Gunthorpe Walks
This village near Nottingham is a popular place for riverside strolls. It's located in a lovely rural spot on the River Trent just a few miles east of the city centre. With some pleasant countryside, a pretty lock and a riverside hotel for post walk refreshments its the ideal place for a scenic walk near the city.
This circular walk from the village heads to the Gunthorpe bridge, lock and weir on the river before visiting the neighbouring villages of East Bridgford and Shelford. The walk starts on the river where you can pick up the Trent Valley Way. This long distance waymarked footpath runs along the picturesque lock and weir in the village. After exploring this area you cross Gunthorpe Bridge and follow the trail south east to East Bridgford.
The route then heads south west through the countryside, passing Shelford Mill and two pockets of woodland before arriving at Shelford.
From the village you can then follow a country lane north east, past Shelford Manor before crossing the bridge and returning to Gunthorpe.
Gunthorpe Ordnance Survey Map 
- view and print off detailed OS map
Gunthorpe Open Street Map 
- view and print off detailed map
Gunthorpe OS Map 
- Mobile GPS OS Map with Location tracking
Gunthorpe Open Street Map 
- Mobile GPS Map with Location tracking
Pubs/Cafes
The Unicorn hotel is in a great spot for rest and refreshment after your walk. Located on the banks of the river you can sit outside and enjoy fine views across the water. They serve very good food including particularly delicious rotisserie chicken. You can find them at postcode NG14 7FB for your sat navs.
Dog Walking
The country and river trails make for a fine walk with your dog. The Unicorn Hotel mentioned above is also dog friendly.
Further Information and Other Local Ideas
If you continue south along the Trent Valley Way from Shelford you could visit Radcliffe on Trent and Holme Pierrepont Country Park. The 270 acre park includes miles of cycling and walking trails taking you to several large lakes and the delightful Skylark Nature Reserve. In Radcliffe there's the the Radcliffe on Trent Cliff Walk which takes you along an elevated tree lined path above the river. The area also includes the Rockley Memorial Park where you'll find lovely gardens in a peaceful setting.
Head north east along the river and there's Rolleston and the attractive Fiskerton where there are several million pound properties and a fine riverside pub.
Just a few miles north west there's the delightful Lambley Dumbles to visit. There's much to enjoy here with steep sided valleys, streams, orchards, waterfalls, ancient woodland and lots of interesting geology and flora to see. Lambley village is also worth a visit with two fine pubs to relax in after your exercise. Just next to here is the neighbouring settlement of Lowdham where there are some fine walks through the valley of the Cocker Beck.
Also around Nottingham you'll find Colwick Country Park and Broxtowe Country Park where there are good walking and cycling opportunities. In the city itself you can pick up the Nottingham Circular Walk and visit the Nottingham Canal.
For more walking ideas in the area see the Nottinghamshire Walks page.
Cycle Routes and Walking Routes Nearby
Photos
Under Gunthorpe bridge. The bridge is a three span, reinforced concrete arch bridge which was built in 1927.
Gunthorpe weir.
The water breaks gradually as it passes over the different tiers.
The Unicorn Hotel, Trentside. This large pub-come-hotel is in an enviable spot being on the River Trent just above the Gunthorpe Lock. It attracts large numbers of water bound visitors as well as landlubbers from the surrounding area.
A view of The River Trent at Gunthorpe Lock, close to the bridge. Looking upstream towards Gunthorpe weir with the lock to the right. In the centre distance you can see the bright orange barrage placed across the river as a warning to craft. Beyond that is Trent Wharf and Marina on the East Bridgford side of the river. Originally constructed to accommodate four Trent ketches, Gunthorpe lock was mechanised in 1959. The bottom lock gate weighs 14,600 kgs, "equivalent to 5 adult elephants" according to the information board alongside the lock. The Trent ketch was built specifically for commercial transport along the Trent and they were capable of carrying cargoes of up to 40 tons between Newark and the Humber estuary. A variation on the Humber keel, these craft had a sharper stern and were usually 74ft x 14ft with a 32 inch draught for use on the shallower River Trent. Fully laden they only had a freeboard of 9 inches. The journey from Gunthorpe Lock to the seaport at Hull took about 14 hours.
Trent Hills cliffs below Gunthorpe Lock. This shows how fast the River Trent is actually flowing as the water rushes over the weir. Note the Gunthorpe formation, mudstone split by gypsum bands, behind the fishermen on the bank.
The River Trent. Looking towards Gunthorpe Bridge from the river bank by the Unicorn Hotel. Gunthorpe Bridge is the only bridge over the River Trent between Newark and Nottingham. Old Gunthorpe toll bridge, was built on the site of a ford and ferry that had existed since Roman times. Built in 1875 by the Gunthorpe Bridge Company who raised £7,500 through a share issue, it was a largely iron structure crossing the Trent. The tolls were horse and carriage 1/-, horse and wagon 6d, horse alone 3d, people and passengers 1d, motorcycles 3d, cars 1/- and lorries 2/6. In 1925 the Gunthorpe Bridge Act empowered the council to buy the owners out, demolish the bridge and replace it with the present one, seen here, a couple of hundred yards up stream. This believed to be the first toll bridge in the country to be replaced by a free one.
Shelford Mill. This is the most southerly of three closely spaced windmills on the hills overlooking the Trent valley, and although correctly Shelford Mill, is also referred to as Newton Mill, as it is significantly closer to that village. It's the smallest of the three and the only one that has become derelict. It was a post mill with a timber superstructure, and last worked around 1918. The superstructure inevitably became progressively derelict and was demolished in 1950 or 1951. Damage to brickwork which can be seen in contemporary views has since been repaired.
"The Trent Valley Way". Heading NE towards East Bridgeford from the Shelford Road