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.

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)

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.

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.

Anglesey Abbey, Cambridgeshire (2.5 miles)

Anglesey Abbey is a National Trust property near Lode in Cambridgeshire.  As well as the house and mill, there are extensive gardens, walks, a woodland discovery trail, hide, meadows, a river and a pond.  It is famous for snow drops in the early Spring and can get extremely busy at that time and during specific events over the school holiday period.  Parking is free but there is an entrance cost if you are not a NT member.  

There are many ways to wander around the gardens and parkland of Anglesey Abbey but the route we often take goes around the edge and takes in a little of all the habitats.  

Anglesey Abbey

Once through the visitors centre entrance go straight on, turn right and then take a small path on your left.  Follow this path through a small woodland area until you come to the end and bear right.  

Go over the avenue of trees and through a small gateway.  Follow the path to the left again until you reach the end.  Cross over again and bear right slightly until you reach the entrance to the wildlife discovery area.  

Go over the small bridge and stay left, walk past the tree house and through the pathway lined with logs.  Keep going into the wood and when given an option stay left until you end up going around the back of the wood and start to return down the other side.  Take a quick detour here to your right to visit the hide but be sure to return to the same pathway.  Continue along until you reach the end of the discovery trail, past the sightings blackboard and over another bridge.  

Turn left and follow the track down back towards the house.  Go past the house and croquet lawn and turn left down the side of the house.  Go straight across and follow this pathway through a gateway.  Follow the path as it winds its way towards the river.  Go right along the river towards the mill.  

Autumn in the Anglesey Abbey gardens

Turn right at the mill and follow the pathway.  Keep following the path through the silver birch garden and carry on through gardens until it brings you back out at the visitor centre.

Our route was: 2.47 miles
See the route on mapometer.com
Terrain: Flat, mixture of gravel paths, grass and bare paths
Habitat: Gardens, meadows, river, woodland
Facilities: Free parking. Toilets, shop and restaurant in the visitor centre, toilets by the house, Eco-toilet in the discovery woodland section.
Why not have a look at my other photos from Anglesey Abbey and also those from their winter lights display

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

The River Cam from Clayhithe, Cambridgeshire (3.5 miles)

Today I just needed a stroll for some fresh air.  N had been out this morning playing golf and he wasn’t really up for a long walk too far away.  We decided to go along the river starting at Clayhithe which is between Horningsea and Waterbeach.  Although it can get busy at times with joggers and cyclists also sharing the towpath, it is a lovely stretch of the river.  We have seen herons, swans, moorhens and cormorants, dragonflies, damselflies and butterflies.  

The River Cam at Clayhithe

There are parking spaces for a few cars by the entrance to the towpath (opposite The Bridge pub); in the pub (check first and only polite to purchase a drink and/or meal first) or at weekends there will probably be space in the station car park (fee payable).  

This walk is a little different to the others I have written about in that the mileage you do is really up to you.  Once you get on to the towpath, just follow it as far as you want.  If you stay with the river you can't really go wrong.  The length of The Cam from Clayhithe to Quayside in the centre of Cambridge is about 6 miles so, remembering you have to walk back to the car, you can walk anything from 1 mile to 12.  

The River Cam, Horningsea

Today we walked just under 3.5 miles round trip.  This took us almost to Bait’s Bite Lock (1.9 miles).  You can carry on past the lock and under the A14 to the Green Dragon Bridge in Chesterton (4 miles).  If you want to keep going then cross the bridge and follow the path along Stourbridge Common, past Riverside, under the Elizabeth Way bridge, along Midsummer Common, Jesus Green and onto Quayside (6 miles).  As the first refreshment stop after The Bridge at the start is not until The Green Dragon pub (4 miles) I recommend taking supplies if you are doing anything further than Bait's Bite Lock.  (Also see this route from The Green Dragon pub into Quayside and back)

Quayside, Cambridge

Our route was: 3.47 miles (this time!)
See the route on mapometer.com
Terrain: Flat, gravel towpath and tarmac
Habitat: River, Urban, Meadow, Park
Facilities: The Bridge pub, Clayhithe; The Green Dragon pub; various restaurants, bars etc on Quayside.

Newnham to Cambridge City Loop (2.2 miles)

This walk starts at Lammas Land Car Park, which is accessed from Newnham Road traffic lights junction, and heads into Cambridge, along the backs of the colleges, through to King's Parade and the mill pond before heading back along The River Cam.  It is a great mix of rural and urban and we think it is best early on a Sunday morning.  The car park can get full very quickly on a nice day!

It is worth a quick detour into the Paradise Nature Reserve before you leave Newnham.  This is one of my favourite parts of the river, a peaceful section through a small wood.  Also if you are a visitor to Cambridge there are lots places you can wander off route to visit the colleges, shops, markets and galleries.

Swan in Paradise NR, Newnham

1. From the car park take a small gateway into the reserve and follow the track in a loop through the wood and along by the river before coming out again in the car park.
2. Carry on towards the play area and pool but take a right across a small bridge.  Follow the path immediately to your left through Sheep’s Green alongside a small waterway.  Carry on until you reach the road (Fen Causeway).  
3. Cross the road at the pedestrian crossing and carry on along the pathway until you reach a pond.  Walk past the restaurants and turn right.  Go past The Granta pub and cross straight over the crossroads at the lights.  
4. Follow the path along Queen’s Road until you reach the entrance to King's College.  Take the sandy track that runs along 'The Backs' (King’s College Chapel should be on your right).  
5. You can then go through either Clare College, if it is open, this is chargeable during the summer but often not during the winter months, and then bear left into Trinity Lane then right down St Mary’s Passage.  Or go up to the next entrance (Garrett Hostel Lane) which is a right of way.  This will also bring you out on Trinity Lane but this time turn right and then left into St Mary’s Passage.
6. Once out of St Mary’s Passage turn right onto King’s Parade.  Follow this road past The Senate House and King’s College on your right and Gt. St. Mary’s church on your left.  There are lots of cafes, restaurant’s and pubs on this route, especially the Cambridge end but, if we have walked in the morning, we often stop off at The Copper Kettle opposite King’s for a sausage sandwich before making our way back!
7. At the end of King’s Parade swing right into Silver Street and follow the road before cutting through Laundress Lane, behind The Anchor pub.  At the end of the lane go right down to the mill pond.  
8. Cross the river and then follow the river to the left past the punts and weir.  The Double Tree Hotel should be on your left on the opposite bank.  Walk alongside the river all the way back to the roadway (Fen Causeway), cross the road and continue to walk with the river back towards Lammas Land.  Take the small bridge on your right back to the car park.

King's College Chapel

Our route was: 2.18 miles
See the route on mapometer.com
Terrain: Flat, mostly tarmac paths apart from the nature reserve.
Habitat: Woodland, river, meadow, urban
Facilities: Lammas Land end has toilets and a kiosk (summer only).  Cambridge end has numerous cafes, restaurants, pubs and shops.  

West Stow County Park, Suffolk (2.8 miles)

West Stow Country Park is situated in Suffolk, between Mildenhall and Bury St Edmunds and is part of the larger ‘Thetford Forest’ area.  The park is also home to West Stow Anglo Saxon Village.  

The country park has lots of available footpaths and routes you can take, with some areas being free to roam.  Dogs are allowed but please note the information markers as you go around about keeping them on leads.  We walked in August in fine weather although it had rained the day before.  The grass is long in places.  We wore long trousers and walking shoes.  The car park is gated and locked at night although access to the footpaths is possible on foot from outside the main complex.  Please check the website for opening times of the car park and other facilities.

Small tortoiseshell 

The route we took this time included a double back along the River Lark to check for otters and kingfishers!  For this walk we also missed out the woodland section at the back of the cafe and visitor centre, although we have taken this route previously - great in autumn for fungi walks!  There are signposts and information boards dotted around the trails.

Our first ever sighting of a kingfisher!

1. Parking the car walk back to the entrance barrier and take the path on the right.  Follow the grass trail keeping the road on your left, past the children’s play area on your right, carry on until you reach the end and turn right onto a loose tarmac road.  Take this road towards the Pump House and then keep right.  
2. Follow the grass path round to the right until you come across a small pathway on your left which takes you over a little bridge.  Follow the path towards the river.  Once at the river you should have the weir on your left (no entry here).  This is where we once missed an otter by a few minutes so keep your eyes peeled!  
3. The path runs along side this very pretty section of the River Lark.  Follow the river until you come to a gate.  Once through the gate you have a choice of routes, we took the left hand route, staying with the river on our left.  
4. Eventually you will loose sight of The Lark as the path follows the curve of the lake Once past a car park (often used by fishermen) on the left, keep right until you reach a sandy area.  Again you have a choice of routes, either stay right and keep with the lake or take the gate at the top and follow our route to the right through the Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) Brecklands area until you reach another gate.  On this occasion we went right but if you want to take the woodland part of the walk go straight on.  
5. Going right takes you back to the lakes.  We then went left keeping the lake on our right, past a wooden platform until we were back to the footpath junction and the river.   The left hand turn will take you back towards the meadow but, as I mentioned before, we decided to have another look along the river for the elusive otters (not found but did see our first kingfisher!)  We went right down to the end and could have carried on back the way we came past the Pump House and back to the car park but you may notice that half way down the river walk is a turning into the woodland.  We went back to that turning and followed this path through a short section of woodland, bearing right at the end and then left which took us back to the main centre.

Damselfly

Our route was: 2.76 miles 
See the route on Mapometer.com
Terrain: Flat, mostly grass paths.  *Can be very muddy in wet weather
Habitat: Woodland, lakes, river, meadows, heathland
Facilities: Toilets, Cafe, Visitor Centre, Shop, Children’s Play Area, Picnic areas, Anglo-Saxon Village, Car Park

Why not have a look at the rest of my photos from this walk and from an earlier autumnal walk at West Stow