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Wellingborough Circular Walk

Northamptonshire rivers and lakes, up to four villages and one of England's finest Saxon churches.

Circular Long Northamptonshire

History

Club walks since April 2015, and a summary which goes back to Jan 2010.

Date Option Post # Weather
Sat, 14-Jun-25 Northamptonshire rivers and lakes, up to four villages and one of England's finest Saxon churches: Wellingborough Circular [First Posting] 10 sunny with a fair breeze
Thomas G

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.
For walk directions, map, height profile and gpx/kml files click here .
  • Mike
    May-25

    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.

  • Thomas G
    Jun-25

    9 off the train were met by the walk author outside, so 10 on a 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.