Walking routes around Warwickshire

Warwickshire is laced with footpaths - quiet field paths and canal towpaths that connect towns, villages and countryside in every direction. For those who want to walk for longer, a network of longer walking and cycling routes threads through the county, following river valleys, old railway lines and ancient trackways past some of the most historic landscapes in England.

Arden Way

Henley-in-Arden | Alcester

The Arden Way is a 26-mile circular long-distance path linking Henley-in-Arden and Alcester passing through quintessential English countryside. The official starting and finishing point is at Henley-in-Arden - a charming market town with a broad medieval High Street lined with timber-framed buildings. It’s the natural base for tackling the route over a comfortable two-day walk.

Coventry Canal Towpath

Atherstone | Bedworth | Coventry | Nuneaton

The 38-mile Coventry Canal runs from the centre of Coventry to Fradley Junction, just north of Lichfield, where it meets the Trent and Mersey Canal.

The towpath passes through Atherstone - a traditional market town that was once the centre of England's hat-making industry. It is open to both walkers and, in sections, cyclists, and offers an easy, flat, and scenic route through the heart of North Warwickshire.

From the Nuneaton town centre the towpath leads directly south through Riversley Park and on towards Bedworth, or north along quiet stretches of countryside towards Atherstone.

Grand Union Canal Towpath

Hatton | Royal-Leamington-Spa | Warwick

The towpath of the Grand Union Canal provides a fantastic, mostly flat walking and cycling route through and beyond Royal Leamington Spa. Head westward towards the famous flight of 21 Hatton Locks and on to Warwick, or eastward through quiet countryside towards Long Itchington and beyond. With the canal stretching almost 40 miles from Birmingham to Napton Junction for those wanting to venture further afield.

Heart of England Way

Alcester | Coleshill | Henley-in-Arden | Shipston-on-Stour

This long-distance curving 100 mile trail links Cannock Chase in the north with Bourton-on-the-Water in the Cotswolds, crossing the Vale of Evesham in between, following undulating farmland, woodland and riverside paths.

The route passes close to Coleshil, a historic market town set above the River Blythe, skirting Shustoke Reservoir before heading through Dumble Wood and the fields east of the town.

Follow it from Henley-in-Arden towards Lowsonford and the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal, passing the Grade II listed structure Yarningale Aqueduct before reaching the village of Preston Bagot and then returning to Henley through the countryside.

The way passes close to Shipston-on-Stour, a handsome wool town with fine Georgian buildings, on the southern edge of the county offering wide views over the Cotswolds Area Of Natural Beauty.

Kenilworth Greenway

Kenilworth

The Greenway follows the old railway branch line from Berkswell to Kenilworth Junction, first opened in 1884, and is a permissive bridleway open to pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders. It links the historic town of Kenilworth - home to one of England's greatest ruined castles - with local villages, the University of Warwick and Berkswell railway station. Parts of the Greenway are designated as National Cycle Route 52.

Lias Line

Offchurch Greenway | Marton

Nestled in the heart of Warwickshire, the Lias Line Greenway offers an exceptional route for cyclists and walkers on this traffic-free route and will eventually form part of a 15km network of high-quality, accessible paths, and features smooth and accessible paths stretching from Leamington Spa to Rugby. Currently, you can access a stretch just short of 8km.

En-route, Long Itchington - a pretty canal-side village with a strong connection to the Grand Union Canal - is a gateway to a wider network of low trafficked lanes and with a connection to the Grand Union Canal towpath.

Millenium Way

Alcester | Henley-In-Arden | Kenilworth | Royal-Leamington-Spa

This 100-mile walk runs through the heart of England, from Pershore in Worcestershire to Middleton Cheney in Northamptonshire.

The path passes directly through Alcester, a well-preserved Roman town with a medieval street pattern and a wealth of listed buildings, taking walkers along the High Street, past St Nicholas Parish Church, and along riverside paths beside the River Arrow. There are a few circular walks off the Millenium Way too.

Henley-in-Arden sits directly on the path, with the trail crossing the railway footbridge at the station and heading out across mostly flat farmland guided by distinctive black and white waymarkers. Two circular walks based in Henley offer a gentler introduction for those not ready to tackle the whole route.

The Way passes close to Kenilworth Castle - the magnificent red sandstone fortress at the heart of the town - with a gentle ten-kilometre circular walk starting at the castle and taking in wide open countryside, flat farmland, and even an alpaca field.

Royal Leamington Spa is also passed through and here you can take on a circular town walk that can be completed in under two hours - though it is better to take at least a half day to explore the monuments and historical sites along the way.

The 100-mile trail continues south along the canal towards Warwick.

Monarch’s Way

Snitterfield | Stratford | Wootton Wawen

This 625-mile long-distance footpath traces the escape route taken by King Charles II after his defeat at the Battle of Worcester in 1651 and passes through Alcester as part of a 35-mile stretch through Warwickshire, continuing on to Wootton Wawen, Snitterfield, and Stratford-upon-Avon.

The Monarch's Way can be picked up in Stratford and followed out into the surrounding countryside through Welcombe Hills Country Park towards Snitterfield and Warwick, or south-west towards Long Marston and the Cotswolds.

North Arden Heritage Trail

Atherstone | Mancetter | Nuneaton

This 25-mile circular trail starts in Atherstone and follows the Coventry Canal taking in Mancetter, Hartshill Hayes, Ansley, Arley, Fillongley, and Merevale. The trail connects the parishes of North Warwickshire through a landscape shaped by centuries of hatting, weaving, mining, and farming.

The route passes through the parishes of North Warwickshire, connecting Hartshill Hayes Country Park to the wider landscape of field paths and quiet lanes that surrounds the literary town of Nuneaton - birthplace of novelist George Eliot - to the west and north, offering a longer day out for those who want to see the countryside beyond the canal.

Oxford Canal Walk

Rugby

The Oxford Canal towpath runs from Oxford to Coventry, and can be picked up close to the town centre at Rugby Wharf - a short walk from the town's famous close, where William Webb Ellis is said to have invented the sport. Following the towpath south from Rugby towards Hillmorton takes walkers past a pretty flight of three pairs of locks.

Stratford Greenway

Stratford

The Stratford Greenway is a wildlife-friendly five-mile walking and cycling route that follows the course of the old Honeybourne Line - a single-track railway built in 1859 and closed in 1976 - connecting Stratford-upon-Avon with Long Marston. Perfect for car-free walking, jogging, cycling, and horse riding, it is a peaceful route through beautiful countryside and a great place to spot wildlife. It’s got two independent carriage cafés along the way and bike hire available near the start.

Shakespeare's Avon Way

Rugby | Stratford-upon-Avon | Warwick

Following the River Avon as closely as possible from its source near Naseby to its confluence with the Severn at Tewkesbury, Shakespeare's Avon Way passes directly through the heart of Stratford - the birthplace of William Shakespeare and home to the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. The route connects the town by river path to Warwick, Evesham, and the wider Warwickshire and Worcestershire countryside. The section south from Holy Trinity Church along the Avon towards Welford-on-Avon is a particularly lovely stretch in any season.

This terrific waterside walk also passes close to Rugby with its fine Art Gallery and museum housing some of the biggest names in 20th century British art, and the World Rugby Hall of Fame - as the river heads south-west through the Warwickshire countryside.

Warwickshire Centenary Way

This 100-mile long-distance trail was created to mark a century of Warwickshire County Council, beginning at Kingsbury Water Park and winding south through the Tame Valley, Nuneaton's green belt, and on through Kenilworth, Warwick, and Leamington Spa before finishing near the edge of the Cotswolds at Upper Quinton

Just outside Atherstone, this path passes through Hartshill Hayes Country Park following a varied route from Kingsbury Water Park to Upper Quinton that takes in rolling farmland, canal towpaths, and woodland on its way through the county.

Just east of Coleshill, pick up the Way near Shustoke Reservoir.

The Warwickshire Centenary Way passes near Polesworth shortly after starting at Kingsbury Water Park, travelling through Pooley Country Park and near Alvecote Priory before following the Coventry Canal towpath towards Atherstone.

The Centenary Way long-distance path passes through Kenilworth connecting the town to the wider county-spanning route and offering straightforward access to open countryside in either direction from the town centre.

This 100-mile county-spanning trail passes through the George Eliot country around Nuneaton with the second section running from Hartshill Hayes Country Park to Hawkesbury Junction on the Coventry Canal, taking in rolling farmland, former mining villages and several miles of canal towpath. It’s a varied and rewarding stretch that captures the particular character of North Warwickshire beautifully.

The sixth section of the Warwickshire Centenary Way begins at Royal Leamington Spa - a gracious Regency town of wide boulevards, ornamental gardens, and elegant architecture - and heads south to the Burton Dassett hills, passing through Warwickshire villages on a varied and rewarding stretch that trades the town's Regency elegance for open rolling farmland and wide Warwickshire skies. Heading west from the town, the Centenary Way also connects to Warwick, where Warwick Castle and further riverside paths await.

At the most southern-most point, the Way passes through Shipston-on-Stour and out towards Ilmington Downs offering some of the most varied and scenic walking in the county's southern reaches.

Warwickshire’s Country Parks

Looking for more country walks? How about visiting Warwickshire’s country parks?