In the past couple of months, daily walks have become a big part of many of our lives and our daily routines. Heading out for a walk is a great way to have some gentle exercise, a little break from home learning, to clear the cobwebs and to get some fresh air and sunshine.

If you're heading out for a family walk in Lincoln or Lincolnshire, why not explore somewhere new? It's a great chance for the kids and grown ups to get out, explore nature, have some exercise and enjoy some quality time together.

Here at Lincoln Rocks, we have been out and about exploring the local area and rounded up some of our favourite walks in Lincoln and the surrounding areas. There is a mix of longer with specific routes to follow, walks around local nature reserves, woodland walks and of course, walks around local parks. So whether you fancy heading out for the day with a picnic, or you just fancy trying somewhere new for your daily walk, have a look through our collection and see if there's a new place you fancy exploring together as a family.

If you know of a walk that we could feature here, please get in touch - we'd love to include it.

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Family Friendly Walks in and around Lincoln and Lincolnshire

NCN Route 64 Walking and Cycle Trail

This 6.6 mile route is part of the National Cycle Network. You can join the route 64 cycle trail which takes you from the small Nottinghamshire village of Harby, into the ancient city of Lincoln. The route follows a tarmac cycle path along a dismantled railway through the countryside to the village of Skellingthorpe, and then on into Lincoln. The route takes you along the towpath of the Roman Fossdyke canal, arriving at the Brayford Pool in the centre of Lincoln. The route is a smooth path and free from traffic, making it the ideal place for a family friendly walk or a cycle ride.

Find more information, map and directions here.

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Skellingthorpe Old Wood

A 4.5 mile circular walk from the village of Skellingthorpe, Lincolnshire. Skellingthorpe is located about 3 miles west of Lincoln city centre and is accessed from the A46 bypass road. It starts and finishes at the free Community Centre car park in Skellingthorpe on Lincoln Road. LN6 5UU. The walk follows a mixture of village pavements, stone woodland tracks, unmade woodland paths and a tarmac cycleway.You will need to negotiate a single wooden gate but there are no kissing gates, stiles, steps or livestock on route. Dogs welcome if kept under control.

You can find more information about the walk and maps here.

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Thorpe on the Hill Circular Walk

A 3 mile circular walk from the village of Thorpe on the Hill, which is located 6 miles south-west of Lincoln. The walks begins on Main Street, Thorpe on the Hill. There is no car park so you will need to park on a quiet side road. The walk follows grassy tracks, woodland paths and farm tracks. There are 2 kissing gates and no stiles on route.

You can find more information about the walk and maps here.

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Potterhanworth and Burnt Wood Woodland Walk

Potterhanworth and Burnt Woods are part of a series of woods on the edge of the Witham Valley, stretching from Branston to Martin, and separated from fenland to the east by the Roman Carr Dyke. The site has been continuously forested since pre-historic times.

The woods are very scenic and peaceful, with lots of different trees and wildlife to spot. It's the perfect place to head to for an explore and to build a den in the woods (there are 3 or 4 dens already constructed in the woods, which children will love to locate and play in). Within Burnt Wood, there are paths, and although quite narrow, they are clear to walk through. An all terrain pushchair would be required as some paths get muddy further down the woods.

For directions and further information, click here.

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Hanworth Country Park

Hanworth Country Park is located in Potterhanworth, on the outskirts of Lincoln. It covers 42 acres with paths around the lake which you can walk around. The park is open for fishing and some short walks around the fishing lakes. As the walks around the site are only short, they're an ideal short stroll for younger children to enjoy. The paths are flat gravel, so suitable for pushchairs. The site is park of the North Kesteven Spires and Steeples walking route. There is a large area of flat grass with picnic benches in front of the cafe, where you can sit and enjoy a drink and a snack from the on-site cafe-bar.

For more information and directions click here.

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Nocton Wood Walk

Nocton Wood Walk is a 3 mile circular walk from the Dunston Fen picnic site, 1.5 miles from the village of Dunston. The walk will take you along a mixture of quiet country roads and grassy or chalk farm tracks which can get muddy in the rain, but should be suitable for all terrain buggies in dry weather. There are no kissing gates or stiles. The walk follows a mixture of grassy paths, chalk farm tracks and quiet country roads. Please note there is a 1.5km stretch of country road you have to walk down, so be cautious of traffic.

You can find more information about the walk and maps here.

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Bishop's Meadow, Nettleham (and Nettleham village walk)

Bishop’s Meadow is the site of the Bishop's Palace, an ancient monument dating from the 12th century. This small area of meadow also contains apple and native species trees and wildflowers. The area is a lovely spot for a walk with young children, who will enjoy walking and running up and down the undulating grassy paths mown into the meadow grass. From here, you can walk down to the high street in Nettleham, where you can find a pleasant walk alongside the beck through the centre of the village or up to the new playground. It’s a great place to watch the ducks!

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Temple Bruer and the Knights Templar Walk

Temple Bruer and the Knights Templar Walk is a longer walk- a 10.1km loop trail located near Lincoln. The trail is mainly using for walking, running and hiking. This walk starts and finishes from St John the Baptist Church at Temple Bruer, located on a minor road between Wellingore and the A15. The route takes you through gently rolling farmland and follows a mixture of quiet lanes and farm tracks of stone, tarmac and grass. Some of the grass tracks are rutted and can be muddy in winter or after rain. There are no stiles, gates or steps on route.

You can find more information about the walk and maps here

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Bardney Limewoods National Nature Reserve- College & Thistle Storr Wood

This is a beautiful secluded area of woodland which forms part of the larger Bardney Limewoods National Nature Reserve. The vast area of woodland is located between Bardney, Wragby and Woodhall Spa. There are various pathways to explore. The woods are rich in flora and fauna and a range of habitats for wildlife. The paths criss-cross through the woodland, with a mixture of wide grassy and woodland paths. Some of the main woodland paths are manageable with a more rugged all terrain pushchair. There is no set route, so you can decide your own walk length through the woods.

For more information please click here.

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Lincolnshire Limewoods Walks- Wragby & Goltho Short Walk

This walk will take you from Wragby through a typical Limewood landscape and woodlands to the site of a deserted medieval village and an isolated chapel. This is mostly easy level walking using field paths, some quiet roads and woodland tracks. It can be uneven and muddy in places especially through the woodlands. There are no stiles and it is suitable for families with older children.

Find more information here.

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National Trust Clumber Park, Worksop

Clumber Park is a beautiful expanse of parkland, heath and woods covering more than 3,800 acres.

Explore picturesque parkland and gardens, peaceful woodlands and a magnificent lake. Clumber Park is a great place to head to for a family day out, a walk to spot wildlife or a bike ride with kids.

Find out more here.

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Stainfield and Apley - Foxhall Wood

Enjoy a short walk around Foxhall Wood and through the village of Stainfield. The walk uses quiet roads and field paths. This is mostly easy level walking and there are no stiles. It may be muddy in places if wet. The walk begins at Stainfield and Apley Village Hall, Stainfield, Market Rasen.

Find more information click here.

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Doddington Estate Walks

Doddington Circular (1 hour) is A 2 mile (3.2km) circular walk from Doddington Hall and Gardens in the picturesque village of Doddington near Lincoln in Lincolnshire. Entry to the parkland is free of charge. The walk follows a route through pastures with cows grazing behind Dodington Hall. The walk then takes you through a couple of kissing gates, past an ancient woodland (500 years old) and down a tarmaced farm track then back along a field to the other end of the village by the church.

Fishpond Walk (30 mins) is a short stroll which will take you through a meadow towards a small lake, over a bridge and back up a farm track.

Avenue Walk (45 mins approx) This walk takes you in a straight line and back up and down the Avenue, which leads in a line from the back of Doddington Hall and Gardens towards a pyramid structure 1km from the hall. You will be able to spot the Lincoln red cattle grazing on the right of the pasture land halfway down the Avenue.

Please note, these walks go over mostly grassy fields and bumpy paths, so an all terrain pushchair would be required.
You can find more information about the walk and maps here.

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Trent Vale Walks

There are a series of walks which have been tested out by volunteers on the Trent Vale website.

Many of these walks are either on the Lincolnshire border or just over the border in Nottinghamshire, and all in the Trent Vale between Gainsborough and Beckingham in the north, right down to Newark in the south.

You can find walk routes with directions and maps here.

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Nature Reserves in and near Lincoln

Spalford Warren Nature Reserve

The reserve lies just over the Lincolnshire border to the east of the A1133 Newark-Gainsborough road, almost midway between the minor roads to Girton and Spalford. This 36 hectare reserve of sand-blown heath is considered one of the rarest animal habitats in Nottinghamshire - where common lizards, sand wasps and a diverse bird community can be spotted, including sparrowhawk, green and great spotted woodpeckers, woodcock, coal tit and redpoll. April to August is considered one of the best times to visit, and plenty of species of plants and animals should be visible. The reserve is quiet and peaceful, with many different paths you can explore.

The terrain is a combination of flat grassy paths, sandy trails and more rugged routes too. There are some cattle grids on the main access road through the middle of the reserve, as well as a series of kissing gates around the reserve to keep cattle and sheep in. Pushchairs and wheelchairs can access some paths, though certain rugged or sandy paths would require an all terrain buggy or wheelchair.

For more information click here.

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Whisby Nature Park, Lincoln

Whisby Nature Reserve is a beautiful landscape just off the A46 in Lincoln. The reserve is full of wildlife, walks and trails. A former quarry, the reserve now features a series of lakes, surrounded by walking trails, woodland and lots of wildlife.

There are six waymarked trails to choose from at Whisby Nature Reserve ranging from 1.2 to 3 miles. Paths are level and in many places have a hard surface of compacted limestone, ideal for pushchair walks.

For more information on the walks please click here.

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Girton Lakes, Girton

Just a hop over the Lincolnshire border into Nottinghamshire, you will find Girton Lakes, home of Girton Sailing Club. Just off the A1133 at Girton, you can take a stroll up the quiet lanes near the lakes, or go off the lanes and work your way around the lake along grassy paths towards the sailing club. The lanes on the whole are pushchair friendly (albeit bumpy and some areas are gravelled). The path through the trees between the lakes is a well trodden grassy path and narrow in parts so less suitable for pushchairs. There is 1 kissing gate.

For more information please click here.

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RSPB Langford Lowfields, Collingham

Sitting beside the River Trent just over the border in Nottinghamshire, RSPB Langford Lowfields is a nature reserve created alongside a sand and gravel quarry site. It attracts fantastic wetland wildlife, including sand martins, cuckoos and hobbies in the spring, and large starling roosts, bitterns and flocks of wildfowl in the winter. Otters can sometimes also be seen and colourful butterflies can be spotted in the summer. The RSPB and Tarmac are working in partnership at Langford Lowfields, carrying out a huge restoration project to transform the sand and gravel quarry into the largest reedbed in the East Midlands.

There are several walking routes around the reserve, which can be found here.

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Kelham Hall & Country Park

Just over the border in Nottinghamshire, Kelham Hall & Country Park is located just outside of Newark on the banks of the River Trent. The hall isnt currently open, however the grounds are the perfect spot for a scenic family walk. There are 44 acres of woodland and meadows to explore, including a mown meadow maze for children to explore.

The scenic woodland and riverside walk will take around 45 minutes with a couple of stops along the way at St Wilfrid’s Church, the Monk’s graveyard and the Riverside Meadow and Gardens. Dogs welcome but they must be kept on a lead.

For more information click here.

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Parks in Lincoln

• Hartsholme Country Park

• Boultham Park Lincoln

• Lincoln Arboretum

• Dunston Play Park

• Harmston Playground

• Collingham Playground

• Nettleham Memorial Field Playground

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We hope our guide has given you some inspiration for some family friendly walks to try in and around Lincoln. We are constantly adding new walks to the collection, so do head back to find even more places to explore.

If you're looking for other activities for kids, online classes and places to visit, head to our homepage where you can search what's on using our handy filters.