• Andrew's TravelsThe River Great OuseTraveler
    St Ives; The Waits (view back / view ahead)
    St Ives; The Waits (view back / view ahead)St Ives; The Church of All SaintsThe Ouse Valley Way from St IvesShort diversion via Berman ParkRiver Great OuseShort diversion via The ThicketView towards the River Great Ouse; the path is a long way from it for quite a whileThe Ouse Valley WayHoughton MillThe WaterwheelHoughton Mill Weir and the Mill Pond beyondHoughton LockView back from the bridge over the River Great OuseView ahead from the bridge over the River Great OuseA barge on the RiverView over the River Great OuseGodmanchester Nature Reserve; the lakes are former gravel pitsGodmanchester Nature Reserve; the lakes are former gravel pitsCook's Stream; the Ouse Valley Way follows this alongside the lakes of the Nature ReserveGodmanchester; St Mary the Virgin ChurchThe Headstone of Mary Ann Weems; a haunting tale (worth a read)Godmanchester; The Chinese Bridge, originally built in 1827, it was reconstructed in 2010

    9. St Ives to Godmanchester

    August 26 in England ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    This walk was done in two halves on different days; St Ives to Houghton Mill and Houghton Mill to Godmanchester

    From St Ives (described more fully in the Cambridgeshire; Hunts District > St Ives FP post) I follow the Ouse Valley Way; it is not close to the river for most of the way to Godmanchester, and I take a couple of minor diversions parallel to the Way to make the walk more interesting.

    Houghton Mill is very interesting; owned by the National Trust, mills have been recorded on the site since 974 and the modern iteration is a working 18th-century watermill, with three floors of traditional machinery. Furthermore, water meadows alongside the River Great Ouse provide walking routes to St Ives, Huntingdon, and Godmanchester.  From here, the Ouse Valley Way follows the river for a while before diverting south past via the Godmanchester Nature Reserve, consisting of four lakes, which are former gravel pits.  I soon arrive in Godmanchester, a historic and picturesque town located on the south bank of the River Great Ouse one mile south of Huntingdon.    Read more