Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Saxilby faces the navigation.
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A variety of buildings surrounds the natural lake of Brayford Pool, ranging from modern
offices to old warehouses and Lincoln University. The area around the Royal William IV pub
has been made into a pleasant waterside pedestrian walkway, continuing along to the public
toilets by the harbourmaster's office.
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The Fossdyke heads in a westerly direction towards the Trent. At first there is a line of
houses on the right but these are soon left behind and there are very few other buildings
alongside the rest of the navigation. Those that there are include traditional brown-brick
houses with rib-tiled roofs. On the other hand, the sheetpiling and the raised banks are to be
almost continuous features. The former horse racecourse, for which there are revival propos-
als opposed by residents objecting to traffic, and a golf course, both on the right, are among
the first features they hide.
A large watercourse emerges under a bridge from alongside the golf course and crosses the
navigation at water level, being lifted out of the other side by a pumping station. Eventually,
it finds its way through other channels back into the River Witham and the navigation.
The Pyewipe Inn, named after the peewit, is easier to find by boat than by road, despite
being next to the A46 bypass bridge. Other bridges carry pipes across but the navigation is
now in open country for some distance. Occasionally there are willow trees along the banks
but more often there is nothing taller than reeds or grass. In addition to passing trains and
boats, there are training jets climbing away from the airfield at Scampton.
Burton Waters Marina joins new houses, the Woodcocks pub and a sports centre. The River
Till joins under the A57 bridge at Odder.
Saxilby is the only significant village along the Fossdyke and presents an attractive face
with mown grass banks. Amenities include the Sun Inn, Ship and a chip shop. It is a village
of bridges, being crossed by the A57, a water pipe bridge, the railway turning off for Gains-
borough and a neat footbridge brought from the railway in Newark. The arched pipe bridge
