Enjoy Boxing Day walk in Derby - one of England's top hiking hotspots

A Boxing Day walk could be the perfect antidote to an indulgent festive feasting season.

You could be tempted to pull on your walking boots and explore Derby, which is named as one of the best hiking areas in the country, according a recent study.

The news will be well received by fans of the outdoors keen to explore pretty parts of England.

Looking at factors such as the number of trails, the percentage of moderate and hard trails, and the elevation of trails, outdoor experts at Blacks have named the best regions in England to go hiking this winter.

Derby - beaten only by Brighton & Hove and Plymouth who ranked first and second respectively - took a very respectable third spot with a hiking hotspot score of 9.14 out of 10.

Derby offers 12 trails per 10 km² with a good balance of trail difficulties.

It is renowned for its high percentage of trails with water views, the highest among the top three, providing excellent opportunities for waterside trekking or seeing any icy spectacle.

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The study also found Edinburgh is the best place to go hiking in Scotland, East Kilbride is the UK region with the most wildlife hikes, and Huddersfield has the highest percentage of hikes rated ‘hard’ in England.

Blacks compared the 55 biggest towns and cities in England and the ten biggest in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland on the following factors.

Each town or city was given a normalised score out of 10 for each factor, and an average of these was calculated.

Each place was only compared against those from the same country, with the scores calculated relative to these.

Here is the full list of England’s top hiking spots

(Marks out of 10)

1. Brighton & Hove 9.94

2. Plymouth 9.92

3. Derby 9.14

4. Oxford 9.11

5. York 9.10

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6. Ipswich 8.90

7. London 8.84

8. Swindon 8.81

8. Bristol 8.81

9. Chelmsford 8.70

To see Blacks’ full study click here.