Walks you can reach from Oakham by train

Old railway, Roman road, park grounds and meadows.

Burghley House

Time: 5h–9h30

1 lunch spot: Burghley House café (2h30–5h 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.

Parks, river, country park and canal.

Woodland: a quarter under tree cover.

Time: 4h30–9h30

1 lunch spot: the Stag and Pheasant (2h–4h in)

5 end-of-walk rewards: the Lord Hop, the Felix Holt, the George Eliot Hotel, the Black Swan In Hand, or the Silk Mill

Adapted from: the Leicester Ramblers.

Flat and footpaths.

Time: 5h30–11h

3 lunch spots: Rearsby (2h–3h30 in) — the Horse and Groom, or the Wheel; plus the Bell Inn (3h30–6h30 in)

2 end-of-walk rewards: Wild Bean Cafe, or the Boat Inn

Warnings: Winter flooding possible.

Adapted from: the Leicester Ramblers.

Similar walk: Slow Ways (inc. GPX).

Canal towpath and cycle greenway. Route ends at Leicester Cathedral where Richard III's remains were interred in 2013.

Waterway: three fifths along the Grand Union Canal (Leicester Line).

Time: 2h30–5h30

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

Flat and on decent paths.

Waterway: four fifths along the River Soar.

Time: 5h30–11h

3 lunch spots: Birstall (3h30–7h in) — the Earl of Stamford, the Old Plough, or the White Horse

2 end-of-walk rewards: the Corn Exchange, or the Rainbow and Dove

Adapted from: the Leicester Ramblers.

The views from just below the Belvoir escarpment are wide ranging. An almost very good route: direct, scenic and mostly off-road across the Vale of Belvoir, crossing several old railway lines and a section of the Grantham canal towpath. Field paths range from well-cut to overgrown or chest-high crops needing determination; there are several stiles and some wet/muddy sections and with wide-ranging views from below the Belvoir escarpment. Plenty of transport heritage: several old railway crossings, a section of one old line, and the Grantham canal. A bus service links Bottesford and Melton via Harby, Plungar, Barkestone and Redmile. Several villages en route are poorly supplied with facilities; Bottesford has a Co-op and a tea room.

Time: 7h–14h

Lunch: There is a pub in Plungar on the route; pubs and shops in Redmile, Harby and Scalford lie off the route.

Warnings: The busy inner ring road into Melton must be crossed without a pelican crossing. Some cross-field paths are not cut, overgrown or have awkward stiles. A diversion runs around a building site near Melton.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

A long, level walk that is fairly dry underfoot, mostly on good tracks and quiet roads with a section of the Grantham Canal, plus a few less-trodden field paths through villages. Plenty of stiles, a few steps and one steeper climb up the hill out of Harston. Follows the Grantham Canal out of Grantham. Can be split, and there are village shops/pubs at intermediate villages such as Harlaxton and Waltham-on-the-Wolds.

Time: 8h–15h30

Lunch: Shops and pubs in intermediate villages including Harlaxton, Denton and Waltham-on-the-Wolds.

Warnings: Plenty of stiles and a few steps; a couple of short sections without pavement on quiet roads, and a steeper climb over stiles up the hill from Harston towards Croxton Kerrial; some field paths a little muddy in places.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

An almost entirely flat, easy walk: roadside pavements at the Leicester end give way to wide, level tarmac and cycle-path towpaths along the Grand Union Canal and River Soar and with short diversions over grass and wooded paths between lakes. Short grassy stretches can be soft and muddy in winter. Follows Sustrans Route 48 along the canal. Note Abbey Park is locked at dusk (around 6pm in winter); it can easily be walked around.

Waterway: three quarters along the River Soar.

Time: 3h–6h

Lunch: A café by the bridge at Abbey Park, and a café and museum at Belgrave Hall Gardens.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

A pleasant, fairly direct route on a mix of pavements, farm tracks, towpath and lanes and including a stretch along the Ashby Canal and across wide open fields by the infant River Anker. The towpath and a bridleway between hedges can be very wet and muddy. Follows the Ashby Canal for a stretch. Transport links, shops and stops at either end.

Time: 2h30–5h

1 lunch spot: the Lime Kilns

Warnings: A quarter urban. On the A4254 Eastboro Way, stay on the south side as the north pavement disappears where crossing is awkward. The section east of Attleborough is very wet and muddy.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

A walk on field paths with stiles and muddy sections that can be very slippery in places and sticky in others, plus a few slightly awkward and steeper short sections. Includes a road with no pavement but with verges wide enough to walk on fairly comfortably.

Time: 5h30–11h

Lunch: A pub and a shop in Frisby-on-the-Wreake, and two pubs a short distance from the route in Rearsby.

Warnings: The A46 can only be crossed safely at very limited points; this route uses a road with no pavement but adequate verges instead. Stiles and slippery mud.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

A walk through pretty Northamptonshire villages and farmland with very little road walking and a variety of terrain. The approach into Corby crosses an industrial estate and the section by Corby tunnel can be bleak and muddy in winter. Largely follows the well-signed Jurassic Way; navigation is easy. The Corby tunnel section can get muddy in winter.

Time: 8h30–17h

Lunch: A cafe in Fineshade Woods, roughly midway.

Warnings: The route crosses and re-crosses the A43; take care.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

A mostly off-road, fairly direct walk through farm fields, local meadows, canal towpath and the tree-lined Great Central Way old railway line, staying green for much of the way into the city. Good underfoot and with one short uphill section and some steps; shared with cyclists. Uses the Great Central Way. Train links at both ends make a walk-there, train-back option easy.

Time: 3h–5h30

1 lunch spot: King's Lock Tearoom

Warnings: The path between Whetstone and Littlethorpe can flood after prolonged rain or melting snow, with an electric fence constraining the path. Bike barriers limit access at a few points. Castle Gardens are locked at dusk.

Walk details: Slow Ways.