Nene Way 10 - Ferry Meadows - Peterborough - Whittlesey

With Marta. 11 miles. Brilliant sunshine. Very warm.


We set off from Ferry Meadows, and I couldn't resist one more mirror-lake-shot to start the day.

We were diverted from the river, as the path was closed, and walked around Thorpe Golf Course. Part of the route followed this 'covered walkway'

The shade was already welcome at 11 am.

We rejoined the original Nene Way at Orton Lock.

This is a sculpture "Festival Boat, 1988, Sculptor: Sokari Douglas Camp".

As we walked into Peterborough, we saw several bridges

I'm surprised Peterborough doesn't make more of its waterfront, though it does have the Green Wheel network.  When we found our way blocked we turned into the Rivergate shopping centre and sought out coffee in the town centre. Pavement cafes in this weather - it could almost have been Sevilla. 

Children were running and splashing in the fountains.

A colourful flower display

an odd view of the cathedral.

A pleasant tree-lined path by the Nene on the way out of Peterborough. The river has become noticeably straight by this point.

The bridge carries the cycle-path over the Nene to Whittlesey. We used the map, which showed the Nene Way following the road.

A friendly (hopeful?) pig in an enclosure near the path. Pity about the barbed wire shadows!

The erstwhile Dog-in-a-Doublet pub, fondly remembered from days ice-skating on Whittlesey Mere.

Dog-in-a-Doublet Lock.


At the road junction we turned right across the bridge towards Whittlesey, where we had lunch in an Italian cafe, then explored a while.

old town hall and museum

market place and butter cross

St Mary's church

Distinctive street lamps

The statue of the Whittlesey Straw Bear - donated, improbably, by Councillor Ursula Cuffe. 


I think we'll give the Nene Way a rest for the moment. It's a long way to drive for a day's walk; the Nene has several courses - the old course is covered in parts by the Hereward Way out towards March; the new Nene is very straight and confined as it heads through the Fens to the sea.


Map and details

Nene Way 9 - Wansford - Ferry Meadows

10 miles. With Marta. Sunny, warm, delightful weather.

From Wansford we took the road opposite the church which leads towards the A1.  Just before the road the path turns right and goes downhill towards the river underneath two huge bridges before making its way up towards the A47, past a lorry park, then turning right behind the petrol station along a path through fields. For a while we walked parallel to the road, then following the curve of the river turned south-east. We joined a wider track (a dismantled railway) but followed it a bit too far into some stables.  Quick question and we were set right - we'd missed the signs on a kissing gate next to a field gate! The path led us into the village of Sutton - (Sutton Only as the signposts from the road tell us), past playing fields, houses and the church with its open bell tower.  Then we turned briefly west, and south across more fields towards Wansford Station, the headquarters of the Nene Valley Railway.

A quick coffee stop and nose around, and we were ready for off.

The station and railway have been used in lots of documentaries and other films and there are plenty of events.

The Nene Way runs alongside the railway for half a mile or so, then moves further south towards the river, crossing fields full of Roman remains, which are not visible as anything other than humps and bumps.

Water Newton

Roman remains?

The path follows the river but turns sharply left to negotiate a meander just before Mill Hill - a noticeably higher piece of ground.  We crossed a footbridge, where we saw this orderly family of swans.

 After the bridge we followed the higher ground round to the road down to Castor Old Mill. There's a water mill and remains of a windmill. 

There is a ford and a footbridge over the mill arm of the river (Back Dike). The Nene Way crosses the bridge and turns left following Back Dike, crossing another footbridge and then walking with the main Nene on the right.  A clear path leads us under a railway bridge (Nene Valley Railway) and into Ferry Meadows. The Cycle hire and Canoe centre is across Gunwade Lake.

We continued past Ferry Bridge and along Ferry Walk Path to finish at Green Cafe near the Ferry Meadows Visitor Centre. 


Wildlife - herons, grebes, geese, green woodpeckers (we heard more than we saw). Fish - no idea what sort.




Map and details

Nene Way 8 - Barnwell to Wansford

With Marta.  Weather fine, not sunny but warm.  14.44 miles, including short detour to Fotheringhay Church and shop in Nassington.


We started from Barnwell Country Park, crossed the old road opposite Oundle Mill and followed the Nene Way, which is pretty well marked, along past the marina, and locks, through some wide meadows, and over a footbridge into Ashton. The first part of the walk overlaps with this walk from Thursday, Aug 18, 2011

Through the village and after a while we turned left at the 'Entrance Lodge' to follow the road which turned into a track, past a Rifle Range, past Tansor Lodge on an old Roman road and into Warmington.  Coffee break (from a flask), part way along here. 
When we reached Warmington village we turned right, then left coming out at the church, which is a big one. 

and on to Eaglethorpe with its 17th century limestone dovecote

After this we made our way under the A605, through a decorated underpass

and over the fields to Fotheringhay. We climbed up the castle mound

Two boats below Fotheringhay Castle mound

The pub does a good lunch, then we wandered around the church - there's an impressive historical exhibition in there, and it's much lighter than many churches.

The prospect of another six miles was a little concerning, but we've done over 12 recently.  We left Fotheringhay on the Apethorpe road.  The turning to the right is just before the speed limit sign, but easily missed. A track leads to Walcot Lodge, where we turned right again.  About two thirds of a mile later, we were almost tempted to keep following the wider track which veers to the left, instead of going straight ahead. There is a Nene Way sign, but it's not immediately obvious.  There's a short turn to the left, then right a little later, but once all this has been negotiated, the route leads down towards Nassington. We needed something to drink, so detoured to the local shop.

Back to the route proper, and onward to Yarwell Mill, with its boats and caravan site. These millstones are on the road leading out of the Mill.

We should have taken a path across a field at this point. Instead we continued to the road, and turned right towards Yarwell. Not much difference in the distance. From here it's about a mile across fields - lots of horses grazing,

 and Wansford Bridge soon comes into view.

Phew, Wansford Bridge - that's the Northants Nene Way done and dusted.






Map and details

Barnwell Country Park - Ashton - Polebrook - Barnwell

With Barry and Gordon.  Ten miles ( including parts where I went wrong!) Quite a lot of this walk is along the Nene Way.  We had at least two hours of rain - the wettest I've been this year.


A few examples of the fauna spotted en route

homo sapiens sapiens

ardea cineria 

Carterocephalus palaemon - chequered skipper

Felis catus culmis - the thatched cat

Apart from these we saw Canada geese, a goldfinch, house martins,  horses and donkeys, one sheltering from the rain.  Then lots of cows, calves and bullocks, swans and cygnets, and a couple of piglets, who seemed quite excited to spot us from across the road.  By this time my camera was tucked away in my rucksack, and I was too wet to take photos. Worth keeping a change of clothes handy for wet weather wanders.

Ashton church

We started this walk from Barnwell Country Park, making our way to the Mill (Oundle or Barnwell?) with its guillotine lock gate.  Just opposite this the Nene Way goes North East past Oundle marina, along to another lock where we crossed to the left bank of the river.  We walked across the flat field to a gate where we turned very sharply right to return to the river.
We followed the water , going through some trees under the A605.  The path and river meanders, and the land is quite flat on the left, but rises more steeply on the right. We could see New Lodge Farm, which we would pass later in the walk.
Along the river there are a couple of weirs and another lock. At one point we watched a heron standing on a long wooden platform, not bothered by our approach. 


Still following the Nene Way we turned right to cross the river via a footbridge and the path led us into Ashton, an estate village built by the Rothschilds.   The pub, the Chequered Skipper , was  renamed from the Three Horseshoes in 1966 by Miriam Rothschild, the celebrated zoologist who lived in Ashton Wold.


After the pub we followed the road as far as a small wood, where an unpaved byway ( a boreen in Ireland) turns right towards Polebrook, leaving the route of the Nene Way. When we reached the road from Polebrook to Ashton we crossed it, walking as far as New Lodge and Red Lodge farms.  There is a stile at the gate just before Red Lodge, which leads through fields, past a stable and after another couple of stiles (beware - they can be slippery in wet weather) the path led us into Polebrook, into a lane from where we could see the pub and the church.  As it was already raining cats (on a warm thatched roof) we didn't hang about to explore, but made our way down the lane, which turned into a track, then an overgrown path before emerging near an industrial building.  


We should have turned slightly to the right here on another byway, and ignored the surfaced road off to the left.  Eventually on track we walked until we saw a footpath sign pointing up across a recently harvested, and unusually (for this year) muddy field, so we attacked the path, and followed it through yet another field of cows.  It rejoined the byway at the farm (Armston Hall).  A little way along the road, and another footpath sign showed the way to the left across fields, and past a couple of donkeys, one of them sensibly sheltering from the downpour. 


The path touches the edge of Armston Grove woodland - giving us enough shelter for a well-earned snack stop, but not stopping me from making yet another small detour - that'll teach me not to believe footpath signs!  Within a hundred yards or so the mistake was clear - no way out of the field.  Back we trotted, and from now on we followed the path into Barnwell.We passed behind  Barnwell Manor on a grassy path and came into the village just before the Montagu Arms. Here we turned right along the road,then right again to rejoin the Nene Way as it follows Barnwell Brook past the manor again and the remains of the castle.  We were too wet to bother looking around in any detail. At a T-junction we turned right along the road and carried on until we saw a sign to the left for the Nene Way. This took us to the Oundle bypass (A605) and across to the old road which we followed back to the country park. 


Map and details - once again one or two unintended detours, but they bumped the mileage up to almost 10!