What Makes a Good Family Walk

The best family walks are shorter than you think. A two-mile route with a river to poke at, a log to balance along and a bench for biscuits will beat a six-mile slog every time. As a rough guide, allow an hour for every mile walked with children under eight, then add half an hour for the things you cannot plan: the tadpoles, the interesting stick, the emergency sock change.

Each of the five routes below follows public footpaths and bridleways, stays mostly flat or gently graded, and can be shortened without spoiling the day. Wear sturdy shoes rather than wellies for anything over a mile — rubber rubs on soft ground. Carry water, a snack, spare socks, a small first-aid kit and a waterproof. Download your route before leaving, because signal in wooded valleys is patchy at best, and take a paper map as backup if you are heading somewhere unfamiliar.

1. The Riverside Meadow Loop

• Distance: about 2 miles
• Time: 1½ to 2 hours
• Terrain: flat gravel path, mown meadow, one kissing gate
• Best for: pushchairs, scooters, duck-spotting

Start at the village green and follow the river downstream, keeping the water on your left. The path runs between the current and a hay meadow, with a wide, shallow bank that is ideal for skimming stones and watching damselflies in July. Ash and alder lean over the water, so there is shade even at midday, and the going stays level throughout. Turn back at the second footbridge, or carry on a further half-mile to the old weir if legs are still fresh. There is a pub with a garden at the start, which makes the whole outing considerably easier to sell to reluctant walkers.

2. The Woodland Bluebell Circuit

• Distance: 1½ miles
• Time: about 1 hour
• Terrain: woodland path, roots, one short climb
• Best for: den-building, autumn leaves, quiet birdsong

This is the walk to save for late April and early May, when the bluebells turn the floor of the wood into something close to a carpet. The route loops through coppiced hazel and oak, crossing a short boardwalk over the boggy corner where the stream seeps out. Stay on the path through the flowers — trampled bluebells take years to recover — and keep dogs close, as ground-nesting birds are easily disturbed in spring.

There is a natural clearing about halfway round where fallen branches are perfect for den-building, so allow extra time. One short climb near the end can be avoided by turning back the way you came, which brings the walk down to a very manageable three-quarters of a mile.

3. The Old Railway Trail

• Distance: 3 miles there and back, easily shortened
• Time: 1½ hours
• Terrain: wide, level, surfaced path
• Best for: bikes, buggies, blackberry picking in September

Disused railway lines make wonderful family walking, largely because the gradients were built for steam engines rather than for small children. This stretch runs through deep, leafy cuttings and over a stone bridge, with the old platform still visible at the halfway point. The surface is firm and wide enough for two abreast, so it suits balance bikes and scooters as well as boots.

There is no livestock to worry about and no stiles to lift anyone over. Benches appear at roughly half-mile intervals, and the hedgerows along the embankment are full of sloes, haws and blackberries as summer turns to autumn. Because it is a there-and-back route, you can simply turn round whenever energy begins to flag.

4. The Mill, Ford and Village Path

• Distance: 2½ miles
• Time: about 2 hours
• Terrain: field paths, one stile, muddy after rain
• Best for: stepping stones, picnics, a tearoom finish

A gentle circular that takes in a millpond, a low weir and a shallow ford crossed by proper stepping stones. Children tend to remember the stones long after they have forgotten the view, so plan for a good twenty minutes here. The path then climbs briefly past a churchyard with an ancient yew before dropping back into the village, where a tearoom and a small shop make a civilised end to proceedings.

You may meet sheep or cattle in the second field, so keep dogs on a lead and close every gate behind you. After heavy rain the ford path floods, but the lane above it provides a dry alternative.

5. The Short Hill Fort Amble

• Distance: 1¾ miles
• Time: 1½ hours
• Terrain: uneven, 80 metres of climbing
• Best for: older children, picnics, big skies

Save this one for children who can manage a proper puff. The climb is short and steady rather than steep, and the reward at the top is a sweeping view across three counties on a clear day, plus grassy ramparts that beg to be run along. Take a picnic and sit inside the earthworks, where the wind is noticeably kinder.

This route is not suitable for pushchairs, and the descent is slippery in wet weather, so boots with grip are worth the bother. West-facing, it makes a superb late-afternoon outing in summer, when the light softens and the walk back down is all downhill.