The UK has over 2,500 train stations, many of them in beautiful countryside and coastal locations. Exploring these and some of our smaller branch lines has become a hobby of mine but my interest in station to station walks started here in Devon.

The Riviera Line runs from Exeter to Paignton along the River Exe Estuary, and then the coastline past Dawlish and Teignmouth. It isn’t just the train line that joins up these beautiful locations; you can walk, mostly off road all the way from Exeter St David’s station to Paignton station in Torbay.

My favourite station to station walk so far is the one between Teignmouth and Newton Abbot. You can only walk it at low tide because it takes you along the mysterious and hidden world of the Teign Estuary foreshore. But doing so is a wonderful experience that leaves you feeling like you’ve left the real world behind.

Planning station to station walking routes has given me a new way to explore the UK. I love to use public rights of way and access land to find routes between train stations. I prefer linear walking routes to circular ones and often find myself travelling back by train the way I’ve just walked. It’s fascinating to view a route in two such different ways.

Here in the UK we also have some long distance walking trails that follow train lines. Next on my list to try is the Heart of Wales Line Trail between Craven Arms and Llanelli stations. But the Settle to Carlisle Way and the Wales Coast Path are also calling me (I’ve walked the first section from Chepstow).

Finally, the best thing about station to station walks is that you don’t have to travel far to do them. Local train travel is cheap compared to longer distance tickets and, if you’re lucky enough to be in a region that offers Regional Railcards, really can be great value. Why not pick a station, find its nearest neighbour and see if you can plan a walking route between them. I promise it will feel like an adventure.

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