Walk the England Coast Path – Sutton Bridge to Skegness via Boston

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Walk the England Coast Path – Sutton Bridge to Skegness via Boston

By Dave Roberts   

on December 20, 2020   3.67/5 (3)

Posted in Official England Coast Path Route, Official England Coast Path Route - North East

Walk the England Coast Path – Sutton Bridge to Skegness via Boston

Further Details

Recommended England Coast Path Maps: 

Route Summary:

Not Yet Open – route is being finalised.

Distance: 92.7 km

Ascent: 80 m

Time: 3 days

Start and Finish: Sutton Bridge to Skegness via Boston

Facilities:

Shops and pubs in Sutton Bridge. The Rising Sun isn’t far off the path at Gedney Drove End. The Ship Inn, Fosdyke Bridge is also convenient for the first section (not accommodation).

Plenty available in Boston, with Plummer’s Hotel in Freiston Shore offering overnight accommodation with nothing on the entire stretch to Skegness.

Keep an eye out for:

Public Transport:

Skegness has a railway station where you can catch a train to Boston but pubic transport then becomes a little sparse.

Traveline for UK Public Transport

Weather Forecast:

Beaches and Places to see:

England Coast Path Guidebooks:

Businesses on this section of the England Coast Path: 

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Walk the England Coast Path – Sutton Bridge to Skegness via Boston Ordnance Survey Map and GPX File Download

Download file for GPS

Walk the England Coast Path – Sutton Bridge to Skegness via Boston

The England Coast Path from Sutton Bridge to Skegness is currently under development. Much of the section from Sutton Bridge to Boston can be followed along current right of ways, which include the established Sir Peter Scott Walk and the Millennium Way into Boston.

However, the section from Boston to Skegness is largely along newly created access.

With the route being around 90km in length, the best way to split this down is into three roughly equal sections. Starting from Sutton Bridge to Fosdyke, from Fosdyke to Frieston Shore and then on to Skegness. There’s no public transport on the initial sections, but there are trains from Boston to Skegness, which provides some options. You’ll need to organise local accommodation, or in the case of Freiston Shore you can order a taxi into Boston without breaking the bank. Splitting the route at Boston is the easiest logistically, but involves two epic days of around 50 and 40km. Considering how flat the route is, that’s not as bad as it seems, but would probably be too far for most to consider.

Note that the map is purely indicative of the route and does not imply any access rights.

Sutton Bridge to Fosdyke Bridge

Setting off from Sutton Bridge, a small port on the A17 close to both the Norfolk and Cambridgeshire border, the route is long but without fail quite flat. Sea embankments dominate the walk, with salt marsh towards the sea and flat farmland landward which is all reclaimed from the sea. From Sutton Bridge the coastal path heads along the River Nene towards the shores of the Wash once more. Along the way, you’ll pass two lighthouses – with the Guy’s Head lighthouse on this shore (and the Sir Peter Scott Lighthouse on the east shore) which are now far inland but marked what was once the coastline before the land was reclaimed. The route continues in much the same vein along the sea wall, remote and quiet with the exception of the Holbeach bombing range which the route passes, before heading far inland along the River Welland to Fosdyke Bridge.

Guy’s Head lighthouse on the west bank of the River Nene North of Sutton Bridge and close to the mouth of the River Nene. This former lighthouse has been a unique private dwelling for many years. It has a large sun room/observation gallery looking out over the Wash
Flat farmland viewed from the sea bank
he view inland from the Wash sea-bank The orientation is south-west, with the chimneys of Spalding power station visible in the distance – at least in the original. They break the horizon about one-third of the way in from the right-hand margin. Colour is provided by purple loosestrife, white umbellifers, and the purplish seed-heads of some grasses

Fosdyke Bridge to Boston

From the former port at Fosdyke Bridge, the England Coast Path again returns to The Wash along the embankments. This section follows the Macmillan Way, and is an established route. Try and see how soon you can see the Boston Stump, or St Botolph’s church, which is visible from a considerable distance. After endless embankments, you’ll arrive at the The Haven, the estuary of the River Witham. The route into Boston along here isn’t the most salubrious, with warehouses and a landfill, but the large ships that ply their way across the North Sea to Boston add some interest. The route enters Boston via London Road, a road lined with numerous historic Georgian buildings that point to a more affluent past. Many are converted into flats, and some were falling into decay including the home of Thomas Garfit JP, founder of the 1st bank in Boston in 1754. This was for many years an eyesore, but has recently been saved by Heritage Lincolnshire. Anyone with an interest in buildings of that era will be spoilt here.

The official route is set to cross the Haven along the through pass (one of those failed ideas from the 1970s and 80s, the building of which bulldozed numerous historic buildings) and back out along the Haven. You should enter the town along here instead, with an opportunity to visit The Stump and the fine marketplace.

West bank of The Haven Looking upstream towards Boston, in the distance is the Boston Stump, the tower of St Botolph’s Church, it is 82m high. On the left is the Macmillan Way footpath.
Georgian houses on London Road London Road is now bypassed but the architecture illustrates its former importance, these three early 18th century houses sit between wharfside warehouses.
High Street Terrace Terrace of grade II* listed houses c1700 on High Street
Franklin’s Lodge Grade II* listed house of c1770, home to the Claypon family of Garfitt & Claypon’s Bank in the 18th and 19th centuries, now converted to flats
114 and 116 High Street, Boston Number 114, currently flats, is early C19th with ground-floor windows set in arched recesses. Grade II listed. Next door is mid C18th with a later, elegant fanlight. The listing records that it was built as the residence of Thomas Garfit JP, founder of the 1st bank in Boston in 1754. It has been empty for some time. A sign outside indicated plans by Heritage Lincolnshire to restore it for use by the community. Grade II* listed.
107 High Street Early Georgian, grade II listed town house on High Street built in 1718 with bricks laid in Flemish bond
St Botolph, Boston “The Stump”, as viewed from across the River Witham. This famous landmark has been here since building began in 1309. On the Monday following the Palm Sunday of 1309, many miners began digging the foundations of the tower and this continued until Midsummer; at which time they were deeper than The Haven by 1.5 metres, and there they found a bed of stone. On the Monday next, after the feast of St John the Baptist, was laid the first stone, by Dame Margery Tilney. The remains of an ancient church were discovered during the repairs and restorations of the present church in 1851. It was very similar to the church at Sibsey. It consisted of a nave, with aisles, tower, and chancel and in the style of Anglo-Norman, not massive, but light, having tall columns and a lofty interior. It is said that when the workmen were digging to prepare for the new floors, it was found that the ancient level was 1.2 metres below the present one and from the singular manner in which one of the present piers is built upon an earlier one, it is most probable that the old church was allowed to stand whilst the new one was actually being built over it. The new church was several years in building, and during this time the old one was still in use. Several Norman stone coffins were found during the progress of the late restorations, one of which is now placed in an arched recess in the south aisle

Boston to Skegness

The final stretch along the Wash is again a remote walk. Once out of Boston, the route reaches Freiston Shore and it’s historic Plummer’s Hotel. You would be forgiven for wondering why there’s a hotel at this point, but at one point this was a seaside resort complete with sandy shores. That all changed in the 19th century as the fens were drained and the beach was replaced by salt marsh. Despite this, it was still popular with locals as recently as the 1960s and known as the poor man’s Skeggy, the blog linked to providing a fascinating account of this bygone era. Today, it’s bird watchers who visit Freiston Shore, and presumably with the completion of the England Coast Path, walkers will help keep the local economy going. Near Freiston Shore you might spot sections which were once reclaimed from the sea, but are now being allowed to flood. This is managed realignment of the coastline and helps improve the habitat for wildlife and reduces coastal erosion by creating a buffer zone, maybe the sandy beaches will return once day?

There are absolutely no facilities from here until you reach the Gibraltar Point Visitor Centre. If you are looking to reduce the section into two, you can divert inland towards one of the villages along the A52 if you absolutely must, but would make an already hefty walk even longer if you think you can just divert to find a spot of lunch. You’re on your own. There will be plenty of choice once you arrive at sunny Skeg to make up for it.

Pilots boat passing pillbox on The Haven
Low tide at Freiston Shore – view NE along the seawall
Pot of gold at the end of the sea bank On the right are the salt marshes at Friskney Flats.
The new Gibraltar Point Visitor Centre
Gibraltar Point Visitor Centre The far end of the café has an observation room, with binoculars and telescopes provided.
Moorings on River Steeping

 

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Dave Roberts

Dave Roberts founded Walk Eryri in 2004, with the aim of providing routes that are off the beaten track. Walk Eryri is now part of Mud and Routes which continues to provide more off beat routes and walks in Snowdonia and beyond. Dave has been exploring the hills of Eryri for over thirty years, and is a qualified Mountain Leader. Dave also established Walk up Snowdon, Walk up Scafell Pike and Walk up Ben Nevis just to mention a few.

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Maps You’ll Need

Coming Soon!

Gear you may need

Welcome to Walking the England Coast Path.

The original online guidebook to the brand new National Trail around the English Coastline.

In 2020, England will join Wales in having a long distance trail along it’s entire coastline, a distance of around 4,500 km. The path is made possible due to new laws that allow open access to the English coastline, including what’s known as ‘spreading room’ to allow for future changes in the coastline.

The work to open the England Coast Path is ongoing, with all the sections being added and detailed here as they are officially opened. We may also include information on those sections that are not yet open, and where there’s an existing footpath or even national trail, will include a relevant map.

For the latest news on each section of the England Coast Path, visit the official government site:  here

Each section of the England Coast Path will be detailed with a route map, photos and information of what to see and do along the way. This will include a totally free business directory and a beach guide.

We can’t wait for the official opening!!

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