Griffmonsters Great Walks: northamptonshire

View across the vallet to Irthlingborough

a 4.5 mile circular walk using well maintained footpaths through the Lakes nature reserve

An easy and pleasant ramble through the lakes area that occupies the Nene Valley in this part of Northamptonshire. Well maintained paths and tracks make this accessible for most folk and access into Higham enables one to break ones journey for refreshments with ample cafes and inns located in town.

On a Sunday morning, with the sun shining and a little warmth in the air one can witness the queues of traffic that wait to enter the hallowed avenues of the Rushden lakes shopping complex. The faithful patiently wait in turn to present their sacrifices to the Gods of consumerism in return for precious commodities.

It is a good feeling to leave this scene behind and get back to more natural surroundings. This walk starts at the roundabout just past the bus stop as one enters the shopping area. One needs to head behind the Decathlon store onto a path that initially appears to lead nowhere and looks to be nothing more than an access path to the rear of the store. Despite this, the path runs a short length alongside a wooden boarded fence then turns to access the lakes area. It is like a secret passage that any member of Enid Blytons Famous Five would discover on an adventure armed with the ubiquitous ginger beer and cucumber sandwiches.

Before the 1950s this area was all fields stretching out across the Nene Valley. Riverside meadows that were part of a flood plain which would regularly flood each winter. Things have changed drastically in the decades since, the whole valley from Northampton down to Ringstead is now pockmarked as a result of aggregate extraction, leaving numerous lakes of varying sizes. It is clear that mankind has had a huge impact on this area, changing the landscape irreparably. The result of this progress is a haven of nature with the diversity of wildlife and flora greatly expanded since the days of meadow and field, so I guess one can argue that progress is not all necessarily bad. Even the winter floods are now somewhat a thing of the past with the flow of water down the Nene valley better managed upstream.

The well maintained path leads a straight course between Delta Pit lake on the left, and a series of lakes known as Wilson's Pits on the right. It is uncertain where the names are derived from but one assumes they are connected with the gravel extraction companies. Having said that, the area in Rushden on the Wellingborough Road adjacent to Adnitt Road was also known as Wilson's Pits, certainly from the 18th century onwards. This is honoured in the name of Wilson Road that runs along the western edge of the area. Whether there is any connection to the lakes area of the same name is unknown.

One soon comes to a bailey bridge across the main river. The humble River Nene. It flows from Badby to The Wash and is one of the principle water courses through Northamptonshire. One should note that the pronunciation of the river in these parts is Nen (rhyming with hen). This is Northamptonshire. It is called the Nen here. For countless generations it has and always will be the Nen. Even some old publications from the 19th century and earlier use the spelling of Nen. It is not until Peterborough that the name changes to the more upmarket sounding Nene (rhyming with been).

The bailey bridge was added as part of the rejuvenation of the area during the development of Rushden Lakes. There had previously been a bailey bridge here as part of the gravel extraction but that had long gone. The path then leads over another bridge that crosses a backwater that has now become the northern extremity to Higham Pits lakes, and onto the former Northampton and Peterborough railway trackbed. The line closed back in 1964 although the track was not lifted until the early 1970s and some freight used the line up until that point. I have memories of my dad proudly relating how he witnessed the Royal Train passing through the nearby Ditchford station although I cannot provide the exact time period for this event. Of course, Ditchford, for those who know the area, was famous for its treacle mines and some may say these very lakes are nothing to do with gravel extraction but are the result of centuries of treacle mining.

Former Northampton to Peterborough railway trackbed

These days it is difficult to determine that a railway once ran along these tracks such is the case that nature has firmly taken the trackbed over. Thick vegetation and trees cover either side of the well used path. There are occasional viewing areas where vistas across the lakes can be glimpsed with the town of Irthlingborough sitting across the way with its distinctive lantern towered church protruding above the rest of the buildings. The town is locally known as Artlenock, a name whose derivation is unknown. It has always been known as Artlenock around here and hopefully that tradition will continue.

Eventually the path comes to a cross roads of tracks where one needs to turn right and head into Higham, or Arm if one uses the local dialect. Once again, this is a well maintained pathway. Years ago it was nothing more than a footpath that connected Artlenock and Arm. This was a convenient route across the valley and I have many memories of using this path in days gone by when heading out to catch a band playing at the Bull in Irthlingborough then having to negotiate the way back in the dark. In winter it was not the best of paths and on many occasions one emerged back into Higham with shoes caked in mud and jeans equally splattered. These days it is a part of the Rushden Greenway, an urban path that links Rushden, Higham and Irthlingborough.

The track passes over the A45 trunk road by way of a large concrete footbridge bringing one into the extremities of Higham. There is then a steady 30m climb into the town passing through a sprawl of modern housing estates. Dont be fooled into thinking this path is a modern concoction designed to promote exercise for the urbanites who reside in these boxed dwellings. This is an old path, an old track that existed centuries before the mass expansion of these East Northamptonshire towns and villages.

The path leads out onto Saffron Road past the cemetery and the Recreation Ground which contains a pond known as Saffron Moat. The grassed area takes its name from the fields which were used to grow crocuses from which saffron could be farmed in medieval times. The moat also dates from this period and reputedly supplied the nearby Chichele college with fish.

We return down Wharf Road to the river. In fact this is not the river any more, its course diverted when the Higham bypass was constructed. All that is left is a lake with a spur that was once the original course of the river. Gone is the single arched brick humpback bridge that provided access across the river and set a scene for many idyllic picture postcard views. The bridge has been replaced by rather grotesque metal structure that allows walkers and anglers access to the lakes area. Functional rather than aesthetic.

Once upon a time the Wharf would have been a busy trading place used to load and unload goods that were transported along river. No doubt the local brickworks that stood adjacent to the bridge up until 1915 made ample use of the Wharf. Long gone also is the Anchor Inn that once stood here to the right as one faces the bridge. This public house supplied travellers and locals with Dulleys ales from the Wellingborough brewery which was established in 1802 and lasted until it was taken over by Praeds brewers in 1920.

Higham Wharf and the Anchor Inn (courtesy of Rushden Heritage website)

The coming of the railways spelt the end for the trade from Higham Wharf and the inn closed its doors during WWI although it is said they still offered non-alcoholic refreshments in the 1920s, no doubt to the locals who used the wharf for recreational purposes, swimming in summer and ice skating on the flooded meadows in winter. By the 1950s the building was derelict and now the area is nothing more than the end of a modern housing estate where a footpath follows the lakeside through the maintained parkland area.

Another concrete footbridge spans the A45 and there is a riverside path that leads back to the bailey bridge which one encountered earlier. This is all part of the Nene Way, a long distance trail that follows the full course of the river. We leave the Nene Way at the bailey bridge to return back along the path that the walk started out along to complete a very worthwhile ramble.