Put a spring in your step during Erewash Walking Month (May 2026)

Monday Stollers - with Paul pictured at the rea

Fresh air fans are being invited to get out and about exploring the hidden delights of their borough in May – on more than 35 organised rambles that have been lined up for Erewash Walking Month.

The free volunteer-led programme of walks has something for everyone, whether residents live in the town or the countryside. The strolls are ideal for those interested in learning about local history and exploring nature – or who simply want to socialise with friends or meet new ones.

The walks range from short accessible ones to medium and longer hikes. The jam-packed programme aims to encourage people of all abilities from those who rarely go walking to those who can easily manage a few miles or more. Volunteer walk leaders will cater to the pace of individuals in a bid to put all those who take part on the path to a fitter and healthier life. Strolls start mornings, afternoons, evenings and weekends so as many residents as possible can join in.

Routes include gentle ambles in and around Ilkeston and Long Eaton as well as trails that showcase picturesque villages. There is even a spookily-named Coffin Walk.

Twenty-one of the paths are ones that the borough council is looking to “relaunch” so more people know about them. The first of these will be on Saturday 2nd May and is called The Packhorse Trail.  It starts at The Bridge Inn in Duffield at 10:30am and lasts until 1:00pm. The Coffin Walk near Shardlow is another of them. It takes place at the end of the month.

A passionate backer of Erewash Walking Month is Paul Collins, 59, who told how he took up regular strolls after he was admitted to hospital – where medics warned him he needed to get more active.

Paul said: “That’s how I found the Monday Strollers – a morning walking group in Ilkeston that meets most weeks at Victoria Park Leisure Centre at 10.15am. Not knowing anybody locally – I’m a Londoner – I very quickly found myself being introduced to the area by a very sociable group I now call my friends.”

He is proud to have since become one of the group’s leaders. Paul said: “They were looking for someone to co-ordinate transport for the monthly bus they take further afield during the summer. I stepped up and gradually got more involved in the group’s organisation, working with other walking groups and Erewash Borough Council.”

Speaking about her work, organising Erewash Walking Month, Rachel Scott, from the borough council’s Community Health and Wellbeing Development team, said: “It is ideal for increasing the diversity of walks in the area. One of our hosting organisations Friends of Bennerley Viaduct will kick things off on Friday 1st May with the three-mile Marlpool Station to Bennerley Viaduct walk. It starts at The Field at Heanor at 10:00am.”

Other strolls during the month include a 10:00am one starting at Our Crafty Place in Ilkeston. The event is being billed as a Community Crafty Walk. Meanwhile Elvaston Night Walks will be held every Thursday evening.

The full programme of walks can be found on the council’s website at: Erewash Walking Month | Erewash Borough Council. People just need to turn up to join in many of them, but some require advance booking.

The last day of the month – Sunday 31st May – is when The Coffin Walk and Shardlow Circular takes place. The route includes a path from Breaston that was used to carry coffins to Church Wilne before the village got its own graveyard in 1824. The walk starts at 10:30am behind Draycott Fish Bar and ends at 3:45pm.

In the run up to the finale there will be fun for all ages – with the staging of a Family Treasure Hunt on Friday 29th May at West Park Leisure Centre in Long Eaton from 10am.

Cllr Becca Everett, who is Erewash’s Deputy Leader and Lead Member for Community Engagement, urged residents: “Don’t miss out on all the great chances to make the most of what will hopefully be glorious spring weather. The fantastic walks that have been lined up throughout May are meant to be a gentle introduction to the benefits of a stroll in the fresh air – with some fascinating opportunities to learn more about our beautiful borough.”

A fact-packed YouTube video about The Coffin Walk and Shardlow Circular route – including how it crosses a long-lost Roman road that the ancient empire built to transport lead – can be viewed at: Breaston Circular – Church Wilne and the Rivers Walk, Derbyshire day hike.