Lincolnshire, England

Freeman's Meadow put-in, Stamford

Launch — The put-in is a shallow, beach-like edge on the Welland, reached by a steep access path with rough steps.

Parking — South Kesteven District Council's Cattlemarket long-stay car park, off Station Road, is the nearest option; its 275-space capacity was expanded in 2025 with a further 146 spaces, additional accessible bays and eight electric vehicle charging points. Charges apply 8am to 6pm, free on Sundays and bank holidays. Wharf Road long-stay car park is a further alternative, with a 6ft 6in height barrier.

Access — Freeman's Meadow is open common land crossed by the Vence Walk footpath and bridleway, with no gate, barrier or booking requirement recorded.

Season — The Meadows' grass is maintained from April to October; no other seasonal closure of the Meadows itself is published. The Environment Agency publishes navigation notices, closures and restrictions for the Welland and Lincolnshire's other waterways on its Visit Anglian Waterways site.

Regulations — The Environment Agency requires all boats used on this stretch, including canoes, kayaks and paddleboards, to be registered under the Anglian Waterways scheme, and the Anglian Navigation Byelaws apply. A Paddle UK 'On the Water' membership satisfies the registration requirement here.

Freeman's Meadow put-in lies on the River Welland at the upstream edge of Stamford, immediately above Broadeng Bridge. This is the extreme upper end of the navigable Welland: the Environment Agency, the river's navigation authority, describes the channel here as small and suitable only for light craft and canoes. The Welland is non-tidal at Stamford, historically the lowest fordable crossing on the river and once carried by the Roman road Ermine Street.

No weir or sluice has been recorded on the Welland's main channel between the put-in and the Town Bridge in the centre of Stamford. The one structure on this stretch is the Stamford Millstream, a leat recorded since the Domesday Book that runs parallel to the river through the town and rejoins it just before the Town Bridge, a Grade II listed crossing.

Freeman's Meadow, which flanks the put-in, is open common grassland divided between Burghley Estate, the Stamford Freemen and Stamford Town Council, and was historically grazed by the Freemen's cattle.

The middle reaches of the Welland around Stamford hold chub and perch, with pike, perch and zander recorded further downstream.

Nearby

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Fika

Independent café in Stamford town centre, about 1.5 miles from the put-in.

Website

Stamford Meadows Glamping

Small private glamping site off Waterfurlong, reached across the Meadows; open all year, but booking only with a two-night minimum, so not a turn-up campsite.

Website

Conditions to check

Other

The nearest Environment Agency level gauge, downstream at Hudds Mill, has a normal range of 0.00m to 0.34m, with a record height of 1.58m reached in April 1998.

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