Walks near Peterborough 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 Peterborough and plan your next day of green.
Alternatively, view walks directly from Peterborough.
Cambridge Circular via Grantchester (Cambridgeshire)
45 minutes direct from Peterborough.
Beginner-friendly: A straightforward walk along the River Cam with many lunch options in Granchester. Within Cambridge itself, feel free to wander about randomly rather than following the route — there’s plenty to appreciate.
King's College Chapel (2h45 in)
Fitzwilliam Museum (2h45 in)
Cambridge (2h45 in)
Time: 5h (3h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)
4 lunch spots: Grantchester (1h30 in) — the Orchard Tea Garden, Grantchester, the Red Lion, the Rupert Brooke, or the Blue Ball Inn
1 end-of-walk reward: the Panton Arms
Warnings: A quarter urban.
Adapted from: The Rough Guide to Walks in London & the South East (3rd edition).
Similar walk: the Saturday Walkers Club.
Waterbeach to Ely (Cambridgeshire)
45 minutes from Peterborough, 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).
Oakham Circular via Manton (Rutland)
30 minutes direct from Peterborough.
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)
30 minutes direct from Peterborough.
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 Circular via Attenborough Nature Reserve (Nottinghamshire)
1 hour from Peterborough, with one change.
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).
Melton Mowbray to Oakham (Leicestershire)
45 minutes direct from Peterborough.
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.
Cambridge to Cambridge North (Cambridgeshire)
45 minutes direct from Peterborough.
A short city and riverside walk linking Cambridge's two stations, taking in some of the best-known views of the ancient colleges, punting on the upper river, and riverside paths across the commons where college and town crews race their traditional 'bumps'.
Time: 4h30 (3h walking, 1h30 lunch)
Warnings: Shared with cyclists along most of the route, so watch out for bikes.
Walk details: Mid Anglia Rail Passengers Association (PDF).
Nottingham to East Midlands Parkway (Nottinghamshire)
1 hour from Peterborough, with one change.
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.
Shelford to Cambridge (Cambridgeshire)
45 minutes direct from Peterborough.
Flat walk through traditional villages and along the River Cam, finishing through Grantchester Meadows into Cambridge city centre.
Great Shelford: Traditional village with thatched cottages and a striking parish church.
Little Shelford: Village with period architecture.
Hauxton Mill: Historic watermill on the River Cam.
Trumpington Meadows: Open meadow nature reserve on the edge of Cambridge.
Byron's Pool: Wild-swimming spot on the Cam named after the poet Lord Byron.
The Old Vicarage (Rupert Brooke's House): Former home of poet Rupert Brooke, with sculptures in the grounds.
Grantchester Meadows: Open riverside meadows along the Cam between Cambridge and Grantchester.
King's College: World-famous University of Cambridge college with its renowned chapel.
The Orchard Tea Garden
Time: 5h (3h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)
2 lunch spots: the Red Lion, or the Orchard Tea Garden
Warnings: Busy A10 road crossing; shared cyclist path before the M11 bridge.
Walk details: Walking Post (tips, photos and local insights).
Similar walk: the Saturday Walkers Club.
Derby to Nottingham (Derbyshire)
1 hour from Peterborough, with one change.
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).
Stamford Circular via Easton on the Hill (Northamptonshire)
15 minutes direct from Peterborough.
Old railway, Roman road, park grounds and meadows.
Burghley House (2h30 in)
Priest's House, Easton on the Hill (National Trust; 3h45 in)
Time: 6h30 (5h walking, 1h30 lunch)
1 lunch spot: Burghley House restaurant (2h30 in)
6 end-of-walk rewards: the Birch Tree Cafe, the Exeter Arms, the Easton on the Hill Village, the Blue Bell Pub, the George, or the Bull and Swan
Warnings: Follows a busy road for a sixth of the walk.
Adapted from: the Leicester Ramblers.
Huntingdon Circular via Portholme Meadow (Huntingdonshire)
15 minutes direct from Peterborough.
Flat riverside paths, water meadows, farmland tracks, tarmac lanes, nature reserve and market town streets.
Time: 5h30 (4h walking, 1h30 lunch)
Warnings: Prone to flooding.
Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).