Thursday 2nd November 2006
Drove to Boston and caught a bus to Butterwick and the Five Bells pub. Take Sea Lane, to the left of the pub, out of the village ignoring turn-offs to left and right. The weather is cold, the first cold day of the winter, two or three degrees, clear blue skies, no wind and sunshine.
At the end of the first large field on the right turn right down Jail Lane. After about half a mile reach a T-junction (GR393435) and turn right towards a couple of houses. Just after the first house turn left down Shore Road signposted Freiston Shore 1 mile. Ignore a couple of road junctions by the houses at Cold Harbour and head on towards some greenhouses at West View.
Reach Freiston Shore at Plummers Hotel. And go into the car park for the nature reserve by the inevitable pillbox and just before the car park itself turn right down Lagoon Trail heading out towards the embankment and The Wash. Pass lagoons on the left containing seabirds and wildfowl and pass through a gate to get up onto the embankment (GR402422).
This is a truly enormous view across marshes to The Wash. Turn right on the embankment and go through a wooden gate to set out on a very long straight stretch of grassed embankment. Very good views from here – a wind farm on the southern shore of the wash can be seen and all the way round to Hunstanton. After about a mile and half along the high embankment with large fields to the right and expanses of marsh to the left with The Wash beyond, reach the greenhouses at North Sea Camp where there is a conical monument right in the middle of the embankment commemorating the ‘inspiration of Sir Alexander Patterson by which this bank was begun manually by the staff and boys of North Sea Camp in March 1936’.
Continue for about half a mile to reach a stile by a gate at The Haven by a small group of trees and a pumping station (GR396392). Turn right on a high grassy embankment and head towards Boston with The Haven on the left. After about a mile reach the car park and road at Cut End Cottages. Just past the houses The Stump at Boston becomes clearly visible and looks quite close.
After another mile reach and cross the sluice gates at Hobhole Drain (GR366399). Stopped here for lunch. Continue ahead on the gravel track past a house on the right to reach a house where the footpath goes off to the left back onto the embankment. The house is The old Jolly Sailors so was once presumably a pub. A few hundred yards after the house drop down off the embankment heading for a monument clearly visible ahead. The monument is to the Pilgrim Fathers who were arrested nearby in 1607 whilst trying to escape to the Low Countries. The memorial was erected in 1937.
Continue on the embankment through a picnic area with Boston now clearly visible in front. Go through the small car park and then enter the Havenside Local Nature Reserve. After the sewage works that smelt pretty bad reach Corporation Point (GR348417). Pass through the Greenwich Meridian yet again to reach a church at Skirbeck (GR338431). Follow the road up to the lock, but turn right just before reaching it. Go past some new houses to reach a bridge and cross it. Continue on the road into Boston heading for The Stump and the car park.
Days from Chepstow 65
Miles today 10.7
Miles from Chepstow 887.9
Albion Ambulations 