Wicken Fen Figure of 8

This 4.7 mile route at Wicken Fen is a combination of two shorter routes which can be taken alone. There are many other route options around the reserve.

Wicken Fen is the National Trust’s oldest nature reserve and is home to 9000 species. It is a wetland area and as such is prone to being very muddy in places in wet weather. There is however a short raised and accessible boardwalk route.

Wicken Fen

The reserve is free entry and there is a large car park, free for NT members.

1. Leaving the car park turn left and walk towards the reserve.
2. With the café and visitors centre on your right follow the gravel cycle way ahead. Continue on as the cycle way bears left.
3. Go over the bridge on your right and immediately turn left.
4. Follow the cycle track a few metres and take the path on your right.
5. Go through the gate and continue along the grass pathway. Look out for the wild Konik ponies which often graze in the adjacent field.
   
   

   

   Konik ponies at Wicken Fen

   
   
6. Continue on the pathway as it bears right and eventually up onto a bank.
7. Go right, keeping the water on your left and follow the bank until it bears right. Go back over the bridge and continue back along the cycle track to the visitor centre. This is the end of the first half of the walk.
8. Either go around the centre or through and follow the board walk towards and past the wind pump.
   
   

   

   Wind pump, Wicken Fen

   
   
9. Continue on the boardwalk until you reach a hide on your right. Go left and then right.
10. Follow the grass track – depending on the season this could be a passage through high sedge. 
    
    

    

    Wicken Fen

    
    
11. At a ‘cross roads’continue straight over along the summer trail and follow the pathway through the sedge and reed beds.
12. Bear left at the end and then right. Keep the water on your right and continue along the straight grass track. There is a hide on your left about half way down.
13. Bear left at the end still keeping the water on your right and going past the tower hide follow this until you reach the boardwalk.
14. Cross to the boardwalk on your left at the wind pump and go right through a small wooded area. Follow the boardwalk until you reach the visitor’s centre.

Wicken Fen

Our route was 4.7 miles

See the route on mapometer

Terrain: flat apart from short climb up the bank, gravel cycle way then grass tracks. Can be very muddy in wet weather, boardwalk sections.

Habitats: Fields, wetland, reed beds.

Facilities: Toilets near car park and also behind the café. Café and visitor’s centre. Cycle hire and boat trips (seasonal), pub in Wicken village.

Rampton - Westwick Circular (6.5 miles)

This walk is a pleasant, and flat, 6+ miles starting in the village of Rampton, going along the guided busway and then through farm land in Westwick to Cottenham Lode, known locally as The Cut before returning to Rampton again.  Parts of the walk are through pasture, arable land and a farmyard so please respect the property, keep dogs on leads near livestock, stick to marked paths and close all gates behind you.  It goes without saying also that parts of this walk can be muddy, especially through the farm.

Starting at The Black Horse pub in Rampton cross over the road and turn right at the edge of the green, then turn right again and walk up King Street.

Guided Busway

Follow King Street right to the end and turn left along Cuckoo Lane.  Walk past some stables on your right and a scrap yard on your left and take the track on the right called Reynold’s Drove.  Follow the track past a bridge on your right, continue until you reach the crossing with the guided busway and take a left along a wide tarmac path.

Follow this straight smooth path, watch out for cyclists using the pathway too, until you eventually reach a crossing with the main road – look out for the painting of a Blue-tit on the house on your left.

At the main road go left towards the tiny hamlet of Westwick and cross over the road entering into the field through the gate. (There is the option here to shorten the walk by about ¾ mile: do not enter the field but follow the road out of Westwick until you reach Lambs Cross Farm).

Fields, Westwick

Once in the field follow the natural path straight on to the end then around to the left. Go through the gate and turn immediately left onto a bridleway.  Follow the path around the edge of the field, continue following the field edge until you can see the main road in front of you, continue along the track to the right running alongside the road until you reach a concrete parking area.

Cross the main road towards the sign for Lambs Cross Farm and follow the track towards the farm house.  Continue past the farm house and through the yard.

Lambs Cross Farm, Westwick

Go through a gateway (bear in mind this is a working farm so please stay on the path and allow for farm vehicles). Follow the track ahead as it slopes upwards. Continue on past fields until eventually you come to a bridge.

Cottenham Lode (The Cut)

Go over the bridge and keeping the water (Cottenham Lode, or The Cut) on your right continue on until you reach another bridge and the main road.  Cross the road and turn left and continue into Rampton.  Go past the green on your left until you are back at The Black Horse pub.

Our route was 6.4 miles

See the route on mapometer (6.1 miles)

Terrain: Flat, tarmac, grass. Can be muddy. Some gates.

Habitats: Villages, busway, meadow, farm yard and arable, river.

Facilities: The Black Horse public house, Rampton. No public toilets on route.
DOWNLOAD the step-by-step route

Rampton to Cottenham Circular via Cottenham Church and Archie's Way (6 miles)

This walk takes parts of other shorter walks between Rampton and Cottenham with a couple of additions to add on some miles. As with lots of these walks if you check the map you can combine and/or remove some sections depending on requirements.

Starting at The Black Horse Pub in Rampton walk towards the village green and carry on out of the village, past the Village Hall on your right and the church on your left. 

When you reach a white bridge take the footpath on the left alongside the water.  On the map this is marked as Cottenham Lode but you may hear locals refer to it as The Cut.  Follow the grass footpath as it bears right and continue onwards with Cottenham church in front of you.  When you reach a roadway and another bridge cross over the road and continue through the gate that is ahead of you.

Cottenham Church visible from Cottenham Lode (The Cut)

Follow the footpath keeping the water on your right, go through two metal gateways until you reach a road.  Turn right and follow the road past a white house on your left.  Carefully cross over the main road to the path on the other side and continue right towards Cottenham, stopping at a bench in the churchyard on your left for a rest if you wish.

The dark fertile fen soil alongside Cottenham Lode (The Cut)

With the church behind you continue on down the High Street.  You will pass The Jolly Millers pub on the left.  When you reach a small grass area at a mini roundabout take the right hand turn down Broad Lane.  Follow the road past houses and then after the industrial units take the right hand turn.  If you go into the new housing estate you have gone too far.

Continue down the track past a small nature reserve on your right and then a farm on your left.  You will now reach the second of the bridges you saw earlier and you have the option of turning left and going back along The Cut the way you came (this will reduce the walk by about a mile or so) or continuing onwards down Great North Fen Drove, the narrow concrete roadway ahead.  The rest of these instructions take this second route.

Follow the Drove past a small farmhouse and continue on when the road becomes a grass bridleway.  This is Archie’s Way.  Continue over the small bridge and follow the grass path as it bears right and then left.  Continue straight on and then bear right.  When you reach a concrete track turn left.

Continue along the road as it bears left and then carry straight on until you come to some houses and then bungalows.  Eventually you will reach Rampton High Street again, turn right and the Black Horse Pub is on your right.

Our route was 6 miles

See the route on mapometer

Terrain: Flat, grass footpaths or concrete/tarmac, can be uneven in places and muddy when wet. Some gates.

Habitat: Rural, farmland, waterways, village
Facilities: Black Horse pub Rampton, Jolly Millers pub Cottenham. Other shops and pubs in Cottenham (off route)

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.

Fen Drayton Lakes (Elney Lake route) (3.6 miles)

This is part of a RSPB reserve and we have been here before but took a different route.  It also links up to the Swavesey Lakes walk.  This time we arrived early on a spring misty morning.  Actually once there is was more like fog and for most of the walk we couldn’t see much at all but keep your eyes peeled as it is full of wildlife.

  

Swan on Drayton Lagoon

It is about a 2 mile drive down to the reserve car park from the road but it is open 24-7 and parking is free.  The lakes are popular with bird watchers, dog walkers and fishermen.

Once at the car park go through the gate at the end and take a left, walk along the meadow, past a small lake on your left and through the gate in front of you.  This brings you out the large Drayton Lagoon in front and a sign post.  For this walk we went left on the walk that circles Elney Lake but there are lots of variations and maps are available to download on the website.

Follow the track alongside Drayton Lagoon on your right and a small waterway on your left until you reach the guided bus-way.  Cross the bus-way (buses have right of way and can travel fast so cross carefully) and carry straight on.  Elney Lake is now on your right and the first viewing area.  Keep ahead until you come to a public footpath on the right.  Go through the gate and follow this long straight track past some more viewing areas.  The track takes a left turn then a right around the top of the lake.  Half way down here you now have Moore Lake on your left and Elney on the right although you do loose sight of Elney for a bit.  There is a viewing shelter on your left giving great views over Moore Lake so do pause here before carrying on until you reach the guided bus-way again. 

Cormorant on Moore Lake

You can take a right here along the track but we carried on over and with Drayton Lagoon now on our right we kept going until we reached the River Great Ouse and turned right.  Follow this lovely river along, over a small bridge (again you have the option here of going right along a small waterway back to the car if wanted).   Carry on along the river until you see the Ferry Boat Inn on the other bank.  The track bears right here.  Continue straight on until you are back at the car park.

Fen Drayton Lakes Reserve

Our route was 3.6 miles

See the route on mapometer.com

Terrain: Flat, mostly grass tracks, latch gates.  Note: this area can be muddy and flood in very wet weather. 

Habitats: River, lakes, grassland

Facilities: No toilets or refreshments.  Nearest at Cambridge Services on A14.

Houghton - St Ives - The Hemingfords - Houghton, Cambridgeshire (4.5 miles)

This walk starts in the village of Houghton at Houghton Mill, goes through St Ives and onto Hemingford Grey, Hemingford Abbots and back to Houghton.  Parts of the walk are on the Ouse Valley Way. 

The car park is free (for National Trust members).  We attempted this walk once before (without a map or instructions!) but went wrong somewhere and ended up walking around Houghton Meadows - which are nice but not where we were aiming for!  Anyway, the instructions below are taken from the National Trust website and were pretty good.  We stopped in St Ives at The River Tea Rooms for refreshments but there are numerous shops cafes and pubs on route in St Ives and and the National Trust cafe at Houghton Mill.

I can’t say it was the most exciting walk we’ve done, it didn't go along the river as much as we thought it would but it’s a fairly easy 5/6 miles.  

It was a dry warm day but you should be aware that some sections of the walk are prone to flooding in wet weather.

Houghton Mill

Houghton Mill is open to the public (check website for opening times) and if you want a nice view take a quick detour along the caravan site field to the river bank and look back towards the mill.

Take the path diagonally across Houghton Mill car park and through the kissing gate and turn right into the narrow path called Love Lane.

Turn right onto Thicket Road and follow it straight on until it becomes a path.
This path is tarmac right the way to St Ives.  Half way down you come to ‘The Thicket’ which is an short alternative pathway up into woodland if you wish.  If not just carry on along the tarmac pathway.

Continue on this path alongside the river to St Ives to come out opposite All Saints' Parish Church. Holt Island Nature Reserve is over the bridge on your right (Holt Island was closed and appears only to be open weekends and Bank Holidays) and the Norris Museum is just ahead.

St Ives, Cambridgeshire

Walk along The Broadway to the Victoria Memorial and take the right branch along Merryland.

Take the first right hand turn down Bridge Street, St. Ives just before you get to Market Hill and go over the bridge.
The River  Tea Rooms are down a small passageway on the right just before you cross the bridge.

Turn right through The Dolphin car park and out onto Hemingford Meadow. Walk across the meadow, following the path diagonally left.  Keep to this path until you reach a stile at the far side This is now a metal gate. 

Follow Meadow Lane until it bends sharply left and a track comes in from the right.

Take a small path straight ahead that comes out on a road. Follow the path ahead until you reach another road.

Turn right at the road to Hemingford Grey church.
Turn abruptly left alongside the graveyard to follow a path along the riverbank. 

Hemingford Meadows

Follow the path keeping the river on your right to the far end of the High Street then turn right to continue along the riverbank.

The path crosses two meadows then leads alongside a mobile home park into Hemingford Abbots.

Turn right along the road until you reach the Axe and Compass pub.

Take the next road on the right after the pub (this isn’t immediately after the pub but about  100m down the road) beside the post box and follow this over the Black Bridge. 

Cross Hemingford Meadow to a lock and follow the path back to Houghton Mill.

Our route was: 5.47 miles
See the route on mapometer.com
Terrain: Flat (if miss out The Thicket), tarmac and grass paths
Habitat: Meadow, River, Woodland, Urban
Facilities: Cafe and toilets at Houghton Mill (check website for opening times), Refreshments in St Ives, Axe & Compass Pub in Hemingford Abbots

Rampton Fields, Woods and Giant's Hill (1.25 miles)

This is our go-to walk for a quick burst of fresh air and exercise.  There is parking available at Rampton village hall.  The route can get very muddy in the winter and after heavy rain so wellies are advisable then and the ground is uneven in some parts.

From the hall cross the road and turn right.  There is a small pathway on your left leading to All Saint's church.  Follow this pathway, stopping to visit the church if you want - it is one of only two thatched churches in Cambridgeshire - then carry on the grass path to the right of the church and through the gate.

Once in the field turn left and walk to the top of the field and through the gate at the end.  Take the track that runs at the edge of this field towards the woodland area at the top.

Once in the woodland follow the pathway ahead of you as it takes you around the back of the woods.

Rampton wood walk

Once you come to a junction you have two options.  Either go right past the bench then turn left and follow the field; or carry on through the woodland and leave the wood by the small slope and turn right.  Follow this track to the edge of the field alongside a small ditch.  (If you wish to extend your walk to Cottenham go over the wooden bridge turning left to walk along the bank of The Cut.)

Follow the edge of this field until you reach a metal gate and a kissing gate.  Go through the gate and turn right going over the field to another set of gates.  Here you again have two options - if you want to visit Giant’s Hill, the site of a medieval castle, follow the field around to the left and go through the gateway.  Leave the hill by the small gap in the hedge which takes you out onto the main road.  Take a right and walk back to the car park.  If not then walk diagonally across the field and through the gate way onto the road, turn right and walk back to the car park.  The map shows this route.

Rampton woods

Our route was: 1.25 miles
See the route on mapometer.com
Terrain: Flat grass or bare paths uneven in places
Habitat: Meadow, farmland, woodland, pond (Giant's Hill)
Facilities: The Black Horse pub

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.