Starting outside the Exeter Arms, Rab's original walk followed the Jurassic Way through Wakerley Great Wood to Laxton, then north to the River Welland, crossing at Turtle Bridge and following the river back to Barrowden.
The Environment Agency however advised walkers to avoid paths near the river and Rab carried out an early inspection to confirm that the area was flooded (and a nearby bridge was closed for other reasons) so the walk was changed to become a linear walk from Barrowden via Laxton to Harringworth.
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| Discussing car shuttling outside the Exeter Arms |
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| Barrowden duck pond |
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Church of St John the Baptist, Wakerley.
Incidentally, the four brick towers you may have seen from the road were calcining kilns, built in 1915 by German POWS, and used for reducing iron ore before transport to the Corby Steelworks |
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| Lunch in Laxton (Northamptonshire) |
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| Dry-stone walls, a feature of Rutland and Northamtonshire countryside |
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| Flooding in the Welland Valley |
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| I told you it was flooded |
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| View of the Welland Valley and Harringworth Viaduct. The viaduct is 1,275 yards long and has 82 arches, each with a 40 feet span. It is the longest masonry viaduct across a valley in the United Kingdom |
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| Entering Harringworth Village |
We subsequently learned from other walkers that Turtle Bridge was covered in knee-high water which did not stop them from crossing. Hmmm! All in all, a safe and pleasant VBR walk given the rain of the past few days.
Starting outside the Exeter Arms, Rab's original walk followed the Jurassic Way through Wakerley Great Wood to Laxton, then north to the River Welland, crossing at Turtle Bridge and following the river back to Barrowden.
