Walks you can reach from Swinderby 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).

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.

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

Warnings: 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 straightforward route through lovely Lincolnshire countryside and villages, following the Spires and Steeples Trail almost all the way. It is mostly tarmacked cycleway or track, with some field footpaths, quiet road walking and one early set of steps. Sections can be very muddy or flooded after heavy rain. Follows the waymarked Spires and Steeples Trail almost the whole way (signage through villages can be confusing or missing). Starts on the flat, tarmacked Water Rail Way to Washingborough. Branston has a useful Co-op and a main bus route.

Warnings: The level crossing between Branston and Potterhanworth marked on the GPX is no longer usable and is blocked off; use the road nearby to cross under the tracks instead. Sections between Washingborough and Branston can flood badly after heavy rain, sometimes requiring a sizeable diversion. An early footbridge with steps. Can be muddy.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

A mix of public footpath, country lanes and some pavement alongside busier roads through Lincolnshire farmland. Some footpaths are not well trodden and cross ploughed fields and but the route is generally well signposted.

Lunch: Numerous refreshment options in Nettleham.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

The Foss Dyke section is excellent. A largely flat, very accessible route following the Foss Dyke canal on firm tarmac or gravel paths for most of the way and with a short grassy section near the Pyewipe Inn. The final couple of miles leave the canal to follow a decent but noisy pavement alongside the busy A57. Follows the Foss Dyke; Lincoln Cathedral is visible from a long way off.

Lunch: Excellent chippy on the approach to Saxilby station; cafe by the A57 junction.

Warnings: The A57 crossing on the alternative direct line has no central refuge; this route uses a safer signposted cycle crossing with a central refuge but no lights. The A57 pavement is noisy and narrow in places.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

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.