Walks near Kettering by train
Northamptonshire · East Midlands
MapA day hike in the countryside is just a simple train journey away — explore the most charmingly located railway stations near Kettering and plan your next day of green.
Alternatively, view walks directly from Kettering.
Aspley Guise Circular via the Woburn Estate (Bedfordshire)
1 hour from Kettering, with one change.
Beginner-friendly: A shortish but satisfying walk. It’s hard to go wrong and, if you do, it’s easy to recover. Lunch is in the pleasant village of Woburn, where there are many choices, so no faffing with making reservations needed. Plus it goes through a safari park and you’ll likely spot some of the beasts.
Woodland: a quarter under tree cover.
Woburn Safari Park: a 300-acre wildlife park opened in 1970, home to over 80 species including critically endangered hoofed mammals.
Time: 3h–6h
3 lunch spots: Woburn (1h–2h in) — the Black Horse, Lussmanns, or the Woburn Hotel
1 end-of-walk reward: the Anchor
Adapted from: The Rough Guide to Walks in London & the South East (3rd edition).
St Albans City Circular via Ruins of Gorhambury House (Hertfordshire)
1 hour from Kettering, with one change.
Recommended
Time: 4h–8h
1 lunch spot: Ye Olde Fighting Cocks (30m–1h in)
6 end-of-walk rewards: the Six Bells, the Lower Red Lion, the Snug, the Boot, the Mad Squirrel Tap, or the Peahen
Warnings: A third urban.
Adapted from: The Rough Guide to Walks in London & the South East (3rd edition).
Harpenden to St Albans City (Hertfordshire)
45 minutes from Kettering, with one change.
Recommended: Mostly fields and country lanes. Some beautiful new bluebell woods, stunning historic city streeets, commons, golf courses and parkland.
Time: 4h30–9h
4 lunch spots: Sandridge (2h–4h in) — the Green Man (excellent; reservations recommended), Heartwood Tea Rooms (busy!), the Rose & Crown, or the Queens Head (not great)
5 end-of-walk rewards: the Lower Red Lion, the Mad Squirrel Tap, the Peahen, the Snug, or the Boot
Best months: in April (bluebell season).
Warnings: A quarter urban.
Source: Trains2Green.
Similar walks: the Saturday Walkers Club and Slow Ways (inc. GPX).
Nottingham Circular via Attenborough Nature Reserve (Nottinghamshire)
45 minutes direct from Kettering.
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).
Derby Circular via Allestree Park (Derbyshire)
45 minutes from Kettering, with one change.
Parks, river and heritage trail.
Time: 5h–10h30
6 lunch spots: Darley Park (1h–2h30 in) — Darley Park Terrace Cafe, the Little Darley in the Park, the Abbey Inn, or the Darleys; plus the Joiners Arms (3h–6h in), or the Orangery Café (3h–6h 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.
Oakham Circular via Manton (Rutland)
1 hour from Kettering, with one change.
Villages, churches and views across the Vale of Catmose.
Time: 5h–10h30
2 lunch spots: the Horse and Jockey Pub (2h–3h30 in), or the Blue Ball (3h30–6h30 in)
2 end-of-walk rewards: the Royal Duke, or the Grainstore Brewery
Adapted from: the Leicester Ramblers.
Nottingham to East Midlands Parkway (Nottinghamshire)
45 minutes direct from Kettering.
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.
Melton Mowbray to Oakham (Leicestershire)
45 minutes from Kettering, with one change.
Rural countryside.
Time: 5h30–11h30
2 lunch spots: Little Spice Box (3h–6h30 in), or the White Lion Inn (3h30–6h30 in)
2 end-of-walk rewards: the Railway Inn, or the Grainstore Brewery
Adapted from: the Leicester Ramblers.
Derby to Long Eaton (Derbyshire)
45 minutes from Kettering, with one change.
Waterways — River Derwent, Derby & Sandiacre Canal and Erewash Canal.
Time: 5h30–11h
2 lunch spots: Canal Cottage Cafe (2h30–5h30 in), or the Navigation (3h–6h30 in)
2 end-of-walk rewards: Peking House, or the Sawley Junction
Adapted from: the Leicester Ramblers.
Derby to Peartree (Derbyshire)
45 minutes from Kettering, with one change.
Largely urban walking on pavements and a riverside path, through parks and along the line of the Derby Canal.
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).
Derby to Nottingham (Derbyshire)
45 minutes from Kettering, with one change.
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).
Duffield to Derby (Derbyshire)
45 minutes from Kettering, with one change.
Repurposed railway track along the Great Northern Greenway.
Time: 4h30–9h30
2 lunch spots: the Bell and Harp (1h–2h in), or the Three Horseshoes (2h–4h30 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.