Various versions from 18.4 to 31.5 km, the Main Walk goes like this:
Length 28.0 km (17.4 mi)
Ascent/Descent: 174m
Net Walking Time: ca. 6 hours
Toughness: 5/10
Take the 09.15 Corby train from St. Pancras (EMR Platforms),
via Luton and Bedford to Wellingborough at 10.07. Return trains: xx.27 and xx.56.
Note: if you are travelling with a Network Southeast
Railcard, buy tickets split at Bedford.
This long but easy walk, with Short and Long alternatives, explores the
waterways, lakes, fields and villages to the South and West of Wellingborough.
A word of warning – there have been extensive quarrying activities in this
area, and even on-line maps are not necessarily up to date! It is effectively a
figure of eight walk, with the two loops coming together where Grendon Road
crosses the River Nene, South of Earl’s Barton. The short walk does the large
Eastern loop only, whereas the Long Walk does an extended Western loop. Both
loops are described clockwise, though they could be reversed. Another good
option would be to follow the long version as far as Earls Barton, then catch a
bus. Much of the walk follows the River Nene, but there are short climbs to
each of the four villages visited.
You walk South to join the Nene, which you then follow to the
South-West, soon leaving Wellingborough behind. Leave the river at Wollaston
Lock to walk around Summer Leys Nature Reserve, then cross a series of fields
among fishing lakes and quarry works, to come out on Grendon Road. From here
you can head East on the Short Walk, but the Main Walk follows the Nene again,
West to Whiston Lock and then turns North to Earl’s Barton, the recommended
lunch stop, with its magnificent Saxon church. The Long Walk, which is well
worth doing if you have the time and the legs, stays on the Nene past fishing
lakes before heading North over the A45 to Ecton (the first of four villages
with lunch possibilities) and East across the fields to Earl’s Barton. Return
down Station Road and Grendon Road, rejoining the Short Walk and now following
the Nene Eastwards. Leave the river at Hardwater Road and head North to Great
Doddington and Wilby, both possible lunch or tea stops. Return to
Wellingborough from the West by Swanspool Brook. You pass close to the town
centre with several pubs and cafes.
Walk Options:
Several, mainly involving buses, but also one walking just
one of the two loops that form this figure-of-eight walk. Check the webpage for
details.
Lunch: Many options, best positioned seem The Old Swan in Earl’s Barton (14.9 km, food served) or The Stag's Head in
Great Doddington (21.8 km, food all day).
Tea: lots of options, check the webpage for details.
2 comments:
There are also several options for a lighter lunch at Earls Barton, including Jeyes, which is the ultimate one stop shop (cafe, phamacy, museum, book shop, gift shop and open air theatre). If anyone is considering doing the Long Walk I recommend bringing trousers as the start of Section 5 is likely to be nettled, unless the new Farageist council clears it.
9 off the train were met by the walk author outside, so n=10 on a w=sunny-with-a-fair-breeze day. A new route for all but one, this.
The start is certainly inauspicious, as the train station is on the far end of the wrong side of town for the walk route, and one negotiates indifferent suburbia and industrial estates for a while, but once we had picked up the riverside path, it was all good.
The Nene is a very fine (if not very mighty) river, with the very most of the stretches we walked along with very good visual qualities, i.e. no ugly buildings along it, but reed beds, plenty of birdlife, large meadows and cereal fields with their growth swaying in the breeze to the side, some fine far views across the very mildly undulating landscape, interesting locks and some nicely converted mills and fine churches as well. Add some lakes and semi-pretty villages on the surrounding mild hillocks to the equasion, and we all felt entertained. There were plenty (hundreds in fact) of damselflies about, several herons, egrets and that type of birds, loads of swans, but not many cows or sheep in the fields.
One walked the shortcut, cutting out the outer loop, 2 fell a wee bit behind and finished at Earls Barton after a lunch at Jeyes to take the bus back, while the other 7 walked the main route. Only 2 of those actually lunched at The Old Swan, while the sandwichers popped in for a drink.
The walk author bailed out on the outskirts of W'boro for a bus home (home being Earls Barton, I understand), and we followed a brook through a succession of very agreeable linear parks into the town centre, right to the doorstep of Ye Olde Lion. Thirst drove 5 of us into the lovingly refurbished establishment, while 1 walked on to catch the next train. We then expertly timed our departure to exactly make the next train, but - that was in fact cancelled! Staff shortages or somesuch. Never short of an answer to a crisis, we now absolutely HAD to go to the next door Little R' Ale House Micropub and Cider Hut, where some brave punter imbibed a chilli-and-something perry, while the more regular guys and girls stuck to ales and g&t's. 18.56 train.
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