Start by choosing a valley that does the climbing for you

The easiest gentle walks are almost always found in valleys, because the land itself has already done the hard work. A stream or river runs along the bottom, and the path generally follows it, rising only a few dozen metres over a couple of miles. Look for a total ascent of under 100 metres across 4–6 kilometres and you have the makings of an afternoon that suits everyone from a five-year-old to a grandparent with a dodgy knee.

When you look at a map, ignore the big hills and search out the features that promise easy going. A 1:25,000 Ordnance Survey map is worth the money here, because it shows what a smaller-scale map hides.

• Dismantled railway lines and canal towpaths — level, wide and usually well drained.
• Bridleways — often broader and less rutted than footpaths, and generally better underfoot.
• Riverside meadows — flat grazing land beside a stream, usually with a path along one edge.
• Contour lines spaced widely apart — a visual guarantee that the ground is kind.

Avoid anywhere the map shows tightly bunched contour lines or the words "steep ground". A valley that looks charming in a photograph can hide a short, brutal pull up to a viewpoint that will undo an otherwise lovely day.

Read the route before you set foot on it

Gentle does not mean vague. Spend fifteen minutes planning at the kitchen table and the walk itself becomes far more relaxing. Check the distance honestly — most people walk at around 3 kilometres an hour on countryside paths, and slower with children, dogs or a picnic. A four-kilometre loop with a stop will comfortably fill two hours.

Look for the details that trip people up. Are there stiles, and how many? A route with eight stiles is a poor choice for anyone with limited mobility, a bad back or a pushchair. Are there fords or stepping stones that become impassable after rain? Is the path shown as a right of way in green dashes, or is it a permissive path that a landowner can close? Winter mud is another consideration: low-lying valley paths beside water can be churned and sloppy from November to March, so plan a drier, higher alternative for those months.

Dress and pack for the ground underfoot

Valley paths are often damp, shaded and uneven, which is a different proposition from a paved park trail. Good waterproof boots with a decent tread will do more for your comfort than anything else you carry. Trainers are fine on a dry chalk path in August, but they will let you down on a clay footpath beside a stream in February.

• Spare socks in the rucksack — a small thing that rescues a wet-footed child.
• Layers and a light waterproof, even on a promising forecast; valleys catch showers.
• Water and something to eat, plus a flask in cold weather.
• A printed map or a charged phone with an offline map downloaded — signal is patchy in wooded valleys.
• Sun cream and insect repellent in summer, and a small torch in autumn.
• Dog bags, a lead and a towel if you are taking the dog.

Stiles, gates and the etiquette of working farmland

Most gentle valley routes cross working land, and the way you move through it matters. Leave gates as you find them — if a gate is closed, close it behind you; if it is tied open, leave it open. Never climb a wall or fence where a stile or gate is provided, and give livestock a wide berth rather than walking straight through the middle of a flock.

Cattle with calves can be genuinely protective, and herds of young bullocks are inquisitive in a way that unnerves walkers. If you meet them, keep calm, walk steadily around the edge of the field, and let your dog off the lead if it is safe to do so — a dog on a lead beside you is far more likely to be chased than one that can trot away. On a footpath through a field with a bull present, the law is on your side, but common sense and a quiet retreat are usually the wiser choice.

Streams, bridges and the small pleasures of a slow walk

The joy of a valley walk is rarely in a summit view. It is in the twenty minutes spent throwing sticks from a footbridge, watching a dipper bob on a stone, or finding a shaded bank of meadowsweet where the water runs shallow enough to paddle. Build these pauses into your plan rather than treating them as delays.

A gentle route with a good stopping point — a bench, a stone bridge, a grassy bank beside a ford — will keep children happy for far longer than a longer route with no reason to halt. Spring brings wild garlic and bluebells in the woods above the stream; summer offers dragonflies over slow water; autumn gives you hazelnuts and the smell of damp leaves. Carry a small pair of binoculars if you have them, and look for herons, grey wagtails and the occasional kingfisher flash of blue.

Pace yourself, and always know your turning-back point

Plan a short route and treat any extension as a bonus. Identify an obvious point halfway — a bridge, a gate, a junction — where you can turn for home if legs are tiring or the weather turns. Set a turnaround time as well as a turnaround place, and stick to it. In winter, aim to be back at the car well before dusk; a valley path in fading light is far harder to follow than the same path at midday.

Finish somewhere with a reward. A village green, a tea room, a pub garden or simply a flask and a slice of cake on the tailgate turns a pleasant walk into a proper afternoon out. The best gentle valley routes are the ones you finish feeling you could happily do again next weekend — and that is exactly the sign you planned it well.