Swavesey Lake & Great Ouse, Cambridgeshire (3.75 miles)

This walk is around the Swavesey part of the larger RSPB Fen Drayton Lakes reserve. *Please be aware that this area often floods after heavy rain and if in doubt please check the website.  Walking shoes or trainers are advisable.

Swavesey is a village to the north of Cambridgeshire with easy access from the A14.  Parking is available at the RSPB entrance as you leave the A14 but for this walk it is recommended you park on Market Street in the centre of the village.  Feeling the need to do an extra mile or so, we did take a different route once which takes you back to the river and lakes and home some of the way you came.  That variation is below also.

Nesting swans

After leaving the car turn right on the High Street and then cross the road to Taylor’s Lane.  Follow the lane down to the right, past a cemetery and a small nature reserve on your left.  Carry straight on down a loose tarmac track.  

Cross the guided busway and carry on bearing left with the track and with a lake on your right.  

Take the gateway on your right and follow the stream until you come to a small bridge on your left.  Go over the bridge.  You should now have a large lake on your left and then the stream and the original lake on your right.  Follow this path until you come to a fork.  

For this walk take the path to the right, go over the small weir bridge and follow the trail.  You now have the River Ouse to your left.  Stay on this track until you reach a gateway and take the track on your right.  

Follow this straight pathway right down to the bottom and turn right.  This track should take you back over the guided busway then onto Middle Fen Drove.  Carry on until you come out into the village again.  Turn right past the village pond and onto the High Street, go around the bend and you will be back at the car park.

Our route was: 2.54 miles
See the route on mapometer.com

Teasels

The slightly longer detour on this route is after 2 miles and before you make the second crossing of the guided busway.  Take a small track on your right that runs alongside a small stream.  Follow this to the end and you will be back at the second small bridge.  Retracing your earlier steps, cross the bridge and turn left, following the stream back to the first bridge, go over this and walk back along to the gateway.  Turning left follow the track back over the guided busway and along back to Taylor’s Lane.  Cross the High Street at the end of Taylor’s Lane and the car park is on the right.

Our route was: 3.75 miles
See the route on mapometer.com
Terrain: flat, grass tracks, loose tarmac *can be muddy in wet weather and can flood after prolonged heavy rain.
Habitat: lakes, river, meadows, fields.
Facilities: The village shop and The White Horse Inn are located next to the car park.