Walks in Nottinghamshire by train

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).

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.

Good paths, nature reserve, canal and river.

Waterway: nine tenths beside rivers and canals.

Time: 5h30 (4h walking, 1h30 lunch)

4 lunch spots: Beeston Lock (1h in) — the Riverside Bar, Boathouse Cafe, or Canal Heritage Centre; plus Restaurant Sat Bains (2h in)

Warnings: Check for flooding.

Adapted from: the Leicester Ramblers.

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.

River, lanes and racecourse.

Time: 5h (3h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)

1 lunch spot: Southwell Minster Refectory Café (2h30 in)

Adapted from: the Leicester Ramblers.

Urban and suburban streets, golf-course path, woodland, abandoned canal towpath (partly waterlogged) and active canal towpath. Bennerley Viaduct gives expansive valley views — Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station is visible 10+ miles distant. Approximate walking time 4–5 hours.

Time: 5h30 (4h walking, 1h30 lunch)

Warnings: Heavy traffic at the dual-carriageway crossing near Nottingham; canal paths shared with cyclists.

Walk details: Walk Midlands (tips, photos and local insights).

Tranquil river crossing through gently hilly, wooded Sherwood Forest country. Suburban footpaths, parkland, field paths, woodland, riverside and gravel tracks. Newstead Abbey was Lord Byron's ancestral seat; Byron is buried at the Church of St Mary Magdalene in Hucknall. Newstead Colliery (closed 1987) has a pit-wheel monument on the route.

Time: 4h (2h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)

Walk details: Walk Midlands (tips, photos and local insights).

Countryside and river.

Time: 5h30 (4h walking, 1h30 lunch)

4 lunch spots: Gunthorpe (2h45 in) — the Anchor, or the Unicorn Hotel; plus the World's End (15m in), or the Red Lion (2h15 in)

3 end-of-walk rewards: the Wheatsheaf Inn, the Cross Keys, or the Lord Nelson

Adapted from: the Leicester Ramblers.

Recommended: A quiet, mostly green suburban route on shared paths, cycle tracks and quiet streets with plenty of tree cover, plus small stretches of pavement by busy roads and a short field path. It is largely level and step- and stile-free, with one short and slightly rough and steep section descending through a wood east of the A611. Largely follows old railway paths and cycletracks. Kirkby and Hucknall are linked by the Robin Hood line and the Trentbarton Threes bus.

Time: 4h (2h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)

Warnings: A short, steep and slightly rough wooded section east of the A611, with side paths to ignore, may be tough for heavier wheels.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Recommended: An excellent route; very enjoyable. An off-road and peaceful route using byways, the Chesterfield Canal towpath, farm tracks and with some walking through housed areas on safe pavements at either end. The canal section can get hemmed in by bracken and undergrowth; no serious hills. Follows the Chesterfield Canal towpath; passes Babworth Church, linked to the Pilgrim Fathers, with a display board; few benches in the middle third.

Mr Straw's House (National Trust)

Time: 6h (4h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)

Lunch: The Chequers pub at Ranby is the only refreshment option in the middle third and needs a detour off the towpath; stock up at the start otherwise.

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: 5h30 (4h walking, 1h30 lunch)

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.

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: 4h30 (3h walking, 1h30 lunch)

Walk details: Slow Ways.