Walks you can reach from Todmorden by train

Moorland circular up the high ground above Baxenden along the closed Accrington-Manchester railway, past bridge piers, old stone waggonway, the castellated New High Riley farm and broad town viewpoints.

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

Walk details: Community Rail Lancashire (PDF).

Recommended: A largely urban route that is mostly along the canal towpath, avoiding a nasty motorway roundabout. The towpath is gravel or degraded tarmac with a couple of uneven patches; there are some interesting old mills and but a lot of pylons and nearby roads. Some interesting old mills along the towpath. Dragonflies and a weasel were seen.

Time: 3h30 (2h walking, 1h30 lunch)

Lunch: A cafe at Home Bargains in the retail park near the midpoint (accessed via steps).

Warnings: There are cycle barriers and a couple of uneven patches on the towpath. Leaving the towpath in Blackburn involves an unavoidable kerb and a cobblestone roadway.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

This is a gorgeous experience. A largely flat, easy-to-follow route predominantly along an off-road shared-use cycle path (national cycle route 66), with sections of canal towpath and woodland alongside the railway and quiet roads. Mostly step-free with only slight inclines; one short stretch on narrower busy-road pavements in Mytholmroyd. Some bridleway diversions are overgrown. Follows national cycle route 66 along the Rochdale Canal.

Waterway: nine tenths along the River Calder.

Woodland: a quarter under tree cover.

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

Warnings: A short section of narrow pavement on a busier road in Mytholmroyd. A couple of tricksy points joining the canal and railside paths.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

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

Walk details: Slow Ways.

A wheel-friendly route on good surfaces through the centre and suburbs of Blackburn, where cars often park partly on the pavement and opening into more interesting countryside with improving views after Ramsgreave & Wilpshire. Passes Ramsgreave & Wilpshire and Langho stations, useful for doing only part of the walk; also served by several buses.

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

Warnings: Follows a busy road for a third of the walk. Take care crossing Ribchester Road near the Wilpshire Hotel, where a sweeping filter lane carries traffic at speed.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

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

Warnings: A third urban.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Great view of Leeds from the top of the rise. A mix of rural and urban with great views towards Leeds: downhill through Morley, residential streets, the last few fields before the city, then past White Rose, along a busy ring road, up to Beeston and a high ridge with a steep grassy drop to a footbridge over the M621, through Holbeck, a final canal- and riverside approach with steps up to the station. Plenty of steps and some uneven and steep footpaths.

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

Warnings: A fifth urban. Steps and some uneven, steep footpaths; a steep grassy bank drops to the M621 footbridge. A busy ring road to walk along by White Rose.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Some spectacular scenery through Hoghton and Pleasington. A mostly picturesque and enjoyable route with wide views across Lancashire's hills, including a gorgeous descent to Hoghton Bottoms and a section through Witton Country Park. Fields can be very waterlogged and parts (especially around gates) exceptionally muddy after wet weather; a mossy ford and stepping stones to cross and plus some steep sections and two railway level crossings. Includes a 1.5km detour to use the next footbridge after the collapsed bridge over the River Darwen at Hoghton Bottoms; passes through Witton Country Park.

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

Warnings: Two railway level crossings (at Gregson Lane and Hoghton); careful navigation needed through the fields at Gregson Lane. The road at Butler's Bridge can be very busy (a playing field alongside avoids it). Some steep sections. Can be muddy.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

A long route with a very enjoyable, good-surfaced opening section to Bamber Bridge and with a minor road to cross and a narrow 62 cm gap. Avenham Park near the start has free toilets.

Time: 7h (5h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)

Walk details: Slow Ways.

An alternative that stays on the Bridgewater Canal all the way to Stockton Heath before entering Warrington and making a very nice canal walk between the urban areas.

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

Lunch: A pub at Moore on the canal.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Fine hilltop views surprisingly close to Halifax. An interesting, varied walk of contrasts: tranquil canalside towpath, fine hilltop views surprisingly close to Halifax and a two-mile straight stretch of road through suburbs. A couple of points need care to stay on route. Passes the former Duke of Wellington's barracks and ends near a full-size replica of the Halifax Gibbet.

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

Warnings: At bridge No.7 over the Rochdale Canal a large metal gate is chained up and not easy to climb, with no footpath signs; a small detour may be needed to walk round Shepherd House. The tricky housing-estate section and the chained bridge can both be avoided by staying on the canal a further 0.5km to Luddendenfoot.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

A largely pavement walk (around 80%) between two urban centres and passing through industrial areas and some neglected neighbourhoods with little greenery. Near the River Darwen the path can become impassable with dense scrub.

Time: 3h30 (2h walking, 1h30 lunch)

Warnings: Close to the River Darwen the route can be impassable with impenetrable scrub across the path, requiring a detour to rejoin further on.

Walk details: Slow Ways.