Quy Water Circular

A lovely little 4 miles starting and finishing at the NT’s Anglesey Abbey which can also be visited if open.

Parking is available in the NT’s car park (free for members).

• From the car park walk away from the visitor’s centre down the left hand side of the overflow car park. Follow the path until you reach a tennis court and walk diagonally towards the court and follow this path along the back.
• Walk alongside the allotments and turn left at the end. Follow this path until you come out at the end of a road. The back of the mill is on your left and a bridge on your right. 

• Go left around the side of the mill and follow the grass track along the edge of the water which should be on your left.

• Keep following the water’s edge for approximately 2 miles.

• When you reach the road turn right. When you reach some cottages on the left continue right  and then take the track on the right signposted to Quy Fen, Lode and Horningsea.

• Follow this track for about a mile or so until you reach a woodland on your right and enter the woodland at the break in trees.
• Follow the path through the woodland. Continue straight through until you come out with the water in front of you.

• Turn left and follow the path alongside the water (now on your right) towards the mill.

• Turn right to go back around the mill and follow the footpath back past the allotments, tennis court and to the car park where you started

Our route was 3.9 miles
See the route on mapometer
Terrain: Mostly flat, gravel, grass and dirt tracks (can be muddy in wet weather)
Habitats: River, farmland,
Facilities: Café and toilets at Anglesey Abbey

Croyde and Baggy Point Circular (3 miles)

Croyde is a small village in North Devon, popular in the summer with holiday makers and surfers. The bay is overlooked to the west by Baggy Point peninsular (owned by the National Trust) The route on the map starts at Ruda holiday park because we were staying there but there is a National Trust Car Park in Moor Lane. The NT link above also has the route in reverse.

The route uses some NT paths and some of the South West Coast Path with the first mile being a moderate incline.

1.     If coming from the village or beach walk up Moor Lane along the footpath on the left hand side. Cross over where the footpath ends to the stile opposite. If you have parked at the NT car park the go left out of the car park away from the peninsular, past the NT café until you come to a stile.

2.     Go over the stile and follow the track up the hill.

3.     You have two options through the small copse, either will bring you out at a convenient bench to sit and admire the view and catch your breath.

Croyde Beach

4.     Follow the track diagonally left to the corner of the next field and then along the stone wall (which should be on your right).

5.     Continue straight on into the next field and follow the path as it turns left.

6.     Turn right at the next field and again follow the edge until you reach a stile looking out over the sea.

The end of the NT pathway

7.     Go over the stile and down towards the South West Coast Path. The beach of Putsborough is immediately right sweeping to Woolacombe sands and Mortehoe peninsular. On a clear day the Welsh coast is visible.

Woolacombe Sands and Morthoe Point

8.     Take the South West Coast Path to the left and follow this as it goes around the headland.

9.     Go past the coastguard climbing mast and go right following the path down towards the end of Baggy Point. Lundy Island should be visible.

Baggy Point

10. Return back from the point and this time take the path to your right.

11. Follow the SWCP as it hugs the cliffs with Croyde beach ahead of you, continuing until you reach your start point.

Croyde Beach

Our route was 3.2 miles

See route on mapometer

Terrain: Moderate incline. Stiles. Grass tracks. Loose stoned paths.

Habitats: Coastal, farmland, heathland.

Facilities: Toilets at Croyde beach. Cafes and toilets at start/end of route and at Ruda. Further facilities in Croyde village.

Ickworth - Off The Beaten Track (5-6 miles)

Ickworth house and park belongs to the National Trust.  It is free to walk in the extensive grounds.

This route is taken from the website (Off the Beaten Track walk).  I have copied and pasted their instructions as they were pretty good. We ended up walking a bit more due to the field in the section 8 being overgrown (hubby had shorts on and didn't relish being bitten!) and no diagonal path being obvious so we went carried on rather than turning left and followed the wood around the field until we reached the stile .

We also stopped off at the Walled Garden to see the spectacular wild flower meadows. I think from some of the seed heads we might have been a week or two late for the peak but it was still stunning nonetheless.

Wild flowers in the Walled Garden, Ickworth

Lunch was at the restaurant. Slightly disappointing after great previous visits. They have changed the menu and it is not table service any more which means big queues at the counter and a long wait for our food, which seemed overpriced now compared to other NT places we visit.

Route:

1. From the Porter’s Lodge visitor centre take the path opposite towards the Albana Wood, follow the path going through two 5 bar gates. Just after going through the second gate take the path to the right at the small ‘Albana Wood’ stone. Stay on this path until you reach the large green Trim Trail sign, then turn right following the trim trail.

2. As the trim trail goes down a left hand slope and you reach a junction, turn right off the trim trail and leave the woods into an open field. Follow the path down the side of the field with the trees on your right and cross the brook on the wooden bridge.

Sheep at Ickworth

3. Once across the brook, turn right on to the wide track, and shortly through a 5-bar gate. Follow this track until you reach the next 5 bar gate where you will see a cottage beyond the gate and a bridge to your right. Do not go through the gate but turn left and walk up the hill until you intersect the main track and turn left towards Dairy Wood Cottage.

Dairy Wood, Ickworth

4. As you approach the cottage, turn left across the grass and go through the gate in the corner of the field into Dairy Wood. Stay on this track and don’t take any turns or junctions. You will exit the wood briefly and keep on the track as it re-enters near the edge of the wood. The next paragraph covers the loop into Twist and Horsepool wood, so if you wish you could carry straight on, missing out step 5 and re-joining the walk just a few metres further on at the start of step 6.

5. Very soon after you have re-entered the wood look for a barely discernable track/fork to your right. Follow this track which has a ditch on your left as you go gently up hill. Just before you exit the wood cross the ditch to your left and follow the track through the woods. Take the right fork when you intercept another path and you will eventually meander next to some stagnant ponds to your left (great habitat). Keep going until you reach the main path cross roads; turn left for a short distance and left again on a ‘main path’ effectively doubling back into the same woods. Keep on this path until you exit the woods.

Dairy Wood, Ickworth

6. As the path leaves the wood, you will see a clear path between the cropped fields going downhill. Follow the path between the fields to the wide track at the bottom and then turn right. Stay on the wide track for a while. Shortly after passing the ‘White House’ on your right you come to a cross roads. Go straight across the cross roads (stone bridge to your left/cattle grid to your right) following the grass track.

Ickworth Park

7. With the Walled Garden and Canal lake on your left, turn right through the gate approximately at the centre line of the gardens (opposite the summer house), and head up the hill towards the wood-line of Lownde Wood. On reaching the wood, turn left and walk along the front of the wood with the Canal and gardens at the bottom of the slope and to your left.

8. After approximately one third of a mile, you will reach the meeting of a number of fences and gates; go through the gate into the field beyond and then immediately left into the adjacent field. Go diagonally across this field to the opposite corner and cross over the stile onto the path and turn left back towards the walled garden.

Ickworth Park

9. Follow this track until you reach the Walled Garden and turn right keeping the wall of the garden to your left.

The Walled Garden, Ickworth

10. At the end of the Walled Garden take the main road past the church and back up towards the Rotunda and gardens. Go through the 5-bar gate turning immediately right, and enter the Italianate gardens. Enter the West Wing via the orangery and stagger to the restaurant where you definitely deserve a cake or pudding or two.

The official route on the Ickworth website is 5 miles
Our route was 6.25 miles
See the route on mapometer
Terrain: Grass and dirt tracks mostly, moderate climbs in places. Latch gates, kissing gate. Can be muddy in places in wet weather.
Habitats: Meadows, fields (animals grazing), woodland, lakes.
Facilities: Toilets and cafe at Porter's Lodge entrance and at the Rotunda. Rotunda toilets can also be accessed at the back.  Toilets also near the church.

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)