Nottinghamshire & Lincolnshire

Belton Estate Riverside walk

Grey heron by the river — Enjoy an winter walk in the parkland | © National Trust Images/Derek Hatton

This scenic riverside walk follows the River Witham as it meanders through Belton Park, a wildlife-rich open area of grassland and ancient woodland of around 1,300 acres with a historic herd of wild fallow deer. The walk links into a longer route which extends further into the park.

Near to

Belton Estate

Start point

Belton Estate, Grantham, Lincolnshire NG32 2LS.

Trail information

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Difficulty*

Full trail

DistanceMiles: 1.4 (km: 2.24)

Duration1 hour 15 mins

Dog friendly**

*Uneven underfoot and sometimes muddy near the river edge. For further details, please see Terrain section.
**Dogs on leads welcome. For further details, please see Facilities section.

Admission charges to Belton

Normal admission charges to Belton apply when accessing this walk, please buy your tickets from visitor reception before you set off.

The terrain is uneven and the river edge can be wet and damp underfoot at times.

The route crosses rough, tussocky grassland, following deer and sheep tracks in places. It's generally firm in most weather conditions, but can be muddy closer to the river, where there is a wooden boardwalk for some of its length.

There's a slight hill and a number of gates, but no stiles. There are no benches at present.
Total stages: 10
Total stages: 10
Start point
Belton Estate, Grantham, Lincolnshire NG32 2LS.
Stage 1
After passing through visitor reception, turn right and walk behind the building following the surfaced path in the direction of the car park. Cross the drive (watch out for cars to your left) and follow the grass path through the trees. One of the first notable trees immediately on your right is a rare sugar maple.
Sugar maple
There’s an unusual tree on your right, the tallest of its type in the UK. It’s a sugar maple, a native of eastern Canada. It’s an ornamental species suited to cooler climates, is shade tolerant and shows glorious leaf colour in the autumn, which probably explains its presence here. Look out for squirrels darting across the tree canopy, especially in the autumn as they store food for the winter. Speckled wood butterflies and other invertebrates are active here and throughout the walk, especially in summer.
Stage 2
Follow the path parallel to the river for approximately 200 metres until you see a gate and wooden fence. Go through the open gate. Carry on across the grass and bear left for 200 metres or so towards another small gate next to a pond. You'll come back to the pond on your return journey and find out more about it. Once through the gate head right, down towards the raised wooden boardwalk.
The boardwalk
The boardwalk was constructed by Belton’s ranger team and volunteers in summer 2018. It provides a raised route over some of the river bank's wetter areas. Wild roe deer can sometimes be seen in the fields across the river, while buzzards and kites frequently circle overhead looking for prey. On your left is an ancient willow with fallen branches, still alive and growing. Green and lesser spotted woodpeckers as well as jackdaws are often present, as well as tree creepers looking for insects on the old hawthorn trees.
Stage 3
At the end of the boardwalk, head towards the river. The grass can be marshy and wet in places, especially in the winter when it floods as river levels rise. Follow the meandering course of the river upstream. The dense and varied bankside vegetation includes bulrushes, willow, alder and hawthorn and is a natural habitat for water voles that flourish at here at Belton, despite being in decline elsewhere.
River restoration
The River Witham restoration project aims to restore the river to a more natural condition for wildlife, including water voles and otters. Over time the river has widened and deepened, losing its natural connection with the floodplain. Brushwood ‘mattresses’ were introduced in 2017–18 along the river’s edge to reduce erosion and encourage natural sedimentation. The work narrowed the river channel, improving natural habitats for invertebrates. Gravel has also been added to raise the level of the river bed, restoring its natural profile and improving conditions for wild brown trout spawning.
Restoring the riverbank with buttresses | © National Trust
Stage 4
Continue to follow the course of the river as it meanders. The quiet location, size and speed of the river benefits a diverse range of wildlife. Butterflies are frequent visitors to the river corridor, especially in summer, and include speckled woods, several white species, coppers, silver-washed fritillary and banded and blue azure damselflies. One of our earliest butterflies is the orange tip, which loves the lady's smock as an early nectar source. The river is also home to a nationally rare species of crayfish.
White-clawed crayfish
The white-clawed crayfish is small and bronze-coloured. It inhabits small, shallow freshwater streams, hiding under rocks, stones and small crevices where it forages for food. It's the UK's only native freshwater crayfish and it's in decline due to the introduction of the non-native North American signal crayfish, which has brought disease to the indigenous crayfish that has no natural resistance. It’s an endangered and protected species.
A white-clawed crayfish | © Environment Agency.jpg
Stage 5
With the river on your right, head up the incline to the site of the deserted medieval village of Towthorpe. Though hard to see, there are earthworks here and evidence of the ridge and furrow associated with medieval farming methods.
Towthorpe Medieval Village
The deserted medieval village of Towthorpe is recorded in the 1086 Domesday record. Old Norse in origin, the village name is thought to be derived from the surname ‘Tovi’, and ‘thorpe’, meaning an outlying settlement. It lists three mills, apparently more productive than those in Grantham, a church and priest, suggesting it was a fairly major medieval settlement. Wild flowers are common here and include bird’s-foot-trefoil, lady’s bedstraw, cuckooflower (lady’s smock) and ragged robin. On the river section look out for water mint, water forget-me-not, brooklime and water figwort.
Stage 6
Head for the wooden post with a waymark on it and follow the path through the trees, known as Little Towthorpe Plantation.
Little Towthorpe Plantation
Planting began in 1772, and was part of Belton's landscape designer, Emes’, plan to soften the parkland landscape established a century earlier. Species included oak, beech, horse chestnut, larch and Scots pine, introducing seasonal colour and variation. A hawthorn hedge was planted around the plantation to protect the young trees from the wild deer. Some standing dead wood is home to great spotted woodpeckers that you might hear. Daubenton's and noctule bats are also here, the latter roosting in old woodpecker holes.
Stage 7
As the plantation narrows you'll see the timber wicket gate you originally came through beside Towthorpe Hollow Pond. Go through the gate and bear right, following the path that leads along the northern edge of the pond flanked by mature alder trees, which would have been coppiced to provide useful branches for hurdles or charcoal. Alder is also a good host for moss, lichen and fungi, and attractive to small pearl-bordered fritillary, chequered skipper butterflies and crane fly.
Towthorpe Hollow Pond
Fed by Towthorpe Brook, this is one of two ponds from the original parkland design, midway along the South Avenue between the Lion Gates and the mansion. It’s a haven for wildlife – look out for kingfisher and dragonfly darting across the water. White-clawed crayfish also reside here, and in 2009 we added large stones to the bottom of the pond, creating reefs to improve their habitat. The moist soils on the pond edge are ideal for sedges, rushes and the rare short leaved water starwort.
Stage 8
Follow the path along the edge of the pond to the surfaced drive, which links the Lion Gates to your right with the mansion down the drive to your left. Look out for the historic bridge crossing the culvert that takes the water from one pond to the other under the drive.
Stage 9
Head down the avenue of trees towards the mansion and you'll gradually see the mansion, in all its majesty and stature, emerge as you continue along the path.
South Avenue
The avenue was planted with a double row of elm in 1690 when 'Young' Sir John enclosed the parkland. The 1st Baron Brownlow considered the landscape old fashioned and in1778 commissioned the landscape ‘improver’ William Emes. Emes proposed removing the avenue and introducing informal plantations, clumps and copses. The Baron retained the avenue but softened it with additional planting. Dutch elm disease struck in the 1970s and the avenue was felled. The double row of Turkey oak was planted in 1988. A journalist writing for Country Life in 1898 described the avenue as ‘one of the finest in the kingdom’.
Stage 10
Continue down the drive and as you approach the overflow car park look out for a large veteran sycamore tree on your left next to the car park fence. Carry on walking towards the mansion and the Oval Lawn where Belton Park Cricket Club play their home matches during the spring and summer. Why not complete your walk with a tasty takeaway treat from the café?
End point
Belton Estate, Grantham, Lincolnshire NG32 2LS.
Trail map
Belton Riverside walk map | © Crown copyright and database rights 2013 Ordnance Survey
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The South Front of Belton House with blossom blooming in front of the house

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Grantham, Lincolnshire, NG32 2LS

01476566116

belton@nationaltrust.org.uk

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Near to

Start point

Trail information

Difficulty*

Full trail

Admission charges to Belton

Getting here

Facilities

Terrain and elevation

Trail route

Total stages: 10

Total stages: 10

Start point

Stage 1

Point of interest

Stage 2

Point of interest

Stage 3

Point of interest

Stage 4

Point of interest

Stage 5

Point of interest

Stage 6

Point of interest

Stage 7

Point of interest

Stage 8

Stage 9

Point of interest

Stage 10

Point of interest

End point

Trail map

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