Retford,the Chesterfield Canal and Babworth, Pilgrim Fathers' Walk, 19th July 2026

Paul's 9.2 -mile Pilgrim Fathers' Walk started in the New Street car park in Retford and took six VBR members and a similar number from other groups including five from Ratford, over the River Idle and through Kings Park to reach the Chesterfield Canal. We then followed it for 3½ miles to Green Lane (once known as the Great North Road), a green lane heading back towards Retford. A diversion across fields took us to Babworth Park and the famous All Saints Church with its connections to the Pilgrim Fathers.

James Brindley's Chesterfield Canal, completed in 1777, runs for 32 miles from the Trent at West Stockwith, through Retford and Worksop to the now-collapsed 1.5 mile Norwood Tunnel near the M1. There is a clearly signposted route though all the way into Chesterfield, the Cuckoo Way, named after the old horse-drawn boats unique to this canal. The canal was built to export coal, limestone and lead from Derbyshire, iron from Chesterfield and corn, timber, groceries, etc. into Derbyshire and was used to transport stone from North Anston Quarry for building the Houses of Parliament.

Map of the Cuckoo Way showing routes of past VBR walks

First view of the Chesterfield Canal in Retford

Canal lock and towpath

A joint Retford Ramblers and Vale of Belvoir Ramblers group - perhaps this how small groups will operate in future

Drinks stop

Forest Lock

All Saints Church at Babworth.  This church is famous as the community start point for the Pilgrim Fathers who left Nottinghamshire for Holland before sailing from Plymouth to the New World in 1620

River Idle in Retford, source of water for the canal

These wharves near the centre of Retford were important trading centres for two centuries until the arrival of the railways

Narrowboats in Retford Basin

A reminder of when Brenda met Robbie Cumming, who was making an episode of BBC Four's Canal Boat Diaries, last time we were here in 2022