Museum and visitor information: closed today. Next open , 10.00–15.30

The Vengerberg TrustVengerberg Museum and Visitor Information

Bridge, Mill and Mooring

A riverside loop from the Town Quay: the flood marks, Bridge Meadow, the weir and the mill footbridge, the Town Mill from the water, and the old ferry steps.

Distance1.3 miles (2.1 km)
TimeAbout 1 hour
Start and finishThe Town Quay, Water Lane (Riverside car park is 150 metres east)
TerrainRiverside paths, gravel and grass. Bridge Meadow floods in most winters and is often wet until April. The mill footbridge has eight steps at each end.
AccessNot step-free: the mill footbridge has steps. A step-free there-and-back walk along the Pontar Way from the quay to the weir and back is about 1.2 miles.
Toilets and refreshmentsToilets in the Riverside car park. Café at the Town Mill. No dogs off the lead on Bridge Meadow from March to July, when there are ground-nesting birds.
Map of Bridge, Mill and MooringThe route of Bridge, Mill and Mooring, with its 6 stops numbered in order. The stops are described below the map.PPHigh StreetHigh StreetBridge StreetSheep StreetChurch WalkAlmshouse RowMill LaneTanners LaneWater LaneStation RoadRiver PontarRiver PontarPontar Way (footpath)123456N0200 m
The route is shown in violet, with the stops numbered. Drawn by the Trust’s walks group; not to be relied on for navigation beyond the town centre.

Open the map full size (SVG image, for zooming or printing)

The stops

  1. The Town Quay

    The visitor moorings run along the quay wall from the steps to the slipway. Until the 1920s barges brought coal, timber and slate up the Pontar to here and took away flour and malt. The stone bollards are the originals; the iron rings were replaced in 1988.

  2. The Town Bridge and the flood marks

    Cross the bridge on the upstream side. From the middle, look down at the third pier: the five flood marks are cut into its face. The 1648 line, the highest, is 2.64 metres above the river’s summer level. The two arches nearest the town are medieval; the other three date from the widening of 1771.

  3. Bridge Meadow

    Turn right along the meadow path on the south bank. Bridge Meadow is common land and has been grazed since at least the fourteenth century. From here there is the best view of the town: the roofs of Bridge Street, the church spire behind and, on a clear day, Beacon Hill.

  4. The mill footbridge and the weir

    The footbridge crosses the river just below the weir. The weir was rebuilt in concrete in 1956, on the line of the old timber one. Eel traps were set in the weir until the 1930s; two of them are in the River and Mill gallery at the museum.

  5. The Town Mill and the leat

    Back on the north bank, the Pontar Way passes between the river and the mill leat. The leat leaves the river above the weir and runs under the mill to drive the wheel, then rejoins the river below. The mill stopped working in 1962 and is now flats, offices and a café.

  6. The ferry steps

    Past the bridge and the quay, a flight of stone steps runs down to the water. Before the bridge was widened a ferry crossed here to Bridge Meadow on fair days, and the steps were still used for the Lilac Fair rowing races until 1938. Return along the riverside to the quay.

This walk is in the river leaflet, 50p from the museum desk. Please keep to public paths and respect the privacy of residents, particularly at the almshouses. If you find something on the route that has changed, please tell us at the museum desk.