Bishop's Stortford Bishop's Stortford

/?direction=outbound Free Long-stay car Parking is at Twyford Lock Lock Twyford at is Parking car Long-stay Free

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Road and Northgate End. Northgate and Road

up residence in the alder trees on the far bank. bank. far the on trees alder the in residence up

www.arrivabus.co.uk/herts-and-essex/servic

Sainsbury’s (multi-storey), Apton Road, Link Link Road, Apton (multi-storey), Sainsbury’s

winter, huge flocks of redpoll and siskins take take siskins and redpoll of flocks huge winter,

01279 426349/0300 123 4050 4050 123 426349/0300 01279 common here. common Short-stay car parking in the town centre is at at is centre town the in parking car Short-stay

blue banded demoiselle damselfly (G ). In In ). (G damselfly demoiselle banded blue

For more information from Arriva Buses call call Buses Arriva from information more For occasionally but brown rats are much more more much are rats brown but occasionally www.eastherts.gov.uk/stortfordcarparks onwards is the spectacular metallic green or or green metallic spectacular the is onwards

recorded. Water voles can be seen seen be can voles Water recorded. Road (for Bat Willow Hurst). Willow Bat (for Road Car Parking Car

The most common insect here in late spring spring late in here insect common most The

thrushes and a variety of finches can be be can finches of variety a and thrushes

Dane Street, The Causeway and Michaels Michaels and Causeway The Street, Dane

song; frequently heard but seldom seen. seen. seldom but heard frequently song;

trail northbound or southbound. or northbound trail well-established trees blackbirds, song song blackbirds, trees well-established

Stortford Interchange (near the train station), station), train the (near Interchange Stortford

Cetti’s warbler may burst into their explosive explosive their into burst may warbler Cetti’s

the left side of Station Bridge and follow the the follow and Bridge Station of side left the can be found here and in the the in and here found be can

Twyford Mill), South Street, Bishop’s Bishop’s Street, South Mill), Twyford

common sound from the sedge near the path. path. the near sedge the from sound common

; access the Navigation via via Navigation the access ; Interchange Bus

Mallards, moorhens (B) and occasionally coot coot occasionally and (B) moorhens Mallards,

stops are located at Whittington Way (for (for Way Whittington at located are stops

winter, the screeching of water rails is a a is rails water of screeching the winter, From the Station, walk towards town past the the past town towards walk Station, the From

Castle Gardens (6-7) Gardens Castle

The 510 bus runs daily every 30 minutes. Bus Bus minutes. 30 every daily runs bus 510 The

Bishop’s Stortford Train Station Station Train Stortford Bishop’s cattle are kept to enhance the habitat. In In habitat. the enhance to kept are cattle

Bus Routes Bus

bloom over the marshy area where longhorn longhorn where area marshy the over bloom wrens and robins feed and breed. and feed robins and wrens

built in 1086 by the Normans. the by 1086 in built

Willow Hurst Country Park (CM23 2TH). (CM23 Park Country Hurst Willow be observed. Ragged robin and cuckoo flowers flowers cuckoo and robin Ragged observed. be and large burdock plants fill the banks where where banks the fill plants burdock large and

Pool, Play Area and Waytemore Castle Castle Waytemore and Area Play Pool,

hrs free), Cannon Mill Lane Car Park and Bat Bat and Park Car Lane Mill Cannon free), hrs call from willows and resident water voles may may voles water resident and willows from call seen. Common comphrey, Indian balsam balsam Indian comphrey, Common seen.

upstream passes the children’s Splash Splash children’s the passes upstream

Car Park (CM22 7PA), Grange Paddocks (2 (2 Paddocks Grange 7PA), (CM22 Park Car skulking grasshopper warblers. Reed buntings buntings Reed warblers. grasshopper skulking and occasional redpoll can be heard and and heard be can redpoll occasional and

to Castle Park. This route heading heading route This Park. Castle to

reserve, is a great site for Barn owls and and owls Barn for site great a is reserve, alders along the bankside, flocks of siskins siskins of flocks bankside, the along alders

over The Causeway at the crossing crossing the at Causeway The over

Thorley Wash Reserve, the premier local local premier the Reserve, Wash Thorley and grey wagtails hawk for insects. In the the In insects. for hawk wagtails grey and

2. Walk down Bridge Street, cross cross Street, Bridge down Walk 2.

South of Twyford Locks (20-21) Locks Twyford of South fish, particularly chub and roach, whilst pied pied whilst roach, and chub particularly fish,

trail to Twyford Mill. Twyford to trail feeding environment for a wide variety of of variety wide a for environment feeding

chance that a glorious red kite will be seen. be will kite red glorious a that chance

Navigation. From there take the the take there From Navigation. carrion crows and starlings. The weir offers a a offers weir The starlings. and crows carrion

peacock and whites. Overhead, a good good a Overhead, whites. and peacock

right, the first part of the the of part first the right, large flocks of gulls may be seen along with with along seen be may gulls of flocks large

including small tortoiseshell, red admiral, admiral, red tortoiseshell, small including

come to Hockerill Cut on your your on Cut Hockerill to come roost in tree holes. On the playing fields fields playing the On holes. tree in roost

are a magnet for many butterfly species, species, butterfly many for magnet a are

and on The Causeway you will will you Causeway The on and seen circling on thermals whilst tawny owls owls tawny whilst thermals on circling seen

Buddleia bushes adjacent to the lock gates gates lock the to adjacent bushes Buddleia

right-hand side, pass the library library the pass side, right-hand dragonflies. Overhead, buzzards can be be can buzzards Overhead, dragonflies.

A wide variety of fish reside in the river here. here. river the in reside fish of variety wide A

1. Walk down Bridge Street on the the on Street Bridge down Walk 1. can be witnessed along with a range of of range a with along witnessed be can

amphibians or a newly hatched duckling (F). (F). duckling hatched newly a or amphibians

Centre winter months whilst in summer damselflies damselflies summer in whilst months winter

grass snakes swimming in search of of search in swimming snakes grass

From the Tourist Information Information Tourist the From Kingfishers can be seen here through the the through here seen be can Kingfishers

canalised stretch is a good place for seeing seeing for place good a is stretch canalised

Grange Paddocks (2-5) Paddocks Grange

CAR PARKING CAR chaffinches and magpies. The next wide, wide, next The magpies. and chaffinches

TRAIL ROUTES AND ROUTES TRAIL (A) and common blue. common and (A) dragonfly species may be seen as well as tits, tits, as well as seen be may species dragonfly

variety of butterflies including brown argus argus brown including butterflies of variety Reserve, Rushy Mead. Damselfly and and Damselfly Mead. Rushy Reserve,

in high summer, native plants attract a good good a attract plants native summer, high in reside in the small Herts Wildlife Trust Trust Wildlife Herts small the in reside

mallards, moorhens and grey wagtails whilst whilst wagtails grey and moorhens mallards, insects. Tree creepers and nuthatches also also nuthatches and creepers Tree insects. towards the Town Centre and onwards to Twyford Mill (or vice versa). vice (or Mill Twyford to onwards and Centre Town the towards

Balancing pools here offer feeding sites for for sites feeding offer here pools Balancing where great spotted woodpeckers search for for search woodpeckers spotted great where Those with buggies and wheelchairs can start the trail from Grange Paddocks heading heading Paddocks Grange from trail the start can wheelchairs and buggies with Those

sites for other warblers and buntings. buntings. and warblers other for sites this stretch are mainly willow and large ash ash large and willow mainly are stretch this unpaved with field boundaries, which would be unsuitable for buggies and wheelchair users. users. wheelchair and buggies for unsuitable be would which boundaries, field with unpaved

birds such as reed warblers and roosting roosting and warblers reed as such birds and more coots and moorhens. Trees along along Trees moorhens. and coots more and during wet weather. From Bat Willow Hurst southbound to Grange Paddocks the trail is partly partly is trail the Paddocks Grange to southbound Hurst Willow Bat From weather. wet during

reedbeds, offering nesting opportunity for for opportunity nesting offering reedbeds, Further along, Canada geese may be seen seen be may geese Canada along, Further The way is flat, unfenced, has country gates but no stiles, and it may be muddy after and and after muddy be may it and stiles, no but gates country has unfenced, flat, is way The

The river banks are overgrown with with overgrown are banks river The such as green woodpecker and jay (E). (E). jay and woodpecker green as such

pubs and popular bars. bars. popular and pubs

Bat Willow Hurst Country Park (1) Park Country Hurst Willow Bat egrets (D), kingfishers and woodland birds birds woodland and kingfishers (D), egrets

shopping. Have a bite to eat in the various restaurants, or have a drink in the many historic historic many the in drink a have or restaurants, various the in eat to bite a Have shopping.

this quiet area offers sanctuary to little little to sanctuary offers area quiet this

Navigation. Walk through the market town enjoying the views, whilst doing a spot of of spot a doing whilst views, the enjoying town market the through Walk Navigation. the bankside. bankside. the

Here, large carp (C) laze near the surface and and surface the near laze (C) carp large Here,

through to the maltings of historic Bishop’s Stortford and the canal scenes of the Stort Stort the of scenes canal the and Stortford Bishop’s historic of maltings the to through wildlife that will be within the river and upon upon and river the within be will that wildlife

South of the Town Centre (10-19) Centre Town the of South

nature and wildlife. Waterside Stortford winds gently through the valley of a chalk stream, stream, chalk a of valley the through gently winds Stortford Waterside wildlife. and nature conditions and these in turn dictate the the dictate turn in these and conditions

Cycle or stroll through the 3.5 miles (5.6km) trail enjoying beautiful relaxing views of the water, water, the of views relaxing beautiful enjoying trail (5.6km) miles 3.5 the through stroll or Cycle is one of vegetation dependent upon wet wet upon dependent vegetation of one is the local wildfowl. Mute swans glide along. along. glide swans Mute wildfowl. local the

them a global rarity. The ecology of the Stort Stort the of ecology The rarity. global a them bulrushes, offering safe breeding sites for for sites breeding safe offering bulrushes, leisure. The entirety of the trail takes approximately 3 hours. hours. 3 approximately takes trail the of entirety The leisure.

only 200 chalk streams worldwide making making worldwide streams chalk 200 only Hockerill Cut, has a good stand of reeds and and reeds of stand good a has Cut, Hockerill illuminating its history and ecology. You can do all of the walk or part of the walk at your your at walk the of part or walk the of all do can You ecology. and history its illuminating

has a diverse and unique ecology. There are are There ecology. unique and diverse a has A junction in the canalised river here, here, river canalised the in junction A town of Bishop’s Stortford. The trail features twenty-one information boards along its length length its along boards information twenty-one features trail The Stortford. Bishop’s of town

Town Centre (8-9) (8-9) Centre Town Waterside Stortford is a chalk stream which which stream chalk a is Stortford Waterside Waterside Stortford is a riverside and countryside trail passing through the historic market market historic the through passing trail countryside and riverside a is Stortford Waterside

WILDLIFE ALONG THE RIVER STORT RIVER THE ALONG WILDLIFE ENJOY WATERSIDE STORTFORD WATERSIDE ENJOY

WATERSIDE STORTFORD HISTORY The River Stort coursed through the town before 1970s redevelopment. The Domesday Book (a Norman tax assessment of 1086 AD) noted two mills, one probably on Bridge Street (Town Mill), an extension of the Saxon Causeway that crossed the marshy river valley. By the 18th BISHOPBISHOP’’SS century there were 4 mills driven by the Stort, indicating the importance of grain for the local economy. Since groundwater was often contaminated, beer, brewed from malted barley, was STORTFORDSTORTFORD widely consumed. The Southern section follows the towpath of the Stort Navigation to Twyford Mill. The River Lea, which the Stort meets downstream a mile beyond Roydon, was anciently navigable to London, providing a transport artery that bypassed poor roadways. The Industrial Revolution TOWN TRAIL 5 spurred entrepreneurs to improve the Lea and navigate the Stort to promote Stortford’s economy. Thomas Adderley, the landlord of the Crown coaching Inn at Hockerill, and George Jackson (later Duckett), naval administrator, judge and MP, obtained the finance (perhaps £100,000) and Parliamentary approval to begin work on the Navigation in 1766. It ran from three terminal basins in Stortford, falling 93 feet through 15 locks to reach the Lea at Feildes Weir 13 miles away. The first passage of 3 barges on 24 October 1769 occasioned a massive street party. Granaries and malting houses flourished, generating commerce with London; barges returned with timber and coal. Today the Navigation is a countryside oasis. Its towpath, along which horses once drew their cargoes, is continuous to Limehouse.

USEFUL WEBSITES:

Bishop’s Stortford Town Council – 01279 715100 Bishop’s Stortford Civic Federation - www.bishopsstortfordtc.gov.uk/waterside-stortford www.stortfordcf.org.uk www.facebook.com/groups/CIVICFED/ Bishop’s Stortford Tourist Information Centre – 01279 715001 www.bishopsstortfordtc.gov.uk/tourist-information-centre Bishop’s Stortford Museum – 01279 710200 www.facebook.com/BishopsStortfordTIC/ www.rhodesartscomplex.co.uk/themuseum www.facebook.com/themuseumStortford Canal and River Trust – 0303 040 4040 www.canalrivertrust.org.uk Memories of Bishop’s Stortford www.facebook.com/groups/1685205598391757/ Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust – 01727 858901 www.hertswildlifetrust.org.uk Bishop’s Stortford History (Guide 8) www.stortfordhistory.co.uk Essex Wildlife Trust – 01621 862960 www.essexwt.org.uk Bishop’s Stortford History Society www.bishopsstortfordhistorysociety.org.uk The History of the Lee and Stort Navigations www.leeandstort.co.uk/

Historical sites and the countryside: Waterside Stortford is a collaboration between Bishop's Stortford Town Council, Environment Agency, East Herts District Council, Hertfordshire County Council, Canal and River Trust and a number of other stakeholders including a walk exploring the River Stort - Bishop's Stortford Civic Federation. a tranquil chalk stream and the © Bishop’s Stortford Town Council Navigation, with the town at their heart Permission granted to reproduce freely for personal, non-commercial, use only.

South Mill Lock Today. The lock-keeper’s cottage in the background has been present for more than a century. © Sim Richardson.