A rural walk around the Welford Arm

1. Welford village to Hall Farm

Leave the car park back to the road, turn right on a footpath, this leads over a footbridge, through a garden area to the village. Go staight ahead through the village past the post office/store and the pub and then turn right down to the church. Past the church turn left at the end and after 200 yards turn right down Hall Lane, a farm drive, a sign tells you this leads to Lodge Farm.

2. Over the bridge

Where the concrete road turns right you go straight ahead on the marked track. Through the next gateway a notice asks you to take care as there is a badger sett, with the extent of TB infection in badgers I prefer not to linger and certainly not sit around picnicing where there are badgers. The walk is over very attractive open farmland following the hedge around a large field where at the bottom you turn right and over bridge 40 on the Grand Union Canal, turn right.

3. Mills, locks and a lift bridge

If, like me, you are walking this in good English weather; i.e. rain, there are trees lining the towpath giving a pleasant degree of shelter. Approaching bridge 41, Sparford Bridge, you cross a footbrige over a tiny runoff, then over the aqueduct across the infant River Avon. Next you arrive at the junction with the Welford Arm. Just around the corner cross the bridge and turn right up the Welford Arm. This closely follows the Avon and originally there were three mills in the 2 miles to Welford. Bosworth Mill beside Bridge 1 then Naseby Mill and finally Welford Mill just before the lock. All that remains of the lift bridge that served the mill is a single wooden post. Welford lock stands now in gloriously rural tranquility with a very pretty newly restored footbridge over the tail. However just around the corner, rows of moored boats and a busy marina.

4. To the lime kilns

At the time I walked, the footbridge over the marina entrance was closed so, turn left and follow the path around the back of the marina and return to the towpath. Carry on passing moored boats and to Welford Wharf. Here there is a British Waterways Office, a large three sided information board and the old lime kilns with a very well designed panel explaining the working of the kilns. The Wharf Inn here provided a very welcome bowl of soup to a slightly soggy walker.