Uffingham Walk Along the River Welland via Torpel Way

(S/E) - From the Bertie Arms pub turn left up Bertie Lane and then cross main road to footpath. Turn left and continue branching to right on to minor road, cross over the river.

(1) After crossing bridge over the Welland go through the kissing gate on right and turn right for the kissing gate on the far side of the field. (Note there are two gates take the one on the right). This is Torpel Way which you follow for about two miles.

(2) At the footpath junction turn right off Torpel Way crossing River Welland by the bridge with old Mill Pond on your left.

(3) At the T-junction turn right to return with the Welland on your right. After crossing the footbridge carry on for about 200 yards approaching another bridge.

(4) Just before the footbridge turn right through the gate to return following the Welland on far right. To the left of this path is a large ditch which is the remains of the medieval canal for boats transporting goods from Stamford to Peterborough. The path eventually reaches the road.

(5) At the road turn left and return to the Bertie Arms pub, and hopefully a good meal (S/E).

Use walking boots

Stamford Canal, now disused, is one of the earliest post-Roman canals in England. It opened in 1670, around 100 years before the start of the Industrial Revolution which brought about the "golden age" for canals in Britain. Parts of the route can be traced on the ground, though only one lock survives intact. It was part of the Welland Navigation in Lincolnshire. First authorised in 1571, during the reign of Elizabeth I, construction did not start until 1664, under powers granted in 1620 and ratified by James I. It ran for 9.5 miles (15.3 km) from Stamford to Market Deeping and had 12 locks, two of which were on the river section at Deeping St James. No plans of its construction survive, although one of the locks was documented by a visiting water engineer in 1699. It contributed to the wealth of Stamford, allowing barley to be transported to the town for malting.