I had planned for a 2 or 3 day trip to Scotland, but the forecast of heavy rain had put me off. So I turned my attention to continuing my journey along the East Coast, more precisely The Wash. The coastal walk from Boston to Kings Lynn is dissected by three rivers The Welland, The Nene and The Great Ouse, all requiring lengthy inland incursions to reach the nearest bridging point. To this end and given the availability of public transport in the area, i opted to split the section into 3 separate days of walking.
The first leg of walking would be between Boston and Moulton Marsh, located a few miles down the River Welland after passing Fosdyke Bridge. Because my next leg would require the use of a bicycle, I needed to include a small bike ride on this leg. So I drove to the Moulton Marsh Nature Reserve car park and left my bike chained to a post. I then drove around to the small village of Fosdyke and parked at the Village Hall. I then waited for the #7B bus which I had booked the day before to take me into Boston.
As we drove into Boston we picked up 3 more people from the scattered and isolated hamlets in the area. The bus driver mentioned something about a footpath diversion, close to the docks. I got dropped off at the Bus Station and made my way back towards The Haven. I could see a number of signs on the large flood prevention scheme which intended to save 15,000 houses in Boston from Tidal flooding. The footpath diversion was well signed and hardly an inconvenience. After a short while I was able to gain the Sea Bank and continue walking along the banks of The Haven. The grass, initially, was overgrown and seemed to receive little foot traffic. I could easily make out my previous walk, completed a week before, on the opposite bank of The Haven.
Other footpaths joined this riverside path and by the time I had drawn level with the Pilgrim Father’s Memorial on the opposite bank, the long grass had disappeared and the going became much easier. I passed onto and through Wyberton Marsh and had the option to do an out and back to the mouth of The Haven. As I already visited the mouth, albeit on the opposite bank I continued SW over Frampton Marsh. I passed a few ‘twitchers’ with huge zoom lens’ and the occasional dog walker. I was walking into a rather stiff breeze, but this did not bother me. I gradually approached the River Welland, which was difficult to see untill I was almost upon it.
I could see the small jetty on the opposite bank where I had stood in the morning. Even though the jetty was only 100m away, it would take me almost an hour to get around to this point. I could begin to make out the traffic on the main A17 in the distance, about 1.6 miles away. I could also make out the steeple of the nearby village of Fosdyke, where I had parked my car. The roar of the traffic on the A17 got louder as I neared Fosdyke Bridge. There is not much at the bridge other than a small marina, a few houses and the Old Ship Inn. I crossed over the River Welland on a cycle/footpath and headed back up alongside the River Welland on the opposite bank. With the sun out and a stiff breeze at my back I soon arrived at Moulton Marsh car park where I had parked my bike. The ride back to the village of Fosdyke was only 3 miles, but even though the terrain is very flat, the headwind, hampered my progress.
The next leg of this walk, would be longer, but I had shaved a couple of miles of it by doing an extra bit today and also set myself up for avoiding any cycling along the busy A17.
Distance today = 14 miles
Total distance = 4,314.5 miles
Walking the Coast of Great Britain 