Fowlmere Circular; part 1 - Fowlmere

We start this walk in Fowlmere; this is one of the southernmost villages in Cambridgeshire, just beyond Thriplow, and we explore it a little before setting off. The village has a scheduled ancient monument - a ringwork known as "The Round Moat" - which is the remains of an early Saxon settlement dating from around the 9th century; the ringwork comprises a roughly oval stronghold, fortified by an earthen bank and an external ditch. Not far from here is the 12th century Church of St Mary and a short walk up the High Street brings us to the War Memorial and the water pump.

We leave the village on the turning towards Manor Farm and Fowlmere Airfield; the airfield originated in 1918 when it was used by the RAF for training and then became a satellite for RAF Duxford before being turned over to the United States Army Air Force (USAAF) fighter command. It is now home to the British Aerobatic Academy and the Modern Air flying club. We see the war memorial and espy some planes before continuing on the walk to reach Fowlmere RSPB Nature Reserve, also called Fowlmere Watercress Beds; our route takes us along part of the nature trail that is there. It is very beautiful here; the reedbeds and pools are fed by natural chalk springs and a chalk stream originates in, and runs through, the reserve - this is known locally as the River Shep and it flows north through Shepreth to join the River Rhee (also called the River Cam) at Barrington.

We follow the stream to the A10 and cross over to start the next part of this excellent walk.Read more