The Student Hub: 8 Walks in Leicester to Help You Get Moving 

As a student living away from home, it can be difficult at times to keep that balance between living healthily and burning the candle at both ends. 

Studying is always hard work, as you’d expect from gaining a degree, and as you begin to make new friends and venture out into a brand-new city, you’ll find your spare time taken up by social activities and the local nightlife. 

One way to help keep your mind clear and your body active after a hard day or week in university is to get out into the fresh air, and what better way to do this than to go on walks in Leicester and get to know the beautiful scenery.  

The benefits of walking

We all know how important it is to stay fit and healthy. 

Your student life is a busy one and walking is a great way to get away from the stress of university life and studying and to look after your mental wellbeing. 

It is also a fantastic way to get in those steps and to stay physically active!

There are some great walks in Leicester that you can go on. It is a free activity, you don’t need to buy anything special to go walking and it can be a great help in minimising stress or using up your free periods in university wisely.

Even a brisk 20-minute walk each day is thought to be enough to increase our health substantially, so if you begin taking regular longer walks, you’ll significantly improve your long-term health by warding off a sedentary lifestyle. 

8 of the best walks in Leicester 

There are some incredible city walks in Leicester that are great for those of you looking to get out and about and walk regularly, as well as a few a little further afield that are worth a trip. 

Leicester is full of scenic parks, history and heritage, art and culture, and there is no better way to soak it all in than by going on a lovely walk. 

1. Abbey Park 

Just to the North of the city centre, Abbey Park is a beautiful green space that allows you to walk along the riverside and take in all the best bits of nature in Leicester. 

As far as walks in Leicester go, this one is a great way to start off with. 

The park itself is home to a boating lake and other activities that make it a great place to go with friends or family and to stop off along your walk for a bite to eat and a drink. 

2. Ellis Meadows  

After Abbey Park, you can continue with a walk that takes you along the Grand Union Canal until you end up at Ellis Meadows. 

Along this route you’ll see the Abbey Pumping station and the always spectacular National Space Centre. 

Ellis Meadows provides a scenic and relatively straightforward walking route that can even take you beyond and onto Watermead Park in those adventurous moments where you want to make a day of it. 

3. Watermead Park 

A former sand and gravel pit on the northern outskirts of Leicester, Watermead Park now provides the perfect location for one of the best walks in Leicester. 

There are great walking and cycling trails, fishing and bird watching opportunities. 

The network of paths takes in many different scenic viewpoints, a dozen lakes and ponds, as well as the Reedbed Nature Reserve and Birstall Nature Reserve. 

Watermead Park is a must-see for the adventurous and those who love nature. 

4. Aylestone Meadows 

Just outside of the city centre, a walk in Leicester to Aylestone Meadows takes in the lovely castle gardens which is like an oasis in the urban landscape. 

A wonderful walk along the River Soar takes you on to the meadows, where you have the choice of walking alongside the canal, the boardwalks on the river or through forest paths. 

5. Victoria Park 

One of the easiest to find walks in Leicester, along the New Walk, lined with trees along the way, takes you up to Victoria Park where you’ll discover a plethora of green spaces for you to walk at your leisure. 

There is also a skate park and other attractions to keep you occupied. 

6. Oadby 

One of the best walking routes in Leicester is from the centre of Oadby at Uplands Park and along the rights of way and footpaths that lead outwards. 

You’ll follow a path of leafy streets and into the fields of Stoughton Road, towards Gartree Road, Shady Lane Arboretum and Evington Village. 

It is a peaceful and pleasant walk with plenty of wildlife, plants, flowers, and beautiful scenery. A relaxing way to spend a morning or afternoon as you unwind over the course of the weekend. 

7. Bradgate Park and Swithland Woods 

A 25-minute drive outside of Leicester, Bradgate Park is a very popular destination with walkers, as it is located in 830-acres of beautiful, wild countryside and is home to hundreds of deer. 

Roam amongst the centuries-old oak trees and marvel at the cinematic rocky outcrops, as well as imagining what life was once life at the historic ruins of Bradgate House, which was home of Queen Lady Jane Grey. 

There are walking routes to suit all moods and experience; an easy walk through the lower part of the park, or harder hikes up the hills to take in the incredible views. Just north of the park is Swithland Woods, a 155-acre ancient woodland. 

8. Rutland Water 

Although Rutland Water is a 45-50 minute drive outside of Leicester, if you are searching for some serious walks in a stunning environment with friends, it is certainly worth the trip. 

It is home to a 25-mile circular track that is suitable for walkers or cyclists and is open every day of the year bar Christmas Day. 

Student Hiking 

If you are interested in meeting like minded people, exploring the countryside and taking on more challenging walks and hikes, why not look to join the Hiking Society at the University of Leicester and make some great friends? You’re bound to find others you get along with who’ll join you on your uni adventures!

These walks in Leicester provide you with the best of both worlds – city walks that you can use daily to get away from the stress of university life during free periods or at the end of a long, hard day; and those a little further outside of the city that are fantastic weekend walks in the beautiful English countryside. From your base at our student accommodation in Leicester, you are in the perfect place to get out in the fresh air and to stay active with regular walks.