Through Paxton Nature Reserve
Route facts
Waterways:
River Great Ouse »
Distance: 2.5m / 4km
Difficulty: Easy
Suitable for: Everyone
Circular route from: Visitor Centre, Paxton Nature Reserve
A lake and river walk with lots of bird interest, through a new nature reserve.
Waypoints
1. Along the Heron Trail
Leave the car park and head east following the Heron Trail, over a road and through a large gate ahead. The Heronry South Lake is now ahead on your left and soon there is a bird hide a few yards off the track. Worth a detour to see what is on the lake. Return to the path and follow it beside the lake. A little further on is another small detour to the Kingfisher hide.
2. The Ouse Valley Way
Back out of the kingfisher hide and go straight ahead, you then reach a junction, a public footpath goes left, but you go ahead on the Ouse Valley Way. As you near the river there is a path to a viewpoint, your route is straight on along the Ouse Valley Way and before long you turn left to the river bank. This stretch is delightfully over hung with willows in places and has the river on your left.
3. Through the Kissing Gate
Next you meet a wider surfaced path and turn left. When you come to the next junction don't follow the River Trent circular walk right, go ahead where there is a yellow footpath sign. You are now walking along the bottom end of Hayling lake. Through a kissing gate and turn right, then a large new metal kissing gate and to the right again.
4. Back along the Meadow Trail
This is now the Meadow trail and presently there are allotment gardens on your left. Then through a small barrier and a flight of steps out into a field where there is a pond dipping platform by Rudd Lake, with luck someone might be there doing some dipping and with something of interest to look at. Walk along a board walk over a low boggy bit of ground and still following the Meadow trail you arrive back at the rear of the Visitor Centre.
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