Walks in South West England by train

Highly recommended

Old Sarum Ruins (1h in)

Stonehenge (4h30 in)

Stonehenge Landscape (National Trust; 4h30 in)

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

1 lunch spot: the Bridge Inn (2h30 in; excellent)

Warnings: Have lunch a café or pub next to the river. Return from Stonehenge to Salisbury by bus (very frequent & reliable but check times).

Adapted from: The Rough Guide to Walks in London & the South East (3rd edition).

Disused railway path, tunnels, viaducts, canal towpath, river and historic city centre.

Time: 6h30 (5h walking, 1h30 lunch)

Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).

Somerset Levels fringes, hillock, quiet residential streets, charming market town, dry green valley, ancient holloway, pastures, shallow river valley, hillfort plateau, steep ascents, large WWII airfield remains and broad plateau with views.

Time: 9h (7h walking, 1h30 lunch, 30m break)

Warnings: Steep ascents and descents.

Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).

Chalk downland, the Pewsey White Horse hill figure, the River Avon and a quiet village, with spectacular views.

Pewsey White Horse: A 20th-century chalk hill figure cut into the downs above Pewsey.

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

Walk details: Visit Pewsey Vale (photos).

South Somerset pastures, wooded ridge forming the Wiltshire/Somerset boundary, hanging woods, landscaped estate gardens with lakeside walks, grassy U-shaped valley and honey-coloured stone-built town.

Stourhead (National Trust)

Stourhead Estate (National Trust)

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

Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).

A varied circular using the trackbed of the former Exmouth-to-Sidmouth Junction railway out through Littleham, then returning along the South West Coast Path over the cliffs of West Down Beacon and the High Land of Orcombe, passing the Geoneedle that marks the start of the Jurassic Coast before the long esplanade back into town.

The Geoneedle at Orcombe Point: a Portland-stone monument marking the western start of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site.

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

Lunch: Pubs and shops in Littleham, Exmouth town centre and the seafront; the South Beach Café at Sandy Bay (seasonal).

Warnings: The coast path skirts the Straight Point firing range — obey any red-flag warnings; one moderate climb onto the cliffs.

Walk details: Avocet Line Rail Users Group (PDF).

Similar walk: Great Scenic Railways of Devon & Cornwall (PDF).

Gentle Cotswold hills, open fields, ridge with fine views and honey-coloured villages.

Time: 6h30 (5h walking, 1h30 lunch)

Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).

Chalk downland, dry hanging valleys, rounded hills, broad ridges, chalk streams, picturesque villages and historic churches.

Time: 8h30 (7h walking, 1h30 lunch)

Warnings: Six hilly ascents.

Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).

Thomas Hardy country east of Dorchester — his thatched birthplace cottage and the woodland and heathland of Thorncombe Wood.

Hardy's Cottage: The thatched cottage birthplace of writer Thomas Hardy, set within Thorncombe Wood nature reserve and cared for by the National Trust.

Thorncombe Wood: A mixed woodland nature reserve surrounding Hardy's Cottage with waymarked trails and heathland.

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

Lunch: The Under the Greenwood Tree cafe at the Hardy's Cottage visitor centre; pubs and cafes in Dorchester.

Warnings: Hardy's Cottage can only be visited on a guided tour; check National Trust opening arrangements before setting out.

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

Dramatic outlying northwestern limb of the Cotswolds. Walk crosses from Gloucestershire into Worcestershire at Carrant Brook.

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

Warnings: Dangerously busy lane with tight bends near Aston-on-Carrant.

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

Beautiful line through the northern Cotswolds. Trackbed of old railway line, fields, roads through villages and flat greenway. Route follows the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway from 1859, closed for passenger services in 1968-1969, finally closed in 1976. Now a greenway.

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

Warnings: First section still in use for goods traffic; moderately busy road between Pebworth and Long Marston.

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

Similar walk: Slow Ways (inc. GPX).

Flat fields, river meadows, canal path, farmland, small woods and residential streets.

Lacock (National Trust)

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

Warnings: Can be muddy.

Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).