Stanstead Abbots put-in (East Hertfordshire)
This slipway reaches the River Lea (Lee Navigation) at Stanstead Abbots, on a lock-managed, towpath-lined reach of the navigation. It sits downstream of Stanstead Lock and upstream of Feildes Weir, where the River Stort joins the Lea near Rye House.
Stanstead Lock, about 0.9 miles upstream, is a manual lock with a rare swing bridge and a reputation as one of the hardest on the network to work; its keeper's house stands on an island formed where the River Lee Flood Relief Channel passes through an automatic sluice gate beside the lock. Feildes Weir Lock, about 1.3 miles downstream, sits at the confluence of the Lea and the River Stort near Rye House.
Immediately to the northwest, the former gravel pits of Amwell nature reserve are designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest, a Ramsar site and a Special Protection Area, and hold internationally important numbers of wintering wildfowl alongside breeding bitterns and a rich population of dragonflies and damselflies.
Nearby
Unit 25, The Maltings Business Centre, Stanstead Abbotts, SG12 8HG. Open Monday to Friday, 9am to 2.30pm; closed weekends.
WebsiteTent, touring, motorhome and glamping pitches with a shop, cafe and shower/toilet block, about 2 miles south near Hoddesdon. Open March to January, closed in February.
WebsiteConditions to check
Stanstead Lock, about 0.9 miles upstream, has a rare swing bridge and a reputation as one of the hardest locks on the network to work.
SourceFeildes Weir Lock, about 1.3 miles downstream, sits at the confluence of the Lea and the River Stort.
SourceA marina on this reach holds around 200 berths, so moored and passing powered craft are a regular feature of the water here.
SourceOther launches nearby
1 launch within 413m- 413m north-west
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