Walks near Weston-super-Mare by train

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

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: 7h

Warnings: Steep ascents and descents.

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

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

Warnings: Can be muddy.

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

A walk through open country and urban byways, leaving Digby & Sowton past the Victorian former Digby Hospital and dropping through Ludwell Valley Park with superb views down the Exe Estuary, then on by Countess Wear and the riverside to the historic estuary town of Topsham.

Ludwell Valley Park: a Devon Wildlife Trust valley park on the edge of the city, with views down to the Exe estuary.

Topsham

Time: 2h30

Lunch: Numerous pubs and shops in Topsham at the finish.

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

A walk in open country and Devon green lanes linking the city's two outer stations, climbing out of the suburbs through Mincinglake Valley Park and over Stoke Hill, with superb views opening up over Exeter and down the Exe Estuary before a long descent past the University to St David's.

Mincinglake Valley Park: a wooded valley park and Local Nature Reserve climbing out of the city, with views opening back over Exeter.

Exeter

Time: 2h30

Lunch: Pubs and shops at the start (the Queen's Head by Polsloe Bridge) and at the finish (the Jolly Porter and Great Western, opposite St David's station).

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

Flat and heavily industrial Avonmouth: distribution centres, wind turbines, an old level crossing and the greenery of Avonmouth Park.

Time: 1h30

Warnings: Heavily industrial; some footpaths overgrown or eroded by trail bikes.

Walk details: Bristol Rail Campaign (photos, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).

A walk around Sowton in open country and Devon green lanes with superb views, from Newcourt over the M5 to the ancient Clyst Bridge and the village of Clyst St Mary, then on field paths past Bishop's Court and through Sowton village back to Digby & Sowton. A shorter three-mile option turns back at Clyst St Mary.

Bishop's Court: a medieval house that was once a country residence of the Bishops of Exeter.

Clyst Bridge: the ancient stone bridge over the River Clyst, scene of fighting during the 1549 Prayer Book Rebellion.

Time: 2h30

Lunch: Pubs and shops at Clyst St Mary (the Half Moon and the Blue Ball).

Warnings: The longer loop to Sowton can be very muddy when wet.

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

Recommended: A great walk. A great walk with a good variety of open fields, woodland, stony tracks and a disused-railway cycle track and with very little on roads. Muddy at some points; a very steep climb with steps from the cycle track up to Combe Down if walked from Frome.

Hilly: a quarter on high ground, rising above the surrounding land.

Woodland: a fifth under tree cover.

Time: 6h–12h

Lunch: A pub at Norton St Philip, mid-route, makes a good coffee stop.

Warnings: A very steep climb with steps from the cycle track up to Combe Down.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Recommended: A long, wheelchair- and pushchair-friendly route that is largely Kennet & Avon Canal towpath, with pavement out of Bath and into Melksham. Avoids the stiles, fields and crops and livestock of the shorter cross-country alternatives.

Waterway: nine tenths along the Kennet and Avon Canal.

Time: 7h30–14h30

Lunch: Bradford on Avon at the mid-point has multiple pubs, restaurants and facilities.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Recommended: Infinitely more attractive, peaceful and rewarding; the glorious contrasts of the exposed coast. A varied coastal and hinterland walk combining a seasonal ferry across the River Exe, exposed sea wall, sheltered country lanes, mud tractor tracks and steep climbs through pine forest. Surfaces include some demanding, muddy stretches and with several steep gradients. An alternative regular train links Exmouth and Starcross via Exeter Central if the ferry isn't running. Food shops and toilets at Exmouth, Starcross, Dawlish Warren and Dawlish.

Coastal: three fifths along the coast.

Time: 3h30–7h

Warnings: Relies on the seasonal Starcross Ferry (Apr–Oct, also affected by low spring tides) — check operating times before setting out. Some sections are steep and muddy; one minor road crossing is quite busy.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Recommended: A largely off-road route using the River Avon Trail and the well-maintained Bristol & Bath Railway Path (Sustrans Cycle Route 4), flat, smooth and scenic, with extensive tree shade in summer. The first part out of Keynsham, before the cycle path, has kissing gates and a cattle grid and can be muddy. Follows Sustrans National Cycle Route 4; passes Avon Riverside station on the Avon Valley Railway.

Waterway: two thirds along the River Avon.

Woodland: a third under tree cover.

Time: 3h30–6h30

1 lunch spot: the Bird in Hand

Warnings: The Bristol & Bath Railway Path is a very busy cycle and jogging route — cyclists can pass at speed. The Keynsham end has five kissing gates and muddy ground.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Recommended

Walk details: Railwalks.