Walk off the chocolates and turkey and get out in the winter sunshine (or rain!) to enjoy our wonderful town.
We all know about the beauty and splendour of our parks and green spaces - and the surrounding tourist attractions at Roseberry Topping and further afield.
But you might not have tried these Middlesbrough-based walks for a while, and you probably won't need to take the car out to enjoy them.
Take in Middlesbrough’s industrial present and past – and one of its quirkiest attractions.
Start at Newport Bridge, and follow the wide unsealed cycle path along the riverbank, enjoying views across the Tees to Haverton Hill and Port Clarence and the bridge behind you.
Continue walking around the curve of the Tees until you reach Teesaurus Park.
Take a selfie with a stegosaurus and then follow the cycle path to the right until you reach Riverside Park Road.
Go east and take a detour to North Street to see the Old Town Hall, before continuing onto Ferry Road. Snatch a view of the Transporter Bridge from the south side of the river as you head back to Vulcan Street and continue walking until you reach the three-faced Hydraulic Clock Tower, close to Temenos and Middlesbrough College.
It’s not quite the leafy suburbs – but it’s beautiful in its own way.
From Middlesbrough railway station, head down Bridge Street East/Dock Street until you see Middlesbrough College and go through the campus until you reach the England Coast Path at the dock.
Walk right around the dock until you reach The Halyard road, then follow Shepherdson Way along the side of the Riverside Stadium following The Leeway then turn right at the end of the stadium still following the signs for Redcar.
Cross the roundabout and then turn right to cross the railway lines and turn left onto the footpath to your left before the Navigation Inn and follow the footpath which runs beside Ormesby Beck passing under the B1513 (Works road). Continue along this path which runs beside the railway line.
You will see the A66 on your right, which veers away, but continue on and you’ll eventually pass under Old Station Road Bridge. You can continue on to South Bank Railway station where, if you’re lucky, you can catch the train back to Middlesbrough.
Start from Low Lane and walk along Stainton Beck following the public footpath through towards Maltby Road, then turn onto Thornton Road and head through the village.
Come to the junction with Hemlington Road – The Stainton pub is across the road – and turn right, until you hit Stainton Way. Turn left and follow the road a short while to Hornsea Road which turns onto Ashdale, where another public footpath will take you behind Hemlington Hall Academy towards the lake.
See the Stainton map here and the Hemlington Lake map here
It can sometimes be forgotten, but Ormesby Hall is one of the jewels in the crown of Middlesbrough.
Start at the main car park and join the farm track, which connects the farm with Church Lane.
At the end of the car park go through the gate on the left hand side and turn left onto the farm track where you’ll see the National Trust’s natural play area and formal garden on your left behind the trees and hedge.
Follow the track towards and pass St Cuthbert’s Church then bear left, passing the overflow car park with the stables straight ahead.
At the overflow carpark turn right and head down the drive towards the bridge with the main house behind you and the stable block to your left.
Just before the bridge access, turn left and go through the gate and continue through the woodland.
When you reach a tarmac road, go towards the gate and then carry on through the woodland and continue past the right fork.
You can follow the rest of the walk here.
Linthorpe Cemetery is one of Middlesbrough’s oldest graveyards.
The 52 acre cemetery is a repository of our civic heritage, charting the town’s industrial growth in the 19th and 20th centuries.
There are lots of old and broken memorials in the cemetery, and many have been laid flat to make them safe, so please be careful when walking.
It’s also a designated Local Nature Reserve and the Friends of Lintorpe Cemetery regularly hold history, nature, and environmental events throughout the year.
Enjoy entering at Burlam Road and doing a full lap of the cemetery, with all its intertwining paths, to quickly stretch your legs without driving for miles.
Switch off from it all – despite being only metres away from the A19 and some of Middlesbrough’s most densely populated housing areas.
Head into the meadow from the small car park at the roundabout off the Mandale interchange. Here, you can stay to the right and stick to the footpath. Or, if you’re wearing your wellies, you can head over the fields and snake behind houses in Acklam and Brookfield.
You’ll meet the Blue Bell Beck and Acklam Meadow and can continue south towards the ever expanding housing estates, or cut back through Malvern Drive to Acklam Road where you can cross over and head down the Avenue of Trees.
That will lead you to Acklam Hall, where you can wander round the duck pond and Mill Hill playing fields, if it takes your fancy.
One of Middlesbrough’s greenest and leafiest suburbs, if you live nearby get your walking boots on and get out and enjoy it.
Start off at Nunthorpe railway station on Guisborough Road, then head past the sports club, down the footpath towards St Mary the Virgin church.
Then nip across the A172 before continuing towards West Side and Nunthorpe Hall.
Once you’ve passed there, come back across and walk towards Whinstone View before you head north again on footpaths towards Church Lane and back into Nunthorpe and to the station.
