Walks in the West Midlands by train
MapA day hike in the countryside is just a simple train journey away — explore the most charmingly located railway stations in the West Midlands and plan your next day of green.
Nuneaton Circular via Hartshill (Warwickshire)
30 minutes direct from Birmingham New Street.
Parks, river, country park and canal.
Woodland: a quarter under tree cover.
1 lunch spot: the Stag and Pheasant (2h 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.
Lichfield Circular via Whittington Heath (Staffordshire)
45 minutes direct from Birmingham New Street.
Golf club, heath, woodland and Heart of England Way.
Woodland: a quarter under tree cover.
2 lunch spots: the Tame Otter (2h15 in), or the Red Lion (2h15 in)
2 end-of-walk rewards: the Horse and Jockey, or the Turnpike
Warnings: MOD firing range — check access.
Adapted from: the Leicester Ramblers.
Atherstone Circular via Sheepy Magna (Warwickshire)
30 minutes from Birmingham New Street, with one change.
Canal and villages.
2 lunch spots: San Giovanni (2h45 in), or the Black Horse (3h in)
7 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: the Leicester Ramblers.
Wellington Circular via the Wrekin (Shropshire)
45 minutes direct from Birmingham New Street.
Town streets, woodland tracks, steep ascent to The Wrekin summit with panoramic views over Shropshire and beyond.
Warnings: Steep climb to summit; can be windy on top.
Walk details: Wellington Walkers Are Welcome.
Great Malvern Circular (Worcestershire)
1 hour direct from Birmingham New Street.
Steep dramatic hills rising from flat vales, ancient woodland, open grassy commons with bracken and heather, scrub and rock ridge and rolling pastures.
Warnings: Steep ascents and descents.
Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).
Church Stretton Circular via Ratlinghope (Shropshire)
1 hour 15 minutes from Birmingham New Street, with one change.
Striking views back down Carding Mill Valley. Up Carding Mill Valley and across the Long Mynd Plateau and Wild Moor. Site of Richard Munslow's grave, reputedly Britain's last sin-eater who died in 1906.
Hilly: a third on high ground, rising above the surrounding land.
Carding Mill Valley and the Long Mynd: Take a walk across the wildlife-rich heathland and enjoy the views across the Shropshire Hills, or simply play in the stream in the valley (National Trust).
Warnings: Steep ascent to top of Long Mynd; faint moorland paths obscured by undergrowth.
Walk details: Walk Midlands (tips, photos and local insights).
Craven Arms Circular via Wart Hill (Shropshire)
1 hour 30 minutes from Birmingham New Street, with one change.
Knighton Circular via Offa's Dyke (Shropshire)
2 hours from Birmingham New Street, with one change.
Circular on footpaths and rights of way around the border town of Knighton, set on the River Teme close to the Offa's Dyke Path.
Walk details: Heart of Wales Line Travellers (PDF).
Bromsgrove to Barnt Green (Worcestershire)
15 minutes direct from Birmingham New Street.
A gentle climb through open country on the Monarch’s Way and canal towpath.
Waterway: three fifths along the Worcester & Birmingham Canal.
Walk details: Worcestershire Community Rail Partnership (PDF).
Worcestershire Parkway to Pershore (Worcestershire)
30 minutes direct from Birmingham New Street.
Open farmland and field paths through quiet villages.
Walk details: Worcestershire Community Rail Partnership (PDF).
Droitwich Spa to Worcester Foregate Street (Worcestershire)
30 minutes direct from Birmingham New Street.
Droitwich Canal constructed in 1771 to transport salt to River Severn; fully restored and reopened in 2011.
Waterway: three quarters along the Droitwich Barge Canal.
Hawford Dovecote: 16th-century half-timbered dovecote (National Trust; 30 mins to visit).
Warnings: Riverside path may be fenced off during repair works.
Walk details: Walk Midlands (tips, photos and local insights).
Reverse direction: Worcestershire Community Rail Partnership (PDF, inc. GPX) and Slow Ways (inc. GPX).
Worcester Foregate Street to Great Malvern (Worcestershire)
45 minutes direct from Birmingham New Street.
Picturesque and historically rich. Riverside paths, fields, woodland and urban approaches. Walk traversing two rivers to reach a Victorian spa town beneath iconic hills.
Greyfriars House and Garden: Late medieval merchant's house, rescued from demolition, in Worcester city centre (National Trust; 1h to visit).
1 lunch spot: Greyfriars House and Garden café
Warnings: Muddy sections; multiple gates.
Walk details: Walk Midlands (tips, photos and local insights).
Reverse direction: Worcestershire Community Rail Partnership (PDF, inc. GPX) and Slow Ways (inc. GPX).