Hatfield Forest, Essex (3.5 miles)

Needing to drop our daughter off for an early flight to Rome from Stansted Airport we thought we’d make the most of the early start and explore Hatfield Forest just a few miles away.

Hatfield was once a medieval royal hunting forest now owned by the National Trust.  This large site has numerous possibilities for walks but as it was our first visit I downloaded a 3.5 mile route from the website.   Needless to say despite the instructions and a map we got lost and ended up doubling back and going off track enough to add a further 2 miles to the walk!

Although we visited in February and most of the trees are deciduous and bare it was a cold and frosty morning and the parkland looked beautiful in the early rising sunshine.

Early sunshine at Hatfield Forest

There are lots of deer in the forest and we were lucky enough to see quite a few, although mostly in the trees and they always saw us before we saw them!

Deer at Hatfield Forest

Don’t be put off by the forest’s close proximity to the airport runway.  The planes are only really visible for the first third of the walk and although I noticed the noise initially after about half an hour I forgot about it completely.  It is an interesting contrast of nature and machine when they fly over as you are watching a herd of deer.

Hatfield Forest is close to Stansted Airport

We parked in the first car park which is free if you are a NT member.  There is another car park further into the forest but as we were early this was not open. According to the website the second car park is often shut if the weather has been wet.

Hatfield Forest

The National Trust website gives the directions for the walk we were intending to do.  We went wrong somewhere around point 5-6 and ended up coming back through Street Coppice and out looking across at point 4 again. We went back the way we came walking straight through the woods and 'rides' until we got to point 7. The forest is kept as natural looking as possible so there are very few markers to help!

Deer in Hatfield Forest

Our route should have been: 3.5 miles

Our route was 5.5 miles

See the route on NT website

Terrain: Mostly flat, grass paths and woodland. Boardwalk and gravel drive in places. Parts can get very muddy in the winter or wet weather. Boots advised! Dogs are allowed but must be kept on a lead if livestock are present.

Habitats: Meadows, grassland, woodland, lake, wetlands

Facilities: Car parking (front car park is 24 hr. Parking is free for NT otherwise chargeable); toilets (24hr), shop and cafe (check website for opening times) near the lake. Pubs in Takeley.

Swavesey Lake and River Walk Loops (5.2 miles)

This is another of the walks around the RSPB reserve in Swavesey and Fen Ditton.  Part of this route is detailed here as a shorter walk.

We once again started in the car park but you can pick the route up from the guided busway or Swavesey village.

1. Starting in the car park take the gateway ahead and then take a gateway on your right.  Follow the track passing a lake on your right.  When you reach the signpost go through the gate on your right.

2. Follow the bank past the hide with the lake on your right and the river Great Ouse on your left. 

Ferry Mere, Swavesey

3. Eventually you will come to a small lock with a bridge. Go over the bridge and carry on forward down the riverbank.  Again follow the bank keeping the river on your left.  On your left you should see two churches – the spire belongs to Over church and the square tower to Swavesey. 

River Great Ouse towards Over

4. When you find the bank bearing right and the river left continue on and go over a weir and turn right.

River Great Ouse

5. Continue along this bank until you get to a small thicket. We rested for a while here as there is a convenient fallen tree.   After the tree turn right leaving the tall spire of Over church behind.  Continue through a small woodland until you come out in a field and cross over towards the roadway.

6. Once through the gate turn right and walk along the roadway until you reach the guided busway and turn right before crossing the busway.

7. Walk along the busyway with Swavesey church (The Priory) on your left.  Continue on until you reach a small crossing on the track.  Cross over the track and go down slightly before taking a footpath through a gate on your left.

Swavesey Church (The Priory)

8. Follow this path keeping the stream on your left and the meadow on your right.

Continue on until you reach a wider channel.  Climb up to the bank and turn right.  Walk along a short distance until you reach the small lock that you crossed in point 3. Cross the lock and turn left.

9. Follow the bank to the end and go through the gate. Bear slightly right and go down the slope, bearing right at the end, go through the gate.  You will now have a large lake on your right and the busway beyond the hedge on your left.  There are picnic tables along here if you wish to stop.

10. Continue on this track until you reach a busway crossing at the corner of the lake.  Take the track on the right that runs alongside the lake.  Continue until you reach the end and take the gap on the left back to the car park.

Our route was 5.2 miles

See the route on mapometer

Terrain: Flat grassy paths. Can get very muddy in places and some areas prone to flooding. 

Habitats: Meadows, river, lakes.

Facilities: No toilets or other facilities on site. Close to guided busway stops.

Whittlesford - Sawston Loop (2.8 miles)

This is an easy little circular walk with plenty of options to extend out into either village if you wish.

I started on The Lawn in Whittlesford but of course it can be started anywhere on the route.

There are two road (Sawston by-pass) and two rail crossings and care should be taken at these points.

Starting at the pavilion on The Lawn take the road past some bungalows until you come to a path on your left.  Following the path go through the churchyard.

At the end of the churchyard take a right turn.  This is a designated cycle route so keep an eye out for cyclists.  Follow the path until you reach the river (Granta) on your right and eventually come to a blue bridge.

Looking back toward Whittlesford from the cycle bridge over the River Granta

Cross the bridge and continue, bearing left on a track and then right as you reach the railway crossing. Cross the railway then bear right and cross the road at the designated crossing then carry on straight into Sawston.

Carry on until you come to a fork in the road and here bear right down Mill Lane.  Continue on.  You will pass a fire station on your right and some allotments and a rec.  Continue on until you come out in the centre of the village.

Turn right and follow the main road.  Continue on past shops and pubs until you reach a footpath sign on your right.  Take the narrow footpath and follow until you once again reach the by-pass and the railway again.  Cross both.

Once over the railway continue straight on crossing a white iron bridge.  Follow the path past some fields and a pill box on your right.  Continue on the roadway up a small slope and then on the path past the primary school.

Continue until you reach The Lawn again and turn right following this road back to the pavilion.

My route was 2.8 miles

See the route on mapometer

Terrain: Easy flat, mostly tarmac.

Habitat: fields, woodland, river, urban

Facilities: Shops, pubs and restaurants in Sawston (on route), shop and pub in Whittlesford (off route)

Chesterton - Clayhithe Loop, Cambridge (9 miles)

I have written about some of this route before but we were looking to walk a bit further so decided to walk the towpath from Chesterton to Clayhithe bridge and then come back via Horningsea and Fen Ditton following some of the Fen Rivers Way.  This trail in its entirety runs 50 miles between Cambridge and Kings Lynn in Norfolk.

Knowing this part of Cambridge very well we set off early to try and avoid the towpath at its busiest.  During the week this is a popular commute into town for cyclists and at weekends runners, walkers and the rowing coaches on their bikes use it.  At peak times you can spend more time checking behind you or moving to one side than you do walking!  We got there on a February Sunday morning about 8.15 and there were rowers already on the water.

For this walk we drove and parked up on Water Street in Chesterton, near the Green Dragon pub.

Route:

Follow Water Street NW until you come to the river and the towpath.

Continue along the towpath passing under the railway bridge.

Looking back towards the rail bridge

Follow the river as it bears left.  You will pass Fen Ditton on the other bank.

Continue on walking beneath the A14 road bridge.  Note here the name painted on the side of the bridge – it has become a bit of a ‘tradition’ for the name of the college who are Head of the River at The Bumps (local rowing races) to be painted on the ‘Motorway’ bridge.

The so-called 'Motorway' bridge

After this bridge you will come to Baits Bite Lock.  This is about ¼ of the way and if you want to cut the walk in half you can cross to the other bank here.

Looking towards Baits Bite Lock

This point onwards is a much quieter section of the river and we stopped along here on an old bench for a quick snack and drink. 

Continue on until you reach Clayhithe bridge.  Take the path up to the road.  There is a pub on the other side if you wish to stop for refreshments.  If continuing on toward Ely, the Fen River Way on this bank takes a slight detour inland to the left or you can cross to the other bank.  We crossed the bridge on the same side of the road. 

View back down the river from the Clayhithe bridge

The official Fen Rivers Way South also detours inland here, you need to cross the road and walk behind the farm.  As it was a Sunday and not busy we decided to walk towards Horningsea along the road.  There is a path on the left for a few yards but then it is advisable to cross the road walking to face the traffic and stepping up onto the verge if a car approaches.  As the road bears left you can cross again at a large farmhouse and walk on the footpath that cuts the corner. 

After the farm cross the road again and walk until you come to a gap in the hedge and a signpost on your right (Fen Rivers Way).  Go through the gate and cross the meadow on a left diagonal and go through another gate. 

The track now crosses a cultivated field marked with sticks.  It was very muddy when we went! 

Once across the field go over a small bridge and into a meadow and then a field.   Cross this and go through the gate way and out onto the road.

Walking the Fen Rivers Way towards Horningsea

There were horses grazing here but they weren't concerned with us.

Go right along the footpath and into Horningsea village.  There are a few pubs along the street but we were too early for these to be open so we carried on until we reached Scotsdales, a garden centre where we stopped for brunch and to use the toilet.

Continue on the path opposite the garden centre until just out of the village.  There will be a footpath sign on your right. 

The Fen Rivers Way

Follow this path straight down the edge of the field, crossing a small bridge and continue along the track until you come to a house.  Take the pathway signposted on your left and follow this behind the houses and through a small woodland area.

Once through the woodland go through the gateway and you should be back on the river bank with the A14 bridge in front of you.  

The 'Motorway' bridge from the other bank

Follow the river bank until you go through a gate to Fen Ditton village.  Take the track to your left and then a pathway signposted on your right. 

Follow the track alongside another field and then onto the recreation ground.  The map shows the trail following a diagonal path across the rec to the left of the pavilion but there was a football match going on so we skirted around the right of the pitch and then down the side of the pavilion coming out on a roadway.  The goal keeper had just been sent off and there were deep and heated discussions about who should replace him!

Follow the road to the end and bear left.   Follow this road until you come to the church on your right.  Take a right immediately after the church and continue on down the track, bearing left and through a gate to the meadows.

Fen Ditton church

Make your way down the meadow to the river bearing left.  Follow the river to the left, crossing a small bridge and then going under the railway bridge onto Stourbridge Common.  Follow the pathway until you come to a footbridge over the River on your right.

Stourbridge Common 

Cross the bridge and with the Green Dragon pub in front of you make your way back to where you have parked.

Our route was: 9 miles
See the route on mapometer
Terrain: Easy to moderate (due to mud), gravel towpath, farmland, grass meadows (can be wet), some tarmac.
Habitat: River, village, fields, meadows
Facilities: No public toilets on route. Green Dragon pub at start and end. Pub at Clayhithe. Pubs and garden centre in Horningsea. Pubs in Fen Ditton.

Whittlesford Village Loop (2 miles)

Whittlesford is my old home village so I know it well.  On this particular day I was intending to take North Road in a northerly direction but as it was a northerly cold wind and had started to sleet I changed my mind and took the walk the other way round.  I have given the directions as I walked below but as is often the case there are lots of small variations on the map.  The walk starts off at the village green (The Lawn), passes the village church, through the village and on into the Millennium Wood before turning back towards the church.

There is parking on The Lawn off of the main road but I started my route from the pavilion on the other side.

1.  With the pavilion on your left take the road on the right passing some bungalows.  When you reach a large tree on your left take the left hand path and go straight ahead bearing right for the church.

St Mary's & St Andrew's Church, Whittlesford, Cambridgeshire

2.  Go through the church yard of St Mary's and St Andrew's and follow the path ahead  For this walk ignore the path on the right, keep going forward passing the cemetery. Follow this wider pathway (known locally as The Baulks) to the gateway at the end.

3.  You are now on the main road - North Road.  It is here that I decided to change direction around the loop so I turned left, followed the path, crossed the road at The Tickell pub and turned right onto the High Street.

4.  Go past the shop and on up the High Street, following the road as it bears round to the right.

5.  Take a turning on your right called Vicarage Lane and walk to the end.  The road becomes a footpath.  Follow this path straight across the field until you come to the edge of the Millennium Wood.

Catkins in Millennium Wood, Whittlesford

6.  There are three possible paths around and through the wood, all link up to each other but I took the middle path through the trees.  Follow this past a bench on your left and bear right. Follow until you come out of the trees with a farm on your left and the main road in front of you.

Millennium Wood, Whittlesford, Cambridgeshire

7.  Cross the road to the path and go right.  Follow the path passing The Bees in the Wall pub, and then the village sign until you come to the end of The Baulks again.

Village Sign, North Rd, Whittlesford

8.  Turn left up The Baulks and continue until you come to a small pathway on your right before reaching the cemetery.  Take this pathway until you come to a gap.  You can either go straight on or turn right and follow the roadway.  Either way you will come out on Church Lane.  Take a left and walk up the road alongside a red brick wall.  When you come to the end go right, then left and you are back at the bungalows and the pavilion is in front of you.

My route was 2 miles
See the route on mapometer.com
Terrain: Flat, tarmac, grass track, gravel through the churchyard.
Habitat: Grass, fields, woodland
Facilities: No public toilets on route. Shop on High Street, pubs - The Tickell and The Bees in the Wall.