Carbin three

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This is a typical country walk with a few stiles, but lots of gates and some cattle but I guess they are used to humans. With facilities along the way it has the making of a five star walk but it's spoilt at both ends.

I walked from Bingham and after the wide open sports field the enclosed narrow path had fortunately for me been recently mown. The route to and over the footbridge appears a loop off route and it could better serve the community at Newton. Services on offer at East Bridgford are missed, only just, but could be on route. Seats in the churchyard may be an option for a picnic lunch.

The general indirect route is inevitable to locate a river crossing and Gunthorpe is a good and interesting one with the remains of the old bridge and information about the current bridge fast approaching it's centenary. Services in abundance at this popular riverside location.

The walk from here is first class but may be flooded in extreme conditions. The path surface is good and shared with bikes and horses. We cut out a bend in the river along Trent Lane then back alongside, it's an exceptional walk over the meadow where cattle may be encountered.

The well used but in summer overgrown woodland path, could be avoided by an early link onto the road and I took to the floodbank which offers views towards Nottingham rather than winding around the many parked cars.

The Ferry Inn is just beyond where our path turns away from the river. No longer a ferry but still a very popular spot at what appears to be an all day pub. The path remains good alongside the outfall of the massive Stoke Bardolph sewage treatment works which I guess does a good job because the fast flowing water looked clear and had no unpleasant smell.

Getting close to the urban area the paths were busy with joggers and dog walkers, some folk doing both. I missed the right fork to the lower path, perhaps because of the heavy thunderstorm that appeared from nowhere. Care is needed here as the two paths are parallel so a mistake isn't easily identified by the plotting.

The next bit was not good. The paths were narrow and almost overgrown, I've seen and used worse but after what I'd left this was poor. Nothing to see and a feeling of isolation despite noise from large building just beyond the thicket of green. It eventually arrives at a wide metalled track which leads to a locked gate forcing us onto another narrow path.

Emerging onto an industrial estate which soon meets the busy retail park. Saturday was shopping day here so crossing the access roads with no lights to assist needed care. Victoria Road is no longer the quiet backwater I recall of years back but it does have shops and more services if you managed to walk past the national chains earlier.

The final part of a three way walk from Radcliffe to Carlton via Cotgrave and Bingham, this was the hardest of the three, but still a good route for the most part. I walked from Bingham to Carlton. Leaving Bingham market place, a series of quiet residential streets leads to a footpath into a park (there is an unavoidable step and quite a narrow gap here, so this is not wheelchair/buggy friendly. It would be easy to miss the path that leads out of the park which starts about halfway across and becomes separated by a ditch.

We are soon on the pavement of the old A46. The shortcut path up to the A46 bridge is narrow and a little overgrown, and involves going up a number of steps - it might be better to use the longer more easily graded surfaced path for accessibility reasons. Conversely having crossed the bridge, a shortcut with steps is available but the route uses the longer wheelchair friendly route. This seems inconsistent to me, but that is a minor quibble.

The bridletrack follows the A46 under the railway bridge and emerges onto a new road into the RAF Newton site. This does not obstruct the route. Follow the signposted footpath through Ash Holt, which is unsurfaced and a little narrow and overgrown in places. If in doubt keep right, closest to the fields (there is urban parkland to the left which has better trodden paths). The road this path emerges onto has no pavement, but is reasonably quiet.

Another unsurfaced field path takes us to the A6097 - cross with care and patience as this road can be busy, then follow the lane a short distance and take the bridlepath left. The path right into East Bridgford is not signposted but is fairly well trodden. At the T junction go left, then right at the road.

Use the main gate into the churchyard, and follow the paths down to the bottom end of the graveyard, where a path takes you out to the field path alongside the road down Cuttle Hill. This is a well-trodden wide unsurfaced path, but there is a flight of steps at the bottom end. The shortcut path through the next field goes through an overgrown fallow field, so finding the right line requires a degree of confidence. This emerges onto a lane which is now closed to road traffic, which takes you back to the A6097.

Cross Gunthorpe Bridge and take the right turn into Gunthorpe. There is no pavement here so take care when busy. Opposite the busy pubs, take the Trent Valley Way path that doubles back under the bridge. The bridleway sections of this are well used and easy to follow, but do have a few places that get muddy in wet conditions.

Where the bridleway turns right, take the field path that follows the river bank across the meadow. There is no clear path across the meadow, but the route is obvious. Entering a small wood, the path can get narrow and overgrown, but it is popular enough for this not to be a problem.

On reaching the road (Stoke Lane), either pick a line through the parked cars on the verge or just walk on the road.

The path right is signposted and the easiest line diverts slightly from the map right of way and follows the drainage ditch. Note that the point where this ditch is left is not signposted - a faint path leads down the bank to the left and becomes clearer at the bottom, leading out onto a farm road. Crossing a junction, the next part is along a well used clear path. Beyond the next road the way forward follows the edge of the fields and is still well used - note that the trodden line is straighter than the right of way on the map (and the GPX).

Crossing the Ouse Dyke path, use the little bridge straight on. You then have a choice - either take the new surfaced path up the steps (left) or follow the old right of way along the fence (right). This leads round, past the well blocked gate onto a better track.

Watch out for the right turn, which is a narrow overgrown path that is passable with care - this leads under a bridge and up a few steps and emerges onto a surfaced road. Note that from here the paths on the ground diverge from the rights of way - the rights of way seem to cross the high fences into industrial sites, and the actual path goes round the fences through surprisingly wild "in between" spaces. A short section of the surfaced road can be avoided on a path.

The surfaced road goes through another locked gate, but a little path continues down to the left, and soon splits. Take the right fork which will lead you around the fence out onto the roads through the industrial estate and then the retail park. There is a pelican crossing across the A612, then the walk though Netherfield to Carlton station is obvious.

On the whole I am happy with this route, though parts of it are not suitable for wheelchairs, buggies or bicycles. The section through the Victoria Park industrial estate can be avoided using the Ouse Dyke path, crossing the A612 and following Chandos Street into Netherfield, but I am not convinced it is worth creating an alternative route to show this.

I walked this route from Carlton. After leaving the station, the route starts on the busy Victoria Road in Netherfield. The main hazard is pedestrians ! Leaving the Victoria retail park the navigation is tricky. At the bottom of Pintail Close the path has been diverted around the outside of a warehouse compound. Having eventually reached the path in the Netherfield Lagoons nature reserve navigation becomes a lot easier. A well trodden path leads across the fields and eventually emerges on the Trent Valley Way at the Ferry Inn. The path is up the side of the road on a wide verge before taking to the flood-bank. Burton Joyce is by-passed by the route but can be visited for services. The path is obvious and finally emerges at Gunthorpe. From here we climb up to and cross the bridge. On the other side we take to a quiet road and after the cut-off across the fields parallel the road into East Bridgford on a well walked path. More services.
We leave Bridgford on field paths. The busy A6097 road is crossed, and the path resumes on the other side. At Newton we take a path around the perimeter of the former RAF base which eventually leads on to a path alongside the A46. After passing under the railway bridge we come to a footbridge over the road (There are flights of steps at each end, but a ramped alternative is available). There is a short distance on the pavement of the old road before taking a path through woods and playing fields to end up on the edge of Bingham. Quiet residential roads lead to the centre. An enjoyable walk.

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