Best Riverside Walks for Families in the Midlands

Why Midlands Rivers Are Made for Family Strolls

There is something quietly restorative about walking beside water. The sound of a weir, the flash of a kingfisher, the chance to skim a stone — rivers offer natural entertainment that costs nothing and never runs out. Across the Midlands, a network of towpaths, flood meadows and riverside parks gives families easy access to that calm. The routes below are chosen because they are genuinely flat, mostly pushchair-friendly, and short enough for little legs or a grandparent's steady pace. Pack a flask, a few sandwiches and a spare pair of socks, and you have a full day out.

Before you set off, a few practical notes. Wear grippy shoes after rain, as towpaths can turn slick. Keep children away from the water's edge and never let them feed bread to ducks — oats, peas or birdseed are far kinder to the river. Most of these walks have toilets and cafés within a short distance, which matters more than any map when you are travelling with a toddler.

Along the Trent: Colwick and Holme Pierrepont

Just east of Nottingham, the Trent spreads wide and slow, and the path along its southern bank is as flat as a tabletop. Start near Colwick Country Park, where a network of lakes sits beside the main river. The circuit around the largest lake is roughly two miles on smooth tarmac, ideal for balance bikes and buggies alike.

• Distance: 1.5 to 3 miles, with plenty of shortcuts if energy runs out
• Best for: swans, Canada geese, dragonflies in summer
• Facilities: car park, toilets, picnic benches beside the water
• Watch out for: cyclists on the shared path — keep little ones to one side

Continue towards Holme Pierrepont and you reach the regatta lake, where rowers glide past on still mornings. The flat grass verges make an excellent picnic pitch, and there is usually an ice cream van in warmer months. Grandparents will appreciate the benches spaced regularly along the bank.

The Severn at Bewdley and Stourport

The Severn is Britain's longest river, but at Bewdley it behaves beautifully. The riverside meadow beside the town is open, level and fringed with willow, and the walk upstream towards Arley takes you through gentle Worcestershire countryside. It is a there-and-back route, so you can turn around whenever the mood dictates.

A shorter option is the flat loop around Bewdley's Georgian streets and across the old bridge, finishing at the riverside park. Children love watching the small ferry that still crosses the water in summer — a proper adventure for a pound or two. Further downstream, Stourport's basins offer a different kind of fascination: narrowboats, locks and the chance to see how canals meet rivers. The towpath between the two towns is level and well surfaced, though it can be muddy after heavy rain.

Charnwood and the Soar: Normanton and Barrow

In Leicestershire, the River Soar weaves through floodplain meadows that feel far removed from the city, even though Loughborough is only minutes away. The path from Normanton-on-Soar towards Barrow-upon-Soar is a classic family walk: broad, flat and rich in wildlife. Herons stand motionless in the shallows, and in spring the hedgerows are loud with warblers.

• Distance: about 2.5 miles each way
• Terrain: gravel and grass, generally firm
• Highlights: kingfishers, butterbur flowers, grazing cattle in summer
• Refreshments: pubs in both villages with gardens

If you have a budding naturalist in the family, bring a simple pond-dipping net and a magnifying glass. The quiet backwaters here are teeming with snails, water boatmen and the occasional newt, and children will happily crouch at the edge for half an hour.

Worcestershire Avon and the Vale of Evesham

The Warwickshire Avon loops lazily through the Vale of Evesham, and the stretch near Pershore is a gentle delight. The riverside meadow below the abbey is flat, open and dotted with benches, and the path towards Wyre Piddle follows the water through a landscape of orchards and old bridges.

This is prime picnic country. Spread a rug on the grass, let the children chase grasshoppers, and watch the swans patrol past. The walk is roughly two miles to the village and back, with no stiles or steep climbs to trouble anyone. In blossom time, the surrounding orchards are a cloud of pink and white — a genuinely beautiful sight and a chance to talk to children about where fruit comes from.

Making the Most of a Riverside Day

A few small habits turn a nice walk into a memorable one. Go early, when mist still hangs over the water and the wildlife is at its boldest. Take a small notebook and let children draw what they see — a heron, a lock gate, a fallen feather. Binoculars, even cheap ones, add a sense of expedition.

Respect the river as you enjoy it. Take litter home, keep dogs under close control near nesting birds, and leave wildflowers for the bees. These small courtesies keep the waterways healthy for the swans, the otters that are slowly returning, and the families who will walk here next weekend. There is no better classroom, and no gentler way to spend a few hours together, than beside one of the Midlands' quiet, generous rivers.