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Retford to Gainsborough

From Retford

From Retford Railway Station
Turn left when exiting the station and walk along Station Road. Just after Clumber Road on the right walk straight on into Queen’s Street, after about 280m turn right into Pelham Road and cross the canal bridge to gain the path on the other side. Turn right and walk along the canal side. The walk can be started from here or turn off the canal walk into the town centre on the left where there are many places to eat and drink.

From Retford Bus Station
Exit the bus station either left from the bus stops on to Spa Road and then left along Arlington Way then right into Grove Street at the cross roads, or right from the bus stops and out along Beardsall’s Row then right onto Grove Street. At the cross roads walk straight across Arlington Way and continue on Grove Street.

There are various car parks around Retford.

There is also an entry path onto the canal side walk from the far end of the market square along Chapelgate, Spital Hill and then Leverton Road, however, this is a longer, more traffic heavy route.

Descend to the canal side and turn left. The walk is a narrow footpath that can be muddy after rain. After 1.25km the path passes under a bridge. Here is The Hop Pole public house which serves food in a garden that runs along the other side of the canal.

Continue on the canal path. After approximately 500m there is the Whitsunday Pie lock – purportedly named because the lady living there when the canal was being dug fed the navvies with pie when they had to work through Whitsunday. The path descends back to the canal just after the second lock gate.

After another 700m, at bridge 61, turn left off the canal path and up onto Bonemill Lane a partially unmade narrow road leading only to the few houses around the canal area. Walk over the steep humpback canal bridge and along the lane to Mill House on the right. At the driveway mirror turn left through the metal kissing gate and along the mown edge of the meadow. The path then goes along the edge of cultivated fields and is muddy when wet or after ploughing. After about 400m the path turns right (there is a signpost but no other obvious route) and then after another 100m there is a three-way sign for footpaths. Turn left through the metal pedestrian gate into another meadow. The route goes diagonally straight across the meadow and is well used. The route emerges on to Big Lane through a narrow gap between two stout wooden posts.

Turn right and walk along Big Lane to Main Street. Howbeck Lane is about 100m on the right.
Take care when crossing this is the busy A620 Retford Road.

In the village of Clarborough there is a drinking pub and a Spar shop. Both are left along Main Street – about 250m.

Howbeck Lane is a tarmacked road for about 750m and is quite a steep incline for 500m rising from about 20m above sea level to 65m above sea level. The route becomes unmade road as it forks to the left. There is a bench and litter bin here for a rest from the hill climb. Just passed the telecommunications beacon on the left the road becomes farm track as it gently descends.

At the entrance to Clarborough Grange the road briefly becomes tarmac again until reaching the bend. The track now follows the Trent Valley Way for a brief distance.

Turn right and the route is back to a rough track. After just 60m the track turns left through some metal fencing put to deter motorcyclists. The route is now mown field edge for about 500m before reverting to rough farm track. At the top of the gentle incline there is a rain shelter tucked into the hedging on the left. Further along the track before it descends into the village is a viewing seat, also on the left.

Just after the second signed footpath on the right the track forks. The route is to the left passed two houses on the left and open barns on the right. Look out for Bugglesmill on the right, a really sweet miniature watermill structure just before reaching the end of the road.

South Wheatley is a small village intermingled with the village of North Wheatley. There is a shop – The Manor Village Store and Post Office on Sturton Road. There is one pub at the far western end of North Wheatley, on the crossroads, called The Sun Inn.

From the end of Muspitts Lane turn left along Sturton Road (the only shop is 100m to the right). There is a footpath on the right hand side of the road. Just before the school is a small gated park area with seating. Continue to walk passed the school. (Turn left at the crossroads here, along Low Street, for the pub that is 700m on the left.) The route continues straight on into Church Hill.

Turn right into Church Street and then right again into Top Pasture Lane. This is a deviation from the Slow Ways route as the footpath out of South Wheatley, marked on OS maps as being at the end of the school field, is impassable and not sign posted. The route along Top Pasture Lane is only 200m longer and much easier to navigate as it is a farm track.

Follow the track and it will naturally lead to a crossing of the Wheatley Beck (you may not even notice the beck). After crossing turn left and walk along the field edge. The path from here to the road is mown field edges making it easy to follow. It leads through a newly planted woodland (not marked on older OS maps). After about 500m the path leads round to the right but the route is to the left. Through the trees a wooden footbridge is just visible and a narrow, little used, way is discernable. After crossing the bridge turn left and follow the mown path around the edge of the fields. About 150m along is another wooden bridge – this is supposedly the Slow Ways route. We tried to walk it but there is no discernable path through the fallow field and the fields beyond this had a bull with cows in. We found the easiest and quickest route was to simply follow the mown path round the edge of the fields. The path takes a route round three fields and is about 1km along from the exit of the wood. Access to the Gainsborough Road is gained at OS SK 785857 (What3words: flanking.grant.enough).

Cross the road and go through into the field. Continue to follow the mown path round the field to the left and this leads round the edge to the old road, now only an access way. The surfaced track is about 900m long until it rejoins the Gainsborough Road.

Turn right and walk along the road. It isn’t very busy but take care as there is no footpath, although the verges are mountable, if needed, to avoid the larger lorries taking coal etc. to the power station. The Slow Ways route shows a footpath leading off to the right after about 300m but we found it inaccessible due to the stile fence being overgrown with brambles and wild roses. There is no discernible footpath on the other side. Continue to walk along the road. After another 250m turn right onto a small feeder road, then right again onto South Street and into the village of Bole.


Bole is a very small village of about a dozen dwellings and a church, there are no facilities here. There is very little Wi-Fi signal but both our mobiles, on different providers, were picking up signals for phone usage.

There are three public footpaths out of Bole. We did not take the Slow Ways footpath as there were cows in every field out towards the train line embankment. The two footpaths that start in the village of Bole itself are both ill-defined and little used and so their trajectory across the fields is unclear. Except for the field directly next to the church, where there was just a horse, all the other fields stretching out towards the embankment had cows or steers in them. We did not take these routes even though the alternative is twice the distance. (I refuse to walk with cows as we were once chased by a herd of steers!)

We took the route that starts by going down East Street, passed the church on the left hand side and just continue on. The road turns into a farm track and then crosses over the railway line via a stile or gate. This can be avoided by turning left along the track that goes under the railway line and then rejoins the route on the other side.

The wooded area has tall reeds one side and young trees all round. The footpath is well defined but cambered, the grass is cut to show the route as it is crossing West Burton Power Station land. The route takes a long loop round the wooded area, crosses an ash road and climbs up the steep side of the river embankment to a gate leading to the River Trent.

The path is to the left along the top of the river defence embankment. It is visible but overgrown and little used. Lots of wild flowers, butterflies, bird song and the occasional deer. OS maps show a footpath right next to the river but we wouldn’t suggest using this. The river is tidal and fast flowing. The tides can be very high. The path on the embankment leads round the edge of the Bole Ings Ash Deposit site of the West Burton Power Station. The Kerry’s factory is clearly visible with its wind turbine in front.

Eventually, just after passing a water outlet building within the Bole Ings site, the path descends the embankment to lead under the right hand bridge underpass of the railway line at the West Trent Junction. The left hand bridge underpass is overgrown and impassable. The path then ascends the embankment again on the other side. This where the route rejoins the Slow Ways route. Keep following the track to the right. After a short distance you can ascend to the embankment again or continue along the track. Both lead out to the Flood Road.

Here there is a pub: The Trent Port, serving food. It’s open all day and has carvery or pizzas.

At the Flood Road turn right and cross the bridge over the River Trent. At the traffic lights turn right and walk about 800m for the Lea Road train station, or left and walk 600m to the Gainsborough bus station and just a little further to the town centre. In the town there is a Travelodge or the Hickman Hill Hotel as well as various pubs and restaurants.

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