Barnwell to Titchmarsh Nature Reserve

Our driving route from Milton Keynes was initially very famiiar, up the A509 through Olney and on to Wellingborough. However, we didn't then turn onto the A45, instead cutting across though Wellingborough, at one point alongside the River Nene and then past Wellingborough Station, to the A510 and then up to the A14. We turned right here but only for a short distance before turning up the A6116 past Islip and so to the Titchmarsh Nature Reserve car park (TL007813) on Lowick Lane. We'd passed a brown tourist sign with its words blanked out, and there had been no other signs to the Nature Reserve, so we were beginning to wonder if the car park was real, and the final approach was down a narrow lane, so I was wondering how I would turn the car around if the car park didn't exist! We needn't have worried on either score, and even had the car park not been there, we could have just kept driving straight ahead and, after some meandering through Aldwincle, across the river and then through Thorpe Waterville, reached the A605 little more than a mile away. After leaving one car in the Titchmarsh Nature Reserve car park this is precisely what we did, on our short drive up to Barnwell, though this access route to the car park is even narrower in places, as well as having some blind corners. Fortunately we didn't meet anyone coming the other way until we got to the A605, which was busy, and we were soon back in Barnwell, where we parked right outside the almshouses of Parson Latham's Hospital (TL049849), almost opposite St Andrew's Church.

We rejoined the Nene Way by the Montagu Arms, this time turning right and heading south, with the stream that flows through Barnwell on our right. When we came to take a path that heads right from Barnwell, the first thing we noticed was a ford blocking our way! Fortunately there was a footbridge, initially just out of sight. We headed through the churchyard of Barnwell's other church, All Saints'. All Saints' Church was largely demolished in 1825 but its chancel was maintained as it had been the burial place of the Montagu family in the 16th and early 17th century. The route continued out the other side of the churchyard and across fields to cross a disused railway line, part of the Northampton and Peterborough Railway (now that would have been a useful line to have...), another part of which was turned into the Nene Valley Railway after Dr Beeching did his worst.

Our walk continued across more fields with views to Titchmarsh Village (which the path doesn't go to) in the distance. We reached the hamlet of Wigsthorpe, which seems to be dominated by Hall Farm, then continued along a very minor road to the B662 and turned right. We were passed by occasional cars and motor bikes, but it wasn't a problem. We crossed the A605 (in the section we had driven along earlier - and a section we know quite well, as it is on a route we sometimes use when heading from home via Peterborough to the A14 heading west) at a roundabout, and after that the B662 was even quieter, passing through delightful wooded countryside, now with more cyclists than motor vehicles for company. After swapping from OS Explorer Sheet 227 ("Peterborough") ro Sheet 224 ("Corby, Kettering and Wellingborough") we passed a gatehouse to Lilford Hall, though there were rather unfriendly "Private, Keep out" signs everywhere. Two other walkers were just emerging from the footpath on the left which we would take, but first of all we went to look at Lilford Bridge over the Nene, just slightly further ahead. We had thought this might be interesting and the other walkers told us it was reputed to be pretty, so we all headed that way before going our separate (opposite ways). The bridge does indeed appear attractive, though it was a bit difficult to get a good view from the road.

Our path was just above the river, with a lock and then weirs below us, but we were initially behind a house then in woodland, so only caught very occasional glimpses of the water. However, the wood we were walking through, "The Linches" was attractive. The path was quite narrow and a little slippery in places, following yesterday's rain. We met a group of walkers coming the other way (the first time we have seen walkers in a group since before lockdown) but fortunately they stood to one side to let us past. Richard told me that we were coming to "a church". What I didn't initially appreciate was that we were coming both too "a church" and a hamlet called "Achurch". Thus it was that we approached the church and Achurch, passing more walkers as we left the wood, only thinking about the amusing name. Perhaps the number of other walkers in the area should have alerted us to the attractiveness of the place, with a small collection of buildings by the church, and then the views opening out to the Nene Valley below.

We descended across the meadow, passing cows and more walkers, then used a footbridge across the first strand of the river, after waiting for a family to come the other way. I must stop talking about the other people we passed; the path wasn't in any way overcrowded, even allowing for social distancing when passing others - it's just that seeing other people still feels a bit unusual (to be fair, we favour places and activities that others don't seem to!). When we were on the bridge we noticed movement on the river; it was a very competent swimmer coming towards us at speed. Then, when on the other side of the river, we noticed a boat coming along. From the meadows near the river we had good views back to Achurch church as well as to the Wadenhoe Church up on a hill and Aldwincle (St Peter's) Church in the distance.

We reached the second strand of the river, with a swan posing in picturesque fashion, then we reached another footbridge, and a delightful view to Wadenhoe Mill. I couldn't help but draw comparisons to Flatford Mill, and had this been Constable Country I'd have expected tea shops and tour guides everywhere - and probably an entrance fee. Wadenhoe isn't even that far from the beaten track (less than 2 miles from the A605 and around 5 miles from the A14) but it is a well kept secret. The rest of the village, a mass of thatch, was similarly pretty. After passing the (thatched) pub, with its grounds extending to the river, we continued on a path above the river but below the Church (after noting the Lyveden Way, which climbs up past the Church on its route back to the National Trust's Lyveden New Bield, for future reference).

We climbed to a path high above the river, with occasional views down to it; at one point I noticed canoeists, but wasn't able to photograph them because there were trees in the way. We wondered about stopping for lunch but decided to continue to Aldwincle. A church soon came into view, which confused me at first because this had a spire whereas the church we had passed in driving through Aldwincle had a tower. It seems that Aldwincle, like Barnwell, had two parish churches (both were actually two parishes); in Aldwincle's case St Peter's (with a spire) and All Saints' (with a tower), the latter now disused. We soon reached Aldwincle and stopped for lunch at a bench by the village sign. While we were eating, the two walkers who we had past near Lilford Bridge came past; it turns out they are walking the Nene Way in the opposite direction (they had returned from their car in Barnwell to their car in Aldwincle for lunch before moving on to walk another leg), so we were able to compare notes. They live in Weedon, close to the south-western end of the path, and apparently we will eventually walk past their house (probably when they are nearer to ours, towards the north-eastern end!). We returned to the Titchmarsh Nature Reserve car park and, although we'd have had both time and energy to walk further, decided to finish here. After collecting the car, I drove back to Milton Keynes whilst Richard returned to Norfolk.

Following leg