I walked from Keyworth initially along estate road pavements then an enclosed path around a school which leads to open countryside. The recorded footpath passes around the site of Flawford church but most now walk through the site of St. The grass verge along the busy road made a safe path, a better surface than many field paths. Pavements on either side, I crossed the road to take the inside of the bend but here the pavement is narrow so stay on the left....

Ken

I walked from Clifton starting alongside the road with buses and trams. At Beeston Rylands I continued on the flood bank but this precludes a view of more moored boats should that be your interest, it being mine I would next time cross to walk along the appropriately named Canal Side. We pass the old lock that linked to the river below the weir then the Beeston Canal lock where paddles are left raised to ensure the canal has a good feed of water. The route now follows the river and is busy with bikes and walkers. I turned from the plotted route along Barton Lane (BR70) passing the visitor centre then turned left alongside the railway line, shown as a cycle route....

Ken

We only walked the Ruddington to Plumtree part of the route, adding on a detour to Normanton in the Wolds, but we have walked the Clifton section previously and can verify it....

Cath

It's okay if you want to go to Beeston or Clifton. However, I prefer walking down to Beeston Marina and then walking into Beeston through that way....

nottsoutdoorlad

The first task is to reach the edge of Keyworth - this is a simple pavement walk to Crossdale Drive, where our path goes through an alley around the left hand side of the primary school. Beyond the bridge under the railway we cross a sheep pasture (there are stiles) then follow Station Road (which has a pavement) into Plumtree, then straight on past the Griffin pub. I chose to use Manor Road to take us off the main roads for a bit, we then follow the Clifton Road, turning left into Old Station Drive to cross the line of the old Great Central Railway, rejoining Clifton Road at a roundabout....

Hugh Hudson

We cross a footbridge and follow the path around the north side of a small pool, then cross Compton Acres and continue alongside a stream to a T junction, where we head right over the bridge and left on the surfaced path that meanders through a green space and past another pool. Just before Rushcliffe Arena we turn left and follow the wide surfaced path out to Wilford Lane (ignoring the sign for the slightly shorter cycle route into West Bridgford). We follow the river round to the Wilford Suspension Bridge, then turn right down Welbeck Road and left on Loughborough Road, which we cross using a staggered pair of pelican crossings to reach Millicent Road, which leads us across Musters Road (cross with care if busy) and on to Bridgford Road, where the West Bridgford meeting point is a short distance right at the bus stop opposite the Co-op....

Hugh Hudson

For the most part this is a good route (all on very familiar territory), on clear paths and pavements throughout - the only questionable decision is not to use the path that goes under the A453 between Clifton Lane and Westerfield Way. When we reach Lenton Lane at the sports club we follow it (my personal preference would be to stay on the riverside path as far as Clifton Bridge then double back to Lenton Lane). We have to follow Lenton Lane left to reach the ramped cycle track that crosses Clifton Bridge. We follow Farnborough Road down a gentle hill then turn right at Swansdowne Drive, and almost immediately head left into the trees on a surfaced path, which we follow over the stream and right into Clifton Central Flower Park, then take the well used rougher gravel track to the top left corner....

Hugh Hudson

Getting off road south of Gotham the walk is good but before that it's challenging especially with the development taking place on what was Clifton Meadow. It is important that a footpath route is maintained because the road is not a pleasant one to walk along. Meeting the road a footpath opposite follows the old route of the road over Cheese Hill, the sign will tell you more. Meeting the road again there is a pavement into Gotham. At the road it's a direct route after the canal and river bridges along a short cut footpath into Kegworth and the meeting place by the church with shops and buses....

Ken

It is mostly good, but is let down by some slightly wayward GPX plotting and the avoidable dull road walk on Thane Road - as Stephen says the river path is much nicer....

Hugh Hudson

I decided early in the walk that I was going to submit a new version, because the route from Clifton to Fairham Brook is unnecessarily rough, and I agree with Stephen Walker's review of LONCLI 1 that it is best to use the river path from Clifton Bridge to Beeston Marina rather than Thane Road and the canal. The map shows a path going straight on to the bridge on Fairham Brook, but this path is unsurfaced and overgrown, so it is much easier to remain on the cycle track and go a slightly longer way round. We leave the road just before Sat Bains restaurant on a track left, then turn right under Clifton Bridge to reach the riverside path, which has a compacted gravel surface. We leave the track to take smaller paths (some of them unsurfaced but usually fairly dry) through Trent Meadows to reach Meadow Lane (there is a low stile here), which we follow across a level crossing and under a railway bridge to the junction with Main Street, where we turn left across the railway and following Main Street, Cross Street and Waverley Street....

Hugh Hudson

I found it easy enough to follow as a non local, but make sure you take the track on the right, not the towpath, once you’ve crossed the Beeston canal (photo 4) or you will be on the wrong side of a wall!...

Helen C

Mostly a good route and familiar to me - the only unfamiliar parts were some of the roads at the Clifton end, and the road past Sat Bains restaurant (I have previously always used more of the riverside path)....

Hugh Hudson

The first part through Clifton is mostly pavements apart from the path past Glapton Wood, but the edge of the urban area is soon reached without trouble. The path across towards Gotham has changed quite significantly in the last two years thanks to the ongoing building work in the fields south of Clifton. The path is soon reached - two old green lanes take you most of the way to the next road and the continuation across the field is obvious. The path soon leaves the road to go through the wood, one of the best parts of the walk....

Hugh Hudson

There is a fairly new pelican crossing here across Loughborough Road (the A60) to Chaworth Road, which can be followed towards Rectory Road (using two more pelican crossings across Musters Road and Melton Road)....

Hugh Hudson

You could avoid this by walking along Fields Farm Road and joining the route at the top of Meadow Lane, or following the Erewash Canal to start on the river path earlier (although this does lengthen the walk)....

clarefin

This was the second of three Slow Ways routes I walked yesterday, and I walked it from Clifton to Keyworth....

Hugh Hudson

I accept that it can't be recommended to wheelchair users, because the path up through Clifton Wood is unsurfaced and a little steep, but there are no steps and no stiles, the major road crossings are all safe thanks to pelican and zebra crossings (in particular the A453 roundabout in Clifton has pelican crossings on every road), and anyone who can cope with the minor difficulties will find this enjoyable. The GPX file is a little too approximate in places - nobody walks straight across roundabouts....

Hugh Hudson

After crossing the Bunny-Keyworth road the route follows the Wysall Lane before turning onto the right of way leading to Keyworth....

StephenWalker

After the bridge the route follows rights of way across the fields and under the railway to reach Kingston on Soar....

StephenWalker

After Clifton bridge I followed the roadside path to get the signed footpath through an underpass....

StephenWalker

There is a bridleway (surfaced road) which veers away from the river bank and joins the end of the Clifton bridge. Across the bridge, well segregated from traffic, and the route rejoins the riverside path on the south bank....

StephenWalker

I had a couple of blank moments with the navigation, where the correct way is not obvious, however I walked it without detours....

StephenWalker

We began in Clifton Centre, by the tram stop, walking through Clifton Central Park and onto Farnborough Road....

Lynn Jackson

Much of the route is open and the whole is unthreatening, it stays off busy road for much of the route and birdsong rather than traffic is often to be heard. Leaving the roads behind this route would not have been possible until the tram route was extended to Clifton because as part of that project a cycle route was created alongside....

Ken

It takes the north bank of the Trent over the suspension bridge which is far superior to the dismal walled in path on the south bank but this does make it longer. Approaching Clifton Grove is a climb on a grass path, muddy in winter....

Ken

If this walk ended at the midpoint in Gotham then I'd give it 5 stars, it's a lovely mix of open fields, nice villages and wooded areas. However, the public footpath across the fields north of Gotham is completely non-existent, clearly this farmer doesn't take too kindly to walkers on their land. When it does reappear just south of Clifton, it's been diverted by a housing development so there will be heavy machine crossing its path during working hours...

MagneticSpy

Useable route, but I've met pedestrians who find the lenton lane section a bit confusing...

Mary Somerville