Lincolnshire, England

River Glen slipway, Pinchbeck

Launch — An unnamed slipway on the River Glen; photographs of this stretch show a small jetty on the channel where Glenside North and Glenside South run parallel along each bank.

Parking — No dedicated car park. Glenside North, a public road maintained by Lincolnshire County Council, runs along the riverbank at the launch.

Access — Reached on foot or by car via Glenside North. No gate, barrier or opening hours are recorded for this launch.

Season — The Environment Agency publishes navigation notices, closures and restrictions for the Welland and Glen. The reach is subject to high river levels and winter flooding; the governing gauge upstream at Kate's Bridge has a normal range of 0.06m to 0.74m and a record level of 2.08m, reached in January 2024.

Regulations — The Environment Agency is the navigation authority for the River Glen. All craft, including canoes, kayaks, paddleboards and other unpowered open boats, must hold an Anglian Waterways registration, or equivalent cover through Paddle UK membership or a Canal and River Trust Gold Licence. Navigation is governed by the Anglian Water Authority, Recreational Waterways (General) Byelaws 1980, which require due care and attention and reasonable consideration for others, and set a default speed limit of 7mph on reaches (including the Glen at Pinchbeck) not otherwise specified in the byelaws' speed table. Bathing and swimming is prohibited within 100 metres of Surfleet sluice downstream.

This launch is a slipway on the River Glen at Pinchbeck, off Glenside North close to the A151 New Bridge.

Below Kate's Bridge the Glen becomes a typical Fens high level carrier, embanked on both sides and partially straightened, with counter drains running alongside the channel because the normal water level sits higher than the surrounding fen. A towpath runs the whole navigable length and forms part of the Macmillan Way, a long-distance path running from Boston to Abbotsbury on the Dorset coast.

Upstream, the navigable water runs about 11.5 miles to the head of navigation at Tongue End, where the Bourne Eau joins. Downstream, the Glen reaches the tidal entrance sluice at Surfleet Seas End, where it joins the River Welland.

Several miles upstream near Baston, the Counter Drain washlands (Baston Fen) form the largest remaining area of wet fenland in Lincolnshire, a Special Area of Conservation and SSSI whose flooded winter washes draw wigeon, teal and mallard, and whose drain holds a notable population of spined loach. These sites sit on the drains and washes rather than the navigable channel itself.

Conditions to check

Shallow or rocky

Most of the channel upstream of Pinchbeck is shallow and only suitable for light craft and canoes.

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Limited exit

Above Pinchbeck Bars Bridge, no boat over 30 feet (9.1m) can turn for about 5 miles until the Bourne Eau junction.

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Tidal flow

The Glen turns tidal at its downstream end, about 6 miles from this launch, where it meets the River Welland at Surfleet sluice; the sluice is navigable only when the tidal level matches the river level.

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Boat traffic

Powered craft use this reach; a moored motor cruiser is visible at the jetty in contemporary photographs.

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