Belph Brook

Distance:

5.29 miles (8.51 km) round trip

Time:

2.5 hours round trip

Difficulty:

Moderate

OS Map:

Explorer 270, Sherwood Forest

A circular walk through fields to the nearby hamlet of Belph, with a picturesque stream and quintessential village which continues on to South Tunnel Lodge.

Discover a picturesque stream and quintessential village before returning to Nottinghamshire to explore the 5th Duke of Portland’s underground world along the Robin Hood Way.

Accessibility: The walk includes a range of surfaces, with some slight inclines, fields, country road crossings and uneven stretches.

Please respect the landscape. Keep dogs on short leads and always follow the paths to help us protect wildlife. Please take your litter home with you.

Please note: the telephone signal at Welbeck can be hit-and-miss! If you plan to use a map on your device, please download it before you visit. Printed maps are available in The Courtyard at Welbeck, subject to availability.

Directions

Start this walk in The Courtyard at Welbeck, go through the gate next to The Harley Gallery and follow the woodland path.
Cross the A60 and turn right, keeping to the footpath along the road.
After the lodge, turn left into the field. Keep to the path until you reach a wooden gate at Hennymoor Lane. Cross the road.
Go through the gate and follow the path along the edge of the quarry until you reach the small stream.
Turn right and follow the path into the village of Belph. Note: You can end the walk here and retrace your steps to The Courtyard at Welbeck or continue to South Tunnel Lodge.
To continue to South Tunnel Lodge, cross the bridge and walk through the field. Cross the road and join the public footpath through the fields.
Continue until you reach Hall Leys Farm. From here, follow the path towards Broad Lane.
Turn right and head towards the A60. Cross and continue along Broad Lane.
After South Tunnel Lodge, turn right. Go through the two gates and follow the path through the field.
Cross between the lakes and turn right. Continue until you reach the fork. Turn left.
Follow the path until you reach a large gate. Turn right.
Go straight on at the crossroads until you reach the A60.
Turn left onto the smaller path and follow the kinetic trees back to The Courtyard at Welbeck.

What you'll discover...

Harley Art Trail

Along the way, you will find sculptures by two local artists, Michelle Reader and Martin Smith, and interpretation panels that tell the story of art in the landscape. Two horse sculptures mark the start of the trail made by artist Michelle Reader out of recycled materials collected from the Welbeck Estate.

Belph

Belph is a hamlet in the parish of Hodthorpe and Belph, within the district of Bolsover, on the Welbeck Estate. The village has two parts, Belph Village and Penny Green.

Parkland

The 3rd Duke of Portland commissioned the famous landscape gardener, Humphry Repton, to carry out works on the parkland at Welbeck.

Wildlife

Welbeck is home to an extraordinary array of wildlife. Watch for pheasants, red kites and honey buzzards during your walk.

South Tunnel Lodge

South Tunnel Lodge was completed during the 5th Duke of Portland’s building campaign in the mid-to late-1800s. The pair of lodges flank one of the underground tunnels, which used to accommodate a large carriage and was the main exit/entrance to the south of the estate, leading to Worksop.

Welbeck Lake

The lake in front of Welbeck Abbey was first formed in the 1750s as part of the works undertaken by Franci Richardson for Henrietta Cavendish Holles Harley, Countess of Oxford and Mortimer. Originally, a small stream ran through the parkland that was flooded to create a large lake.

The Boat House

The boat house is a Grade II listed timber-framed building built in the early 20th century by the 6th Duke of Portland. The family would have used it to go boating on the lakes in front of Welbeck Abbey.

Discover our walking trails

Surrounded by picturesque countryside, take a leisurely stroll through ancient woods, pre-historic gorges, wild parklands or tranquil tree-lined avenues.