(7.24km)
Walking
Frampton Marsh Walk One
Frampton
A great circular walk for wildlife and coast fans! Walk through the RSPB nature reserve and along the coast overlooking The Wash. The route then follows the bank of The Haven before returning to the reserve across farmland and along the old sea bank.
Dogs allowed on public rights of way but not on reserve routes.
Linked to Public Transport
Refreshments
Dogs on leads
Between points 3 and 4, the channel of water on your right is The Haven, the river that links The Wash to Boston Port. Large container ships use the channel to bring in a wide range of goods. It has not always been so easy for ships to access the port. The river was once wide, meandering with shifting sand banks. It was difficult for ships to reach the busy port so between 1833 and 1884 the river was straightened and deepened. Looking towards Boston you will see the local landmark, the Boston Stump. This is the tower of St Botolph’s church. Construction of the church started in 1309 and finished with the building of the 272 feet (83m) tower in 1520.
On the opposite bank of The Haven is the Pilgrim Fathers memorial. The memorial was erected in 1957 and marks the place where a group of puritans were arrested attempting to flee to religious freedom in 1607. Some of them were tried and imprisoned in the Guidhall in Boston. They eventually made it to Holland in 1608 and then in 1620 sailed to the New World.
In 1940 extra defences were put into place to defend the country from a German invasion. This included the construction of pill boxes on or near the coast of southern and eastern England. They got their name because they resembled the boxes used by chemists to dispense pills. They would house soldiers armed with rifles or machine guns.
The Wash and the surrounding landscape have been shaped by man for centuries. It was once part of a large fenland basin stretching as far as Peterborough and Cambridge where the slow flowing rivers deposited large amounts of silt causing the surrounding land to flood. Since Roman times man has been straightening the rivers, draining the fens and building banks to prevent the land from flooding. The sea bank you are walking on is one of those.
- 1Facing the visitor centre, turn right along the tarmac lane. At the end the lane continue straight on along the path towards the sea bank. Climb the steps or ramp to the top of the bank.
- 2Turn left and walk along the top of the bank. Continue along the sea bank, ignoring a path on the left into the nature reserve.
- 3After another 300m, at a junction of paths, bear right to continue along the sea bank and and past the pumping station. At a gate and track and continue straight ahead alongside The Haven.
- 4After another 0.5 mile turn left down some steps onto a public footpath. Turn left and then immediately right to follow the footpath along a grass track. After approximately 700m, just before a junction wth a track, look for a wooden footpath bridge on the right. Cross the bridge and bear right up onto the old sea bank between hedges.
- 5At a junction of paths, next to a farm, turn left. Cross a farm track and continue straight ahead along the bank past a pill box. Continue to follow the path on the bank, as it runs beside a road.
- 6At a track and junction of paths walk straight on along the bank top, passing another pill box and continue along the sea bank.
- 7At the end of the bank, at a road, walk ahead along the road to return to the visitor centre.
This walk uses field paths and sea bank paths. There are no stiles, you may encounter livestock. The path along the old sea bank is narrow and uneven in places.
Frampton Marsh
birdwatching
Sited on the edge of the UK’s largest and most important estuary for birds, The Wash, Frampton Marsh is one of the country’s premier birding destinations. Explore the different species and habitats found at Frampton Marsh.
Families are welcome and there is an RSPB guide on hand to answer your questions. Many children's activities during the school holidays.
