Local walk 3 - Whittlesford

Another well walked route is that to Whittlesford Parkway railway station on the other side of the A505 to Duxford.  Adjacent to the station is the Red Lion Hotel (see Lost Pubs of Duxford) and next to this is Duxford Chapel; this is now part of Whittlesford Parish due to the boundary change in 2010.  Built in the 14th century, the chapel was once part of the Hospital of St. John the Baptist and is a Grade II listed building, a scheduled ancient monument and under the guardianship of English Heritage.

On this occasion, we walk up the Duxford Road to Whittlesford village and pass the play park and Whittlesford Lawns before proceeding down Church Lane to the attractive St Mary and St Andrew's Church.  Doubling back we pass the Guildhall, now a private residence, and see The Tickell Arms which has an interesting past; named after the Tickell family, formerly lords of the manor, the proprietor when I first visited the pub in the mid 1980s was Squire Kim Tickell who famously banned all “loony lefties, collarless shirt wearers, and women playing with candle wax” from there.  I have tried to visit at that time with people who were not allowed entry!  Things have changed now and the pub has become part of the Cambscuisine Group;  the beer and food are still good (we ate there during the Summer).  We walk down the High Street and down part of West End to Vicarage Lane and then cross fields, before diverting to see the other pub in the village, The Bees in the Wall; this is a free house that changed its name after a colony of bees took up residence in the wall.  Another good pub - I used to go to folk music sessions there back in the day.  We double back and walk past the allotments and take the footpath around Middle Moor; we pass close to the M11 and enjoy the view of an unpaved aircraft landing strip at Westside Farm, where there is also a shooting school and fishery, before returning into Whittlesford.

We proceed back up the other part of West End and then turn left to take the path back to Duxford; the fields are heavily furrowed where the farmer has harvested sugar beet, leaving them in piles to dry.  We cross back over the A505 and are rewarded with a lovely view of Duxford before walking back through the village and home.Read more