Rockingham Forest

5 miles (8.1 km)

A lovely walk from King's Cliffe to Barrowden through the ancient woodland of Rockingham Forest.
The walk starts in the village of King's Cliffe and picks up a section of the Jurassic Way long distance trail to take you through Westhay Woods in Fineshade Woods. The woods have miles of good cycling and walking trails and are popular with bird watchers looking out for red kites. You can also see nightingale, nightjar, woodcock, grasshopper warbler, tree pipit, marsh and willow tits.
The route then leaves Fineshade and continues west through Wakerley Woods. Here you can look out for deer on the Deer Park Trail where you will also pass two Bronze age burial cairns.
The final section takes you over the River Welland and into the village of Barrowden.
To extend the walk you can contiue along the Jurassic Way through Harringworth and Gretton to Rockingham Castle. Here you can enjoy a pleasant stroll around the castle grounds and find out more about the history of the area.

Rockingham Forest Ordnance Survey Map - view and print off detailed OS map

Rockingham Forest Open Street Map - view and print off detailed map

Rockingham Forest OS Map - Mobile GPS OS Map with Location tracking

Rockingham Forest Open Street Map - Mobile GPS Map with Location tracking

Further Information and Other Local Ideas

Just west of the route there's the noteworthy Harringworth Welland Viaduct to admire. The Grade II listed viaduct is about a kilometre long, and was completed in 1878. It contains 82 arches and is notable as the longest masonry viaduct across a valley in Britain.
Just to the east of Fineshade you'll find the pretty village of King's Cliffe where you can pick up the Kings Cliffe Railway Walk. The easy trail runs along a now disused railway line to the east of the village. King's Cliffe is also a pleasant place for a stroll with a Norman church, picturesque 17th century almshouses and nice views of the Willow Brook, a tributary of the River Nene. There's also a fine old 18th century pub for refreshments afterwards. Near here there's also Blatherwycke Lake to explore. There's some lovely waterside trails with lots of birdlife to see on the water at this scenic spot.