njoy
There are other walks in this series. For further
information contact Leisure Services at
East Herts Council on 01279 655261,
visit www.eastherts.gov.uk or
Countryside Management Services on
01462 459395 or [email protected].
Alternatively, plan your own route by using
Public Rights of Way; Ordnance Survey Explorer
map nos. 194 & 174 will show you this area.
For public transport information visit Hertfordshire
Traveline at www.travelwise.org.uk or call
0871 200 22 33
Taking steps towards a healthy Herts
Start/Finish:
Moderate (flat, unsurfaced paths)
Linear
Approx. 2 hours
Approx. 8km (5 miles)
Bishop’s Stortford Railway Station,
Sawbridgeworth Railway Station
Bishop’s Stortford Railway Station,
Sawbridgeworth Railway Station
Station to Station
Riverside Trail
Bishop’s Stortford
- Sawbridgeworth
Points of Interest
The head of the River Stort Navigation opened
in 1769 and is situated in Bishop’s Stortford town
centre. The Stort remains to this day a major
recreational waterway, an important link to the
extensive national canal network.
Wildlife in the valley
Bishop’s Stortford
Lying in the Stort Valley,
Bishop’s Stortford is the
largest town in East
Hertfordshire. Once an
important market town and
a coaching stop, the town retains many features from
the past. Bishop’s Stortford has all the facilities you
would expect, including a range of shops, pubs and
restaurants. It is an ideal centre from which to explore
the river valley and the local countryside on this and
other gentle walks from the town centre.
Sawbridgeworth
British Waterways
Rating:
Route:
Time:
Distance
Toilets:
While you are out, you are also doing your health a
favour. Regular moderate activity such as brisk
walking is enough to keep you in shape. You don’t
need to sweat or pant - feeling warm and breathing
harder than usual will give you benefits.
Healthy Steps:
Bishop’s Stortford Tourist Information Centre
Tel: 01279 757771
E-mail: [email protected]
Other local walks –
Sawbridgeworth is a small market town south of
Bishop’s Stortford. In the Domesday Book, the Manor
of ‘Sabrixteworde’ was considered one of the most
valuable estates in the county. Its prosperity was based
on the industry of malting, facilitated by the town’s
positioning on the River Stort, which was as a means of
transport dating back to Roman times. For a town of its
size it also boasts its fair share of good quality
restaurants as well as traditional pubs.
British Waterways London,
1 Sheldon Square, Paddington Central,
London, W2 6TT, Tel: 020 7985 7200
Website: www.waterscape.com
E-mail: [email protected]
Contact Details:
British Waterways London owns and manages the
13 mile River Stort Navigation and a further 87
miles of London's waterways, including the River Lee
Navigation, the Grand Union and Regent's Canals
and the docks surrounding Canary Wharf. A wide
range of information is available on boat trips,
waterside pubs and attractions, holidays afloat,
restaurant and party boats, special events and
waterside festivals, and a variety of water-based
leisure activities.
Stort Navigation
Wildlife in the river
The valley supports several
nature reserves, and
conservation areas.
Birds in the valley
The valley is extremely important for birds, not only as a
breeding ground and wintering area, but also as a
feeding and resting place during migration. Grassland,
particularly wet grassland, is vital
for providing insects, worms and
other invertebrates as food for
waterfowl and other birds which
pass up and down the valley on
migration. The valley is also good
for seed eaters and flocks of
finches which in autumn and
winter feed off the seeds of teasel, thistle and other
plants. Breeding birds are numerous and include Reed
and Sedge Warblers, both associated with wetland
habitats, as well as Little Grebe, Water Rail, Moorhen,
Kingfisher and the occasional Snipe.
On a hot day shoals of fish can be seen basking near the
surface of the river. Damselflies and dragonflies are
often seen, particularly the Banded Demoiselle, easily
recognisable by its blue colour and deep purple wing
patches. In the backwaters life is particularly rich with
freshwater sponge, crayfish and sometimes Stone Loach.
Flowers of the flood plain
In spring, Marsh Marigolds carpet some of the wetter
places and you can often find Ragged Robin and Lady’s
Smock. Marsh orchids occur in several places together
with Yellow Iris, Meadow Sweet and Hemp Agrimony, a
favourite of butterflies. During a walk along the quieter
stretches of the river in summer it is still possible to
find the Yellow Water Lily and the white flowers of
arrowhead. The banks of many waterways are also
coloured by a scattering of the tall spikes of Purple
Loosestrife andoccasionally by the pink umbels of
Flowering Rush.
Enjoy
British Waterways London,
1 Sheldon Square, Paddington Central,
London, W2 6TT, Tel: 020 7985 7200
Website: www.waterscape.com
E-mail: [email protected]
Contact Details:
British Waterways London owns and manages the
13 mile River Stort Navigation and a further 87
miles of London's waterways, including the River Lee
Navigation, the Grand Union and Regent's Canals
and the docks surrounding Canary Wharf. A wide
range of information is available on boat trips,
waterside pubs and attractions, holidays afloat,
restaurant and party boats, special events and
waterside festivals, and a variety of water-based
leisure activities.
British Waterways
The head of the River Stort Navigation opened
in 1769 and is situated in Bishop’s Stortford town
centre. The Stort remains to this day a major
recreational waterway, an important link to the
extensive national canal network.
Stort Navigation
Taking steps towards a healthy Herts
Start/Finish:
Rating:
Route:
Time:
Distance
Toilets:
Moderate (flat, unsurfaced paths)
Linear
Approx. 2 hours
Approx. 8km (5 miles)
Bishop’s Stortford Railway Station,
Sawbridgeworth Railway Station
Bishop’s Stortford Railway Station,
Sawbridgeworth Railway Station
While you are out, you are also doing your health a
favour. Regular moderate activity such as brisk
walking is enough to keep you in shape. You don’t
need to sweat or pant - feeling warm and breathing
harder than usual will give you benefits.
Healthy Steps:
Bishop’s Stortford Tourist Information Centre
Tel: 01279 757771
E-mail: [email protected]
There are other walks in this series. For further
information contact Leisure Services at
East Herts Council on 01279 655261,
visit www.eastherts.gov.uk or
Countryside Management Services on
01462 459395 or [email protected].
Alternatively, plan your own route by using
Public Rights of Way; Ordnance Survey Explorer
map nos. 194 & 174 will show you this area.
For public transport information visit Hertfordshire
Traveline at www.travelwise.org.uk or call
0871 200 22 33
Other local walks –
Station to Station
Riverside Trail
Bishop’s Stortford
- Sawbridgeworth
Points of Interest
Wildlife in the valley
Wildlife in the river
Bishop’s Stortford
The valley supports several
nature reserves, and
conservation areas.
On a hot day shoals of fish can be seen basking near the
surface of the river. Damselflies and dragonflies are
often seen, particularly the Banded Demoiselle, easily
recognisable by its blue colour and deep purple wing
patches. In the backwaters life is particularly rich with
freshwater sponge, crayfish and sometimes Stone Loach.
Lying in the Stort Valley,
Bishop’s Stortford is the
largest town in East
Hertfordshire. Once an
important market town and
a coaching stop, the town retains many features from
the past. Bishop’s Stortford has all the facilities you
would expect, including a range of shops, pubs and
restaurants. It is an ideal centre from which to explore
the river valley and the local countryside on this and
other gentle walks from the town centre.
Sawbridgeworth
Sawbridgeworth is a small market town south of
Bishop’s Stortford. In the Domesday Book, the Manor
of ‘Sabrixteworde’ was considered one of the most
valuable estates in the county. Its prosperity was based
on the industry of malting, facilitated by the town’s
positioning on the River Stort, which was as a means of
transport dating back to Roman times. For a town of its
size it also boasts its fair share of good quality
restaurants as well as traditional pubs.
Birds in the valley
The valley is extremely important for birds, not only as a
breeding ground and wintering area, but also as a
feeding and resting place during migration. Grassland,
particularly wet grassland, is vital
for providing insects, worms and
other invertebrates as food for
waterfowl and other birds which
pass up and down the valley on
migration. The valley is also good
for seed eaters and flocks of
finches which in autumn and
winter feed off the seeds of teasel, thistle and other
plants. Breeding birds are numerous and include Reed
and Sedge Warblers, both associated with wetland
habitats, as well as Little Grebe, Water Rail, Moorhen,
Kingfisher and the occasional Snipe.
Flowers of the flood plain
In spring, Marsh Marigolds carpet some of the wetter
places and you can often find Ragged Robin and Lady’s
Smock. Marsh orchids occur in several places together
with Yellow Iris, Meadow Sweet and Hemp Agrimony, a
favourite of butterflies. During a walk along the quieter
stretches of the river in summer it is still possible to
find the Yellow Water Lily and the white flowers of
arrowhead. The banks of many waterways are also
coloured by a scattering of the tall spikes of Purple
Loosestrife andoccasionally by the pink umbels of
Flowering Rush.
2
Bishop’s Stortford - Sawbridgeworth
3
1
4
Station to Station Riverside Trail
Starting point and getting there
You can join the walk from either Bishop’s Stortford or
Sawbridgeworth railway station. The tracks and paths
described in this leaflet are mostly accessible to all
users. At certain times of the year, particularly in the
winter months the conditions mean that wheelchairs
and prams/buggies may have difficulty in negotiating
the described route.
Route description
Starting at Bishop’s Stortford Railway Station main
entrance (1), walk towards the town centre via Station Road
(2). Just before you reach the Riverside Bridge (3) take the
slip road/footpath to the left following the public footpath to
the Stort Navigation (4). Facing the river, turn left, walk with
the river on your right along the footpath. After about 400m
you will come to a footbridge which leads to Southmill Trading
Estate (5), an old Victorian Maltings. Carry on until you reach
the main road, London Road.
Exercise caution as you cross the
road and continue along the Stort
Navigation with the river on your
left, towards Spellbrook &
Sawbridgeworth.
At the South Mill Lock (6), cross
over the river and continue with
the river on your right. Passing
Rushy Mead Nature Reserve (7) the next lock you reach is the
Twyford Lock (8). Exercise caution as you cross the road, Pig
Lane. After about 1800m you will reach the Spellbrook Lock.
(9). To your left as you reach this lock is Wallbury camp, an
Iron Age hill fort, built around 400 BC. Exercise caution as you
cross Dell Lane (10) and continue along the towpath for
another 1000m before you reach the next lock,
Tednambury Lock (11). On this section of the walk you will
pass Hallingbury Marina (12) at Gaston Green. As you
continue on for 2km to Sawbridgeworth Lock (13), and near
the end of your journey you will have some lovely views of the
countryside and its flora and fauna. From Sawbridgeworth
Lock continue on for 400m to London Road. Here turn left
and head for Sawbridgeworth Railway Station (14), past The
Maltings (15) on the other side of the road (a collection of
antique shops units and trade units).
5
River Stort - Early History
6
Before the influence of man, much of the valley floor would
have been a series of extensive marshes with undisturbed
forest on the valley slopes. Gradually, with the clearance of
forest and the drainage of marshes, land was made available
for farming. Small village settlements
followed and the valley formed a ready
means of communication dating back to
Roman and Iron Age times. The Iron Age
settlement and fortification at Wallbury
Dells would have been protected by
extensive marshes to the south
and west. Wallbury fort was
one of thirty or more hill
forts constructed between Dorset and
Essex to defend tribal territories. Between
300 and 200 BC the fort was modified to
include double banks that enclosed an area
of around 31 acres.
7
8
KEY SYMBOLS
Many water mills were built
along the course of the river and in 1769
the River Stort Navigation was opened from
the Lee at Rye House to Bishop's Stortford,
to enable barge traffic to use the river.
Several mills, such as Burnt Mill and South
Mill, have now gone but Hallingbury Mills
remain although put to other uses. The
canal was mainly used to transport timber
and grain, particularly barley, which went to
the many maltings in Bishop’s Stortford and Sawbridgeworth.
The completion of the railway along the valley bottom and
the improvement of the London Road, the old A11, quickly
led to the decline in canal traffic. In 1948 with the
nationalisation of canals, the control of the Lee and Stort
passed to the British Transport Commission (BTC). On the
disbanding of the BTC in 1962 the control of the canals
passed to the British Waterways Board.
9
Toilets
Car Parks
Railway Station
Bus Stops
Telephone
10
POINTS OF INTEREST
12
11
13
14
15
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
9)
10)
11)
12)
13)
14)
15)
Bishop’s Stortford Railway Station
Station Road
Riverside Bridge
Stort Navigation
Southmill Trading Estate
Southmill Lock
Rushy Mead Nature Reserve
Twyford Lock
Spellbrook Lock
Dell Lane
Tednambury Lock
Hallingbury Marina
Sawbridgeworth Lock
Sawbridgeworth Railway Station
The Maltings