The Midlands – Hills, Dales, Woodlands, and England’s Rural Heart

Ridges, river valleys, and long-established paths across the centre of England

Rolling farmland, limestone dales, wooded hills, and quiet canal corridors shape the Midlands, where long-distance trails thread between towns and villages to create a landscape well suited to steady, self-guided travel through some of England’s most settled and enduring countryside.

The geography rises and falls in broad, gradual shapes rather than dramatic peaks. In the west and north, the southern reaches of the Peak District lift into gritstone edges and limestone valleys, while further west the Shropshire Hills form rounded ridges and open skylines. Between these uplands lie river valleys, pasture, hedged fields, and historic market towns. To the east, lower hills and open farmland stretch toward the Lincolnshire Wolds, where long horizons and quiet lanes define the landscape. Routes move naturally between these environments, allowing days on foot that shift from ridge to woodland to riverside without abrupt change.

Much of the region is protected. The Peak District National Park forms the Midlands’ best-known walking landscape, safeguarding dales, edges, and upland moor. The Shropshire Hills and Cannock Chase are National Landscapes, preserving heath, woodland, and open ridge country, while the Lincolnshire Wolds National Landscape protects rolling chalk hills and rural farmland. Together these areas maintain wildlife habitats and long-established patterns of farming and settlement, with footpaths passing easily between field, forest, and village.

Movement through the Midlands often follows historic lines. Drovers’ roads, packhorse routes, canal towpaths, and former railway corridors continue to shape today’s walking network. The Pennine Way begins in Edale and climbs northwards from the Peak District, while the Viking Way crosses Lincolnshire and the eastern counties through open countryside. Valley and dale routes thread between villages, and canal paths provide level, continuous walking between towns. These routes reveal how closely the region’s paths are tied to trade, agriculture, and everyday rural life.

Walking here is shaped by rhythm and continuity. Settlements appear regularly, with church towers, inns, and market squares marking steady progress across the land. Terrain is generally moderate rather than demanding, encouraging longer days on foot through inhabited landscapes rather than isolated wilderness.

This is a region best understood step by step: along limestone valleys, across wooded ridges, and between historic towns that together form the quiet heart of England.

Routes & Landscapes Across the Region

The Peak District National Park offers dale walking, gritstone edges, and upland paths around Edale, Bakewell, and Hartington, with routes including the Pennine Way and traffic-free trails along former railway lines.

The Shropshire Hills provide ridge and valley walking across the Long Mynd, Stiperstones, and Church Stretton area, linking open hills with small towns and farmland.

Cannock Chase and the wider National Forest create woodland and heathland routes on gentler terrain, while the Lincolnshire Wolds and eastern countryside offer longer, quieter walking along the Viking Way and rural lanes between market towns.

Counties of the Midlands

Derbyshire, Staffordshire, Shropshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Nottinghamshire, and Lincolnshire each offer distinct variations of hill, woodland, and farmland landscapes, providing natural bases for longer regional journeys.

Beginning to explore the Midlands

The Midlands’ trails, protected landscapes, and historic paths form a connected network rather than a single destination. Following its ridges, valleys, and canal corridors reveals how land, settlement, and tradition continue to shape movement through England’s central countryside.