A springtime coastal canal walk Words Wo and photos: Alison Alderton
Barge Beagle – sniffing out good finds for crews with canines
WHILE exploring the derelict LouthNavigation in Lincolnshire, Barge Beagle came across an interesting looped walk from the site of Tetney Lock where the waterway had once entered the North Sea.
The 12-mile canal was built between 1765 and1770, allowing seagoingvessels to reachthe town of Louth with imports of coal and timber and exports of corn and wool. When the railways reached Louth a slowdecline ensuedand, following a disastrous flood in 1920, the navigation closed.
Fromthe lock site, BargeBeagle ambled along, head down, tail aloft, to the flood bank of Tetney Marshes where there are views of the Humber Estuary and the two forts which eerily guard themouth of the Humber. Dating from the First World War, Haile Sand Fort and Bull Fort were once part of the Humber defences and would have had an anti-submarine net strung between them. Beyond, the lighthouse on Spurn Point could clearly be seen. Inland, the views stretched across arable land to the Lincolnshire Wolds. Spacedat intervals along the flood bank are several Second World War concrete pillboxes, further highlighting the need for defence during times of war for this critical trade route. We traversed the bank to theHumber Mouth Yacht Club where, luckily for Barge Beagle, a car park often has an ice cream van in residence and, through the sand dunes, a wide sandy beach where dogs are permitted.
Retracing our steps, we paused at a brackish lagoon frequented by curlew, oyster catcher, geese and other waterfowl, part of RSPB TetneyMarshes Reserve formed in 1975, before turning off the flood bank to follow a footpath over a wooden bridge crossing a ditch.
Walking along the edge of a field sown with winter wheat, its coarse green leaves emerging from the rich clay soil, the path led us to a quiet country lane running parallel to the flood bank. Yellow daffodils were in bloom beside the lane and a little further on we discovered a field of llamas and alpacas which captivated Barge Beagle.
Eventually the lane ledusback to the canal only a short distance from The Crown and Anchor public house and our car. From the pub, along the flood bank to the coast and back is about seven miles – just right to wear out a boisterous Barge Beagle!