Canal Boat — February 2018

15 MILES / 9 LOCKS

FOTHERINGHAY

6 7

Thomas a Becket (who gave his name to

the park in Northampton).

When the navigation was created, each

of the 38 locks was built by an existing mill

• which led to disagreements with millers
  over water use. Today the surviving mills
  have found new uses, with this one
  converted to housing and holiday homes.
  A larger and more modern mill still
  grinds flour, and played a part in the
  river’s more recent history. The impressive
  red brick buildings and modern grain silos
  of Whitworth’s, which tower over the river
  on its arrival in Wellingborough, were the
  destination for grain traffic which revived
  following the 1930s river improvements,
  and lasted until the demise of the Willow

Wren carrying company in the late 1960s.

There are good moorings (and a large

swan population) along Wellingborough’s

riverside, from which the town centre is a

mile or so away to the north west.

Leaving the town through a typically

meandering length passing under a couple

of railway viaducts (the only working

mainline railway we cross on the journey

from Northampton to Peterborough), the

river passes more gravel workings, with a

modern retail park being developed to the

south side and accessible by a footpath.

Irthlingborough and Higham Ferrers stand

on opposite banks, each just under a mile

from the river.

Ditchford Lock is an oddity: it is

equipped with a radial guillotine gate (like

the newly restored Carpenters Road Lock

in east London) rather than a vertical one

• which took even more turns to open in
  the old days. On that subject, Upper
  Ringstead Lock is one of the handful of
  remaining hand-worked guillotines.
  And on the subject of railways, the line
  which provided unwelcome competition
  for the Nene in the 19th Century, but itself
  succumbed over half a century ago, now
  has a new lease of life. Several miles from
  Irthlingborough to Thrapston form a path
  and cycleway (useful for walkers as this
  length lacks a riverside path) passing
  through Stanwick Lakes Countryside
  Activity Centre. The river weaves around
  expansively as it follows an attractive
  valley, heading vaguely northeastward
  past Ringstead (with tea-rooms in the old
  watermill), Woodford and Denford.
  A viaduct carrying the modern A14 is
  followed by an older one carrying another
  disused railway (it now carries a footpath:
  climb up it for a good view over the river),
  and then the nine-arch mediaeval
  Thrapston Bridge – an interesting
  structure calling for some attention from
  steerers of longer craft as it’s at a slightly
  awkward angle – as the river passes
  between Thrapston (right) and Islip (left).
  There are rare (and also slightly awkward

PETERBOROUGH

CATHEDRAL

dates mainly from

the 12th century

and is notable for

having been largely

unaltered since that

date. Its most

important features are the architecturally unique

three massive arches of the West Front (pictured),

and the painted wooden ceiling of the nave.

SEE ALSO

Thrapston’s mediaeval bridge

Wooded reach of the river near Wadenhoe

THRAPSTON

canalboat.co.uk Canal Boat February 2018 51