Walks in the Midlands
Walking through Cannock Chase
While the Midlands are not instantly recognisable as a walking destination there are many places where walking can be a real pleasure. For a start there are many places of outstanding beauty such as Cannock Chase, Arden, The Mease, Charnwood Forest, The Fens, The Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire Wolds, The Lincolnshire Wolds, The Trent Valley, The Potteries, The Cheshire and Shropshire Plains, Staffordshire and Sherwood Forest. In between there are many lovely countryside walks with quaint English towns and villages serving as havens for rest and refreshment before, during and after a walk. Through the efforts of guest contributors like Ken Brockway, Adam Gallimore and others and with a few of my much too infrequent efforts added I offer a selection of walks for Midlanders to enjoy on these pages.
Interactive map of the walks
Walks by Area:
All the Walks:
| Walk | Miles | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Calke Park and Calke Abbey | 3.7 | A walk in the park, Calke Park to be exact, site of a manorial home and shown by National Trust in decline. |
| Fulbeck and Caythorpe | 4.7 | A short walk of five miles which visits two quaint Lincolnshire villages during a stroll of rural adventure. |
| Great Glen, Grand Union Canal, Wistow and Newton Harcourt | 5.6 | Not to be confused with Scotland's Great Glen, this is a much more sedate offering of a pleasant five mile walk in the beauty of rural Leicestershire. |
| Barton under Needwood and Dunstall | 5.6 | It is worth the effort climbing out of the Trent Valley to Dunstall and into the National Forest for the return to the small town of Barton under Needwood. |
| Jacksdale, Pye Bridge, Ironville and Codnor Castle | 5.8 | A thoughtful walk from the village of Jacksdale in the district of Ashfield, a walk of canals, coal and castles. |
| Wedgwood, Barlaston, Downs Bank and the Trent and Mersey Canal | 5.9 | A six mile walk south of Stoke in the heart of Potteries country with an optional visit to an iconic pottery factory. |
| Deep Hayes Country Park, Cheddleton, Longsdon and Denford | 5.9 | A walk of six miles in Staffordshire with lots to explore, particularly if you're interested in the industrial heritage of this historic county. |
| Oasby, Heydour, Kelby, Culverthorpe Park and Aisby | 6.0 | A rural Lincolnshire villages walk negotiating the maze of fields and parkland between five small and pretty villages. |
| Great Haywood, Shugborough Hall, Cannock Chase and Little Haywood | 6.0 | A six mile walk which includes Shugborough Hall, some nice hills, lovely woodland and with a finale along the River Trent. |
| Weston Upon Trent, Sandon and the Trent and Mersey Canal | 6.2 | A pleasant walk from Weston Upon Trent just north east of Stafford across countryside to Sandon with a canalside return. |
| Nottingham Canal, Cossall Marsh, Swingate and Kimberley | 6.2 | At just over six miles, a gem of a walk between Ilkeston and Nottingham, to rural haven from urban sprawl. |
| Gunthorpe, River Trent, Hoveringham and Caythorpe | 6.3 | A lovely and very easy six mile walk of river, lakes and streams in rural Nottinghamshire. |
| Lower Hartshay, Pentrich and Sawmills | 6.3 | Featuring the Cromford Canal, this Derbyshire walk explores sites of both industrial revolution and social revolution. |
| Lowdham, Epperstone and Thurgarton | 6.5 | A ten mile walk in Nottinghamshire with lovely villages, grand houses, fields and waterside to enjoy on the way. |
| Ashby Folville, Thorpe Satchville, Twyford and Midshires Way | 6.8 | Gently rolling countryside once ridden by Royalty and the upper classes to eradicate the Fox. They failed but they left behind a pleasant area for walking. |
| Froghall, Foxt, Ipstones and Churnet Valley | 6.9 | A splendid countryside walk of just under seven miles with much interest throughout as we visit some lovely villages in rural Staffordshire. |
| Ticknall, Calke Park and Foremark Reservoir | 6.9 | A nice easy day walk of seven miles for anytime of the year from Ticknall, south of Derby. |
| Church Minshull, the River Weaver and the Shropshire Canal | 7.0 | Ken Brockway visits the rural heart of the county of Cheshire for this lovely seven mile walk amidst Tudor splendour. |
| Nether Broughton, Queensway Old Dalby, Old Dalby and Upper Broughton | 7.6 | A circular walk of eight miles on the Nottinghamshire & Leicestershire boundary. Nether Broughton is near Melton Mowbray, famous for Pork Pies & Stilton cheese. |
| Long Mynd from Church Stretton | 7.7 | Possibly the finest heather moorland walk in Shropshire. It certainly beguiled me with beauty. |
| Kings Cliffe, Great Byards Sale, Great Morton Sale and Apethorpe | 7.7 | A walk in Northamptonshire with a dismantle railway walk and a memorial to Glenn Miller. |
| Repton, Foremark and Milton | 7.9 | An eight mile south Derbyshire walk over ancient ground to a place of modern learning. |
| Alrewas, River Swarbourne, Yoxall and River Trent | 8.0 | Two rivers, on the Staffordshire Way for the Millennium, two pretty villages and Trent & Mersey canal. |
| Brown Clee Hill and Clee Burf | 8.1 | A walk to the highest point in Shropshire in which I and old friends meet new ones who teach us some bushcraft skills |
| Stiperstones and Green Hill | 8.3 | The Stiperstones is a ridge with a unique rugged outline. There are also superb views on the walk. |
| The Wrekin and the Ercall | 8.6 | A spectacular Shropshire walk with fantastic woodland and views to rival those of many higher mountains. |
| Thorpe Satchville, Burrough Hill, Somerby and Burrough on the Hill | 8.7 | A lovely Leicestershire walk from Thorpe Satchville to the site of an iron age hill fort and then in rolling landscapes which are typical of this part of the rural midlands. |
| Sutton Cheney, Bosworth Field, Ashby-de-la-Zouch Canal and Market Bosworth | 8.8 | Walk on the site of the defining battle of the Wars of the Roses and then take a quiet stroll along a canal during this interesting Leicestershire walk. |
| Bottesford to Grantham (along Grantham Canal) | 9.1 | A nine miles linear rural walk between county boundaries from Leicestershire into Lincolnshire. The walk ends in the home town of Mrs Thatcher. |
| Bradgate Country Park, Beacon Hill and Swithland Wood | 10.5 | A walk near the northern outskirts of Leicester through a series of country parks with two hilltops providing excellent views. |
| Rutland Water, Empingham, Greetham, Exton and Whitwell | 11.4 | A eleven and half mile country walk in evocative Rutlandshire from Rutland Water to the neighbouring villages of Greetham and Exton. |
| Ripley, Pentrich and South Wingfield | 11.4 | Featuring Wingfield Park, this Derbyshire walk explores the countryside north and west of Ripley. |
| Huthwaite, Brierly Forest Park and Hardwick Hall Country Park | 11.6 | At over 10 miles a good circular walk from Brierly Forest Park near Huthwaite to Hardwick Hall and Tibshelf. |
| Kirklington, Maplebeck, Caunton and Winkburn | 12.3 | A longer walk of over 12 miles in rural North Nottinghamshire to well kept villages with lovely countryside between them. |
| The Roaches and Hen Cloud | 12.5 | A superb walk taking in a host of classic Peak District landmarks including Hanging Stone, Lud's Church, the ouustanding Roaches ridge and Hen Cloud. |
| Allexton, Blaston, Medbourne and Hallaton | 13.6 | A north Leicestershire villages exploration of thirteen and a half miles in which Allexton, Hallaton, Medbourne and Blaston are all on the route. |
| Church Stretton to Shrewsbury | 18.0 | A wonderful eighteen mile linear walk through the delights of the Shropshire countryside. |
| The Belvoir Castle Circuit | 21.0 | A circular tour of 21 miles around the Duke of Rutland's ancestral home, Belvoir Castle. The walk can start in any of the delightful villages along the way. |
| The Longmynd Hike | 50.0 | Adam Gallimore treks 50 Shropshire miles in the Long Mynd and Welsh Marches on this epic challenge walk. |
Feedback and Suggestions:
I am always pleased to received feedback on the structure and content of the website. I also welcome suggestions on how I can improve the website which may include new areas to cover, new walks or route alterations to existing walks. To contact me with feedback and/ or suggestions please complete the Walking Englishman Feedback Form. Thank you.
(Note: Walking without proper preparation can be dangerous. Information and downloads on this website are provided free of charge; it is each walker's responsibility to check the material and use accordingly. Postscript: My walk reports are not route guides and should not be treated as such. They are written with personal reflections of my walks)
