Walks near Mansfield by train

Canal, river, wooded track and roadside footpath.

2 lunch spots: Wilford Farm (1h30 in), or Dovecote Barn Café (3h in)

Warnings: Short stretch on busy A453.

Adapted from: the Leicester Ramblers.

Waterways — River Derwent, Derby & Sandiacre Canal and Erewash Canal.

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.

Good paths, nature reserve, canal and river.

Waterway: nine tenths beside rivers and canals.

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.

3 lunch spots: Gotham (3h in) — the Sun Inn, the Cuckoo Bush Inn, or the Star Inn

Adapted from: the Leicester Ramblers.

Village greens and countryside.

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.

Flat, mostly on decent paths and along the River Soar and Grand Union Canal.

Waterway: nine tenths along the River Soar.

Lunch: Nowhere to eat en route — pack lunch!

3 end-of-walk rewards: the Boat Inn, the Navigation Inn, or the Hunting Lodge

Adapted from: the Leicester Ramblers.

Canal, industrial towns and disused railway viaduct.

Waterway: nine tenths along the Erewash Canal.

3 lunch spots: Hallam Fields, Ilkeston (2h30 in) — Gallows Grub, or the Gallows Inn; plus La Rock (1h15 in)

1 end-of-walk reward: the Dew Drop Inn

Adapted from: the Leicester Ramblers.

Countryside and river.

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

Riverside, good paths and open views.

Waterway: four fifths along the River Trent.

3 lunch spots: Gunthorpe (3h in) — the Unicorn Hotel, the Anchor, or Tom Browns

2 end-of-walk rewards: the Wheatsheaf Inn, or the Cross Keys

Warnings: Irregular train times.

Adapted from: the Leicester Ramblers.

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).

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).

Public roads, footpaths and canal towpaths; railway embankments and woodland tracks and grass areas. Extensively documented railway history of the Long Eaton triangle spanning 1840–1968: wagon works, sheet stores and canal-transhipment facilities, with modern flood defences and Ratcliffe Power Station visible.

Warnings: One stretch alongside the River Trent is liable to flooding in very wet weather; beware of traffic turning off the roundabout at Tamworth Road; beware of fast-moving traffic on Fields Farm Road (40 mph). Canal towpath often under water when the river is in flood.

Walk details: Derwent Valley Line Community Rail Partnership (local insights).