www.ramblers.org.uk

Urban Walks

The following walks are mainly through cities and other urban areas. The pleasures of urban walking are inevitably different from those of rural walking: you'll find plentiful features of historic interest, public transport, refreshment and other facilities near at hand and, sometimes, a surprising sense of solitude.

Tourist Information Centres may also be able to give details of other walks. For example most major towns and cities have heritage trails which stick mainly to streets.

Bath

Bath & North East Somerset Council 
Tourist Information

  • Bath Heritage and Country Walks are a selection of five easy to moderate walks of 5-10 miles exploring both rural and urban landscapes, all accessible by public transport. A pack of route cards costs £2.50 + £1 p&p from Bath TIC (see above) who can also advise on the world’s first Texting Trail, allowing you to guide yourself around this historic city using a mobile phone!
  • The Bath City Trail, waymarked with pavement plaques, visits all the major museums and landmarks of this beautiful Georgian spa town, including the Abbey, Assembly Rooms, Circus and Royal Crescent, taking around two hours.  A guide is available from the Tourist Information Centre (£1.50).
  • A second City Trail is unwaymarked but easily followed using an illustrated map from the TIC (£1), who can also give you details about free guided walking tours courtesy of the Mayor's Honorary Guides.
  • The extensive Royal Victoria Park offers good city park walks.
  • A colourful Bath Walkabout Guide is available from Sauntas Publishing, £1 + 30p p&p, or from local outlets.

Birmingham

See Birmingham regional page.

Bristol

City Council
Tourist Information

  • Excellent walking maps of the city centre are available from the Tourist Information Centre (see above).
  • Bristol Triangular City Walk follows a 28km/18-mile route between the city centre and waterfront, The Downs and Coombe Dingle. Many other interesting walks in the city are detailed in Bristol Backs, a guidebook by Ramblers Bristol. For more, click here.
  • The Bristol and Bath Railway Path, a 20km/12.5 mile off-road link between the two cities is a shared use path also open to cyclists.  An attractive leaflet is available from the Tourist Information Centre.
  • The City Centre Urban Design Trail takes in many of Bristol’s attractions including the Floating Harbour, the Cathedral and the Nails. Parts of the walk, designed by Richard Guise, afford views over the surrounding hills and offer an opportunity to enjoy the contrast between medieval and nineteenth century architecture.  Contact Bristol Architecture Centre on 0117 922 1540. 
    architecture.centre@ukgateway.net     
  • The Slave Trade Trail is a half day walk around sites connected with a less pleasant aspect of the city's history. A booklet is available price £1.60 from the dockside Industrial Museum (0117 925 1470) which also has an exhibition about the slave trade, or from the main Bristol Museum Shop (0117 922 3650).
  • Ramblers' member Chris Mitchell has his own site including four walks in Bristol, with a choice of the docks, the city centre, Clifton and Bedminster.
    www.zaalberg.freeserve.co.uk/bristol.htm 

Cambridge

City Council www.cambridge.gov.uk 
Tourist Information

  • Cambridge itself offers good walking on city commons, on the 'backs', the open spaces behind colleges, and alongside the river. Full details from the Tourist Office.
  • Cambridgeshire County Council also recommend nearby walks at Paxton Pits Nature Reserve, Hinchingbrook Country Park and riverside walks in Ely, Huntingdon, March, St Ives, St Neots and Wisbech: for further information contact the Countryside Services Team on 01223 717445.

Cardiff

City Council
Tourist Information

  • Discovering Cardiff Walks is a booklet of five historical walks around the city centre, taking in the old town wall, Cardiff Castle, Castell Coch, the Glamorganshire Canal and the docks. Pick it up at the Tourist Information Centre, price £2.95.

Edinburgh

City Council
Tourist Information

  • Central Edinburgh is ideal for street-based walking, with the mediaeval huddle of the Old Town with the historic Royal Mile dominated by the Castle (a World Heritage Site) contrasting with the airy Georgian developments of the New Town. The city also has a network of multi-user off-road routes converted from disused railway lines, coastal walks along the firth of Forth and a canalside towpath. Remember that the city is set amongst extinct volcanoes, so expect some steep climbs and flights of steps. Numerous guides are available from the Tourist Information Centre: we liked the colourful Walkabout Guide (Sauntas Publishing, £1 + 30p p&p).
  • The Water of Leith Walkway runs from Balerno High School to the shore at Leith Docks via the western edge of the New Town, a fascinating and sometimes spectacular riverside walk mainly following disused railways.  Get a leaflet (£2.50) from the Water of Leith Visitor Centre, 24 Lanark Road, Edinburgh EH14 1TQ, tel 0131 443 1682: if ordering by post add 60p p&p.
    www.waterofleith.edin.org
  • Edinburgh boasts a number of hills within the city itself, the most spectacular being the famous Arthur's Seat in Holyrood Park: a surprisingly rugged climb to its 251m/822 ft summit, but worth it for the stunning views of the city, firth of Forth and surrounding countryside. The Edinburgh Seven Hills map and guide by Harvey shows them all, with text in English, French and German: ISBN 1 85137 317 9, £3.95.

Glasgow

City Council
Tourist Information

  • The city's network of waterside walkways, including the Clyde Walkway, the Forth-Clyde Canal Towpath and the Kelvin Walkway, are illustrated on the Fit for Life' map, available from the Tourist Information Office at 11 George Square.
  • Glasgow Tourist Information can advise on numerous heritage walks around the city, including Walkabout audio tours for hire.
  • A waterproof Superwalker map, Glasgow Popular Hills, includes the Campsie Fells, the Cobbler and Ben Lomond: ISBN 1 85137 329 2, Harvey £7.95.

Gloucester

Gloucestershire County Council
Tourist Information

  • South Cotswold Ramblers have compiled a comprehensive online list of town walks in Gloucester and in other towns in Gloucestershire.
    www.southcotswoldramblers.org.uk 

Leeds

City Council
Tourist Information

  • The Leeds Bridge to Temple Mill Walk is a fascinating inner-city walk within easy reach of the train station, incorporating many important sites from the city’s industrial past. It begins at Leeds Bridge, an ancient cloth market, and ends at Temple Mill, described as the ‘most outstanding industrial buildings in Leeds’.  Full details are obtainable by searching under 'Walks' on the City Council's website.  You can also visit the Tourist Information Centre for more ideas: it's at The Arcade by Leeds Station.

Leicester

City Council
Tourist Information

  • Discover Leicester's Riverside in a series of leaflets describing a 12-mile length of the river Soar and Grand Union Canal, available free from the Tourist Information Centre. They also have leaflets describing park walks in the city.

Lincoln

City Council www.lincoln-info.org.uk
Tourist Information

  • There are a number of walking routes around historic Lincoln, including Roman Lincoln, which takes in the city's many Roman features such as the Newport Arch. Lincoln Heritage Trail highlights the city centre's main attractions, including the Norman Castle and mainly medieval Cathedral, which dominates the skyline for miles around. Although there is no definitive walking route between these sites, a map is downloadable from www.lincoln-info.org.uk. Leaflets are also available from the Tourist Information Office on 01522 873213. 

Liverpool/Merseyside

City Council
Knowsley Borough Council
Sefton Borough Council
Wirral Borough Council
Tourist Information  

  • For bracing views of the river Mersey and the Irish sea, take a walk of up to around 25km/15 miles along the Wirral Coast. From Seacombe Ferry you can follow the sea wall and promenade via New Brighton (with rail link back to Seacombe) to West Kirby. More information from Wirral Ranger Service, tel 0151 678 5488. From here it's possible to continue along the Wirral Way from West Kirby to Park Gate. Other open spaces on the Wirral are Eastham Country Park, Royden Park (woodlands), Thurston Park and Dibbinsdale and Hibre Islands local nature reserves, though you will require a permit to visit the latter in groups bigger than five people. 
  • The Sefton Coastal Path runs from Crosby Marine Park to Southport via attractive coastline and nature reserves. A guidebook, Walks on the Sefton Coast, costs £2 from Sefton Coast Partnership, tel 0151 934 2960
    www.seftoncoast.org.uk
    A Walker's Guide to Southport and the Sefton Coast is available from Southport TIC, tel 01704 533333.
  • A colourful Liverpool Walkabout Guide is available from Sauntas Publishing, £1 + 30p p&p, or from local outlets. Merseyside Meanders – Country Walks & Town Trails around Wirral, Liverpool and Southport by Michael Smout (Sigma Leisure £7.95, ISBN 1 85058 780 9) explores the sometimes unexpected delights of a city that had one of the earliest walkers’ groups in the country: the walks vary from 3km/2 miles to 9.5km/6 miles and are mainly open country and coast with a smattering of city walks, from the architectural glories of the city centre to bracing riverside and coast.
  • Not far from Liverpool, the Mersey Valley Timberland Trail is a new 35km/22-mile route through the Mersey Forest, Britain's largest community forest, from Spud Wood to Runcorn Hill, including heathland, woodland and sections of the Bridgwater Canal. Free leaflets from the Mersey Valley Partnership.

Llandudno/Conwy

Conwy Council
Tourist Information

  • The North Wales Path follows the coast throughout Conwy. Details from Llandudno Tourist Information Centre.

London

See Walking in London.

Manchester

City Council
For other boroughs in Greater Manchester, see under the City Council listing.
Tourist Information

  • Prestwich Forest Park has numerous footpaths including an attractive walk along the river Irwell from Whitefield to Drinkwater. Burrs Country Park also offers inviting walks. Leaflets from Bury Countryside Service, tel 0161 761 1438, or downloadable from the website, which also includes details of country parks in Bolton and Salford.
    www.croal-irwellvalley.org.uk
  • Bury Countryside Service also has details of the Outward Trail from Phillips Park to Radcliffe (5km/3 miles), the path around Elton Reservoir (4km/2.5 miles) and the Kirkless Trail (1.5km/1 mile).
  • See also the Trans Pennine Trail.

Newcastle/Tyneside

City Council
Tourist Information

  • The Waterside Trail runs 8km/5 miles from Royal Quays, North Shields, along the northern bank of the river Tyne to Tynemouth, where there is a ruined priory, and then northwards up the coast along beaches and promenades to the lighthouse on St. Mary's Island at Whitley Bay  The whole length can be easily accessed by Metro from the centre of Newcastle. There are information boards along the way, and free leaflets available from the Tourist Information Centre. For more on walking the Tyne, see Tyne Walk.
  • The North Tyne Way (Hadrian's Way) is an off-road shared use path that forms part of the National Cycle Network.  The urban section west from Newcastle to Tyne Mouth, approximately 16km/10 miles, is open and easily accessible by Metro. There is no specific guide but the route is waymarked with blue National Cycle Network signs and features in guides available from Sustrans.
    www.sustrans.org.uk. See also Hadrian's Wall Path.

Norwich

City Council www.norwich.gov.uk 
Tourist Information

  • The Norwich Scenic Walk through the centre of the city takes around two hours, and passes the city’s best-known historic features. Starting from the 15th-century Guildhall it takes in the Norman Cathedral and Castle, as well as the picturesque Elm Hill with its cobble stones. The route also offers a pleasant interlude along the banks of the River Wensum and passes one of the oldest pubs in England. Look at the tourism pages of the City Council's website for details. Council Green Spaces (01603 212145) and the Tourist Information Office can give you information on other walks in the city.
  • Details about the footpath along the River Wensum from the Tourist Information Centre.

Perth

Perth & Kinross Council
Tourist Information

  • The North Inch and the South Inch, two fine historic open spaces on each side of the river, have both riverside and perimeter paths.  Leaflets from the Tourist Information Centre at Lower City Mills, West Mill Street.
  • The Old Perth Trail, incorporating the Perth Sculpture Trail, provides two linked street-based routes of 2km/1.5 miles each, visiting many of the historical highlights of the city.  Leaflets from the Tourist Information Centre.

Plymouth

City Council
Tourist Information

  • The Plymouth Waterfront Walkway, a section of the South West Coast Path, runs 16km/10 miles from Mill Bay to Jenny Cliff, along the city's historic maritime environment.  A guide can be obtained from Tourist Information Centres (£2.50).

Portsmouth/Fareham/Gosport

Portsmouth City Council 
Hampshire County Council
Tourist Information

  • The Charles Dickens Trail is 13km/8 miles from Old Commercial Road, Portsmouth, via the Guildhall, the Hard and Old Portsmouth to the Southsea sea front. From here you can catch a ferry to Hayling Island in Portsmouth Harbour, with its attractive coastal path (opens early April). Free leaflets and opening times of Hayling Island from TICs.
  • The Fareham Town Trail visits the town's historic sites, taking around one hour to complete. Leaflets from Fareham TIC, who can also give you information about shoreline walks along the beaches of Hill Head and Lee-on-the-Solent.
  • The Gosport Millennium Trail is a new project linking the Submarine Museum at Haslar via the sea front to the Explosion Museum. More information from the Gosport TIC who can also sell you a leaflet for the intriguing Alverstoke Trail (60p).

Salisbury

Tourist Information

  • Salisbury Civic Society have produced a City Walk leaflet, taking in buildings of historical and architectural interest.
  • The District Council has published a Walking Map for Salisbury and Wilton with 15 circular walks of varying lengths, which all start from the Guildhall Square and come complete with route direction cards. One set of walks takes in the famous Constable’s View of Salisbury Cathedral from the Town Path across the Harnham watermeadows. Pick up a copy for free at Salisbury Tourist Information Centre.
  • The Golden Way is an 11km/7-mile circular walk around the fringes of Salisbury, which takes in the River Avon corridor, the prehistoric earthwork and fortress of Old Sarum, Salisbury Cathedral and its Close and attractive parks and gardens such as Hudsons Field and Churchill Gardens.

Information on all these from the Tourist Information Centre (see link above).

Sheffield

City Council
Tourist Information

  • The City Council has published a useful list of open spaces and walking opportunities, which includes all inner city parks, the Sheffield Canal, the Sheffield section of the Trans Pennine Trail, the Five Weirs Walk, The Round Walk, Lady Ida's Drive, Westwood Country Park and most council woodlands. Visit the site for more information.

Winchester

City Council www.winchester.gov.uk
Tourist Information

  • The Winchester Walk is a tour of King Alfred's City, from his famous statue in the Broadway to his final resting-place at Hyde.  Free leaflet from the Tourist Information Centre.
  • The Sunset Walk is an attractive and popular off-the-beaten-track trail through the east of the city to St Giles Hill.  The TIC has a leaflet (50p).
  • A number of other walks are listed on the useful Visiting Winchester website, including the Garden Trails and the walks shown in the Walk-Round Guide.

York

City Council
Tourist Information

  • This historic city with its impressive gothic cathedral and attractive mediaeval streets is ideal for an urban stroll. Though there are no established city trails, you can follow the entire length of the City Walls, taking around two hours, or simply wander around streets like the famous Shambles. The Tourist Information Centre at the Degrey Rooms in Exhibition Square has maps.