Local walk 1 - Hinxton

Helen and I both enjoy walking and we have a "default" route from the house; this circular walk goes via the nearby villages of Hinxton and Ickleton (Duxford, Hinxton and Ickleton form the combined parish of Hinkledux). The walk is approx. 4 miles long in total and this post covers the Hinxton section.

From St Peter's Church we walk around the back Duxford, cross the railway line (Cambridge to Liverpool Street) and carry on to Hinxton Ford; this is where the principal tributary of the River Cam** crosses the road between Duxford and Hinxton villages - cars and even lorries have been known to get stuck here!
There is a path along the river bank which passes by Hinxton Mill; this opens for visitors several times a year and is now owned by Cambridge Past, Present and Future. There is a bridge over the water further along and we have a look at Hinxton; there are many old houses, the medieval St Mary and St John Church and a fine pub (the Red Lion).

At the end of the village is access to Hinxton Hall and its estate; the grounds and hall itself have been occupied by the Wellcome Trust Genome Campus since 1992 and walkers are allowed use of a path that skirts part of the perimeter on a route to Ickleton. It is possible to see Hinxton Hall along this path, but you have to try hard.

From here you can double back along the river - where there are lovely views of Hinxton village itself - and return to Duxford or carry on to Ickleton.

** This tributary (sometimes known as the Granta) has its source at Debden and winds its way up through Newport and Audley End, our local villages (Great Chesterford, Ickleton, Hinxton, Duxford, Whittlesford), joins the River Cam at Hauxton and then flows via Granchester Meadows to Cambridge and along the picturesque Backs; the Cam has its confluence with the Great Ouse just south of Ely. The Great Ouse itself flows into The Wash at Kings Lynn.Read more