Best walks near Crewe by train
MapA day hike in the countryside is just a simple train journey away — explore the most charmingly located railway stations in North of England and plan your next day of green.
Lichfield Trent Valley Station Circular via Whittington Heath (Staffordshire)
30m direct from Crewe.
19km. Moderate ascents. 5h–9h.
Golf club, heath, woodland, and Heart of England Way. MOD firing range — check access.
Lunch stops: the Tame Otter (2h–3h30 in), or the Red Lion (2h–3h30 in).
End-of-walk rewards: the Horse and Jockey, or the Turnpike.
Adapted from a route by the Leicester Ramblers — download GPX route
Atherstone Station Circular via Sheepy Magna (Warwickshire)
45m from Crewe, with one change.
20km. Gentle ascents. 5h–9h.
Canal and villages.
Lunch stops: San Giovanni (3h–4h30 in), or the Black Horse (3h–5h in).
End-of-walk rewards: the Blue Lion, the Blue Boar Inn, the Old Swan, the Hat and Beaver, the White Horse, the Kings Head Pub, or the Clock.
Adapted from a route by the Leicester Ramblers — download GPX route
Nuneaton Station Circular via Hartshill (Warwickshire)
1h from Crewe, with one change.
18km. Moderate ascents. 4h30–8h.
Parks, river, country park, and canal.
Lunch stop: the Stag and Pheasant (2h–3h30 in).
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 a route by the Leicester Ramblers — download GPX route
Atherstone Station Circular via Mancetter Quarry (Warwickshire)
45m from Crewe, with one change.
14km. Moderate ascents. 3h30–6h30.
Woodlands, country park, and valley views.
Lunch stops in Ridge Lane (2h30–4h in): the Church End Brewery Tap Room, or the White Hart. Other lunch stop: the Kings Head Pub (2h30–4h in).
Congleton Station to Kidsgrove Station (Cheshire)
15m direct from Crewe.
11km.
Spectacular views across Cheshire plain. Countryside ridge walk with gritstone outcrops, woodland paths, and fields. Mow Cop is where Primitive Methodism began in 1800 with mass prayer meetings by Hugh Bourne and William Clowes. Stiles and steps; steep downhill sections.
Documented by Walk Midlands — download GPX route
Stone Station to Stafford Station (Staffordshire)
15m direct from Crewe.
14km.
Boggy muddy ground at wetter times of year. Stafford Common is an unusually large surviving common land near a major Midlands centre with origins in medieval townland for grazing, protected by parliament 1839 and 1939. Comparatively busy road at Whitgreave; boggy ground when wet.
Documented by Walk Midlands — download GPX route
Penkridge Station to Stafford Station (Staffordshire)
15m direct from Crewe.
12km.
Impressive views across southern and central Staffordshire landscape. Walk traverses Staffordshire countryside from Penkridge to Stafford via the ruins of a neo-gothic manor on the site of Stafford's medieval castle. Busy road near Penkridge; care crossing main roads near Stafford.
Documented by Walk Midlands — download GPX route
Water Orton Station to Tamworth Station (Warwickshire)
45m direct from Crewe.
18km.
Mostly on canal towpaths. Through Anglo-Saxon Mercia's territory, passing sites associated with Queen Æthelflæd. Heavy traffic on narrow ancient bridge across River Tame near Water Orton.
Documented by Walk Midlands — download GPX route
Wednesbury Great Western Street Station to Wolverhampton Station
30m from Crewe, with one change.
9km.
Largely paved paths, pavements and canal towpaths through residential streets, industrial estates, a nature reserve, and a former-railway path. Route follows a section of the Monarch’s Way long-distance footpath. Well-served public transport returns to the start. Footpath across wasteland between Walsall and Wolverhampton is ill-kempt with fly-tipping; gap-in-fence section near the mound is tricky to navigate.
Documented by Walk Midlands — download GPX route
Hednesford Station to Rugeley Town Station (Staffordshire)
45m from Crewe, with one change.
9km.
Cannock Chase with rugged sandstone plateaus, steep dells, forest tracks, heathland, and residential areas. Cannock Chase is UK's smallest Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty established 1958 as green lung for coal mining communities; Littleton Colliery closed December 1993. Golf players on course; care of cars on quieter roads.
Documented by Walk Midlands — download GPX route
Sutton Coldfield Station to Lichfield City Station (Warwickshire)
45m from Crewe, with one change.
19km.
Varied suburban and exurban and rural terrain. Connects Sutton Coldfield to historic cathedral city of Lichfield via Anglo-Saxon Shenstone and Roman remains at Wall where Watling Street and Icknield Street met. Camp Road has high traffic, tight bends and heavy lorries; M6 Toll, A5, A5148 crossings; low-hanging power lines.
Documented by Walk Midlands — download GPX route
Buxton Station to Macclesfield Station (Derbyshire)
45m from Crewe, with one change.
18km.
Spectacular views. Wild landscape of deep valleys and gritstone peaks and studded with peat bogs and pine forests. Buxton developed as a fashionable spa in 18th-19th centuries using profits from Dukes of Devonshire's copper mines. Macclesfield granted borough charter for market in 13th Century. Stiles; busy road with no pavement and fast traffic.