in)
2 end-of-walk rewards: the Railway Inn, or the Grainstore Brewery
Adapted from: the Leicester Ramblers.
Derby to Long Eaton (Derbyshire)
1 hour from Grantham, with one change.
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.
Ambergate to Langley Mill (Derbyshire)
1 hour from Grantham, with one change.
One of the world’s oldest industrial regions. Overgrown canal towpath, woodland and field crossings and ironworks remains. Follows the route of the disused Cromford Canal. Butterley Tunnel (nearly 3 km) collapsed in 1900, severing the canal into two sections.
Waterway: two thirds along the Cromford Canal.
Time: 6h (4h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)
Warnings: Substantial tree blockages on overgrown sections; busy A610 road crossing.
Walk details: Walk Midlands (tips, photos and local insights).
Bingham Circular via Screveton (Nottinghamshire)
15 minutes direct from Grantham.
Village greens and countryside.
Time: 5h (3h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)
2 lunch spots: Caffe Velo Verde (1h30 in), or the Royal Oak (2h15 in)
1 end-of-walk reward: the Butter Cross
Adapted from: the Leicester Ramblers.