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Cambridgeshire

March 2021 - May 2024
Exploring the rest of the county outside of our local South Cambs district Read more
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    Chippenham Park

    March 18, 2021 in England ⋅ ☁️ 6 °C

    This is a large, country estate in East Cambridgeshire; although privately owned, the house is used as a wedding venue and the gardens are open occasionally to the public - hence the visit.

    We enter the gardens and enjoy views of the house from the Millenium Fountain before seeing Basil the Boar, one of the many animal sculptures around the grounds. We proceed to Adrian's Walk and loop round the long, thin artificial lake with nice views of the other side to the outskirts of Hare Hall and its large walled garden, featuring a hare sculpture. After this, we walk along a box "tunnel" of trees and turn off towards the "Wilderness", a wooded walk with lots of snowdrops and aconites depending on the time of year. We reach the "Grand Canal", with an eagle statue at one end, and walk both sides of this before exploring the woodland further. On the way back to "The Bridge" we see a crows nest.

    A good place to visit and recommended.    Read more

  • TravelerCambridgeshire

    The road to Ely and beyond

    July 19, 2021 in England ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    This post describes some of the villages, towns and sites along the A10 on the Cambridgeshire part of the Fen Rivers Way Walk which follows the course of the River Cam and then River Great Ouse on their way from Cambridge to King's Lynn in Norfolk (see appropriate posts in that Trip).

    Heading north from Cambridge, we soon reach Waterbeach.  This is a designated new town and growing rapidly; there was originally an RAF Station and a British Army Barracks here, but they are both gone now.  There is a small common on the way to St John's Church.  Back at the recreation ground, there is a walk that takes you to part of the Car Dyke; this is Roman waterway / ditch that runs along the Western edge of the Fens and is traceable as far as Lincoln - it was interesting to walk along this short section, even though it was rather overgrown.  

    Driving a little further up the A10, we reach Denny Abbey; it was founded in 1159 as a Benedictine monastery, in 1170 it was taken over by the Knights Templars before it became a convent of Franciscan nuns known as the Poor Clares. Following the dissolution of the monasteries in 1539 by Henry VIII, it became a farm and was in use until the late 1960s.  

    Further on and only 4 miles south west of Ely is the village of Stretham.  The Stretham Old Engine is a steam-powered engine, just south of the village, was used to pump water from flood-affected areas of The Fens back into the River Great Ouse; it originally had a steam-powered pump to drain the fens - it is still in use today, although converted to electric power. It is one of only three surviving drainage engines in East Anglia, and is a Grade II* listed building.  Other notable buildings in Stretham include the 12th century St James' Church and the Stretham Windmill (now a private home).

    Next is the large village of Littleport, 6 miles north east of Ely; it is famous / infamous for The Littleport Riots which broke out in 1816 after war-weary veterans from the Battle of Waterloo returned home, only to find they could get no work and grain prices had gone up - they took to the streets and smashed shops and other buildings until troops were brought in (there is now a Morris Dancing side called the Ely and Littleport Riot).  It is also known for the Harley-Davidson statue which was unveiled here in 2003 to commemorate the centenary of the motorcycle company -  William Harley, father of the company's co-founder William Sylvester Harley, had been born in Victoria Street, Littleport, in 1835 and emigrated to the United States in 1859.    Read more

  • TravelerCambridgeshire

    Ely; the Eel Trail, part 1

    July 19, 2021 in England ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Ely is a cathedral city based in the Fens and about 14 miles north east of Cambridge; the Fens are a naturally marshy coastal plain in eastern England of which most is only a few metres above sea level - the city is built on an "island" of Kimmeridge Clay making it the highest part of the Fenland area. The River Great Ouse runs through Ely on its way north; the River Cam joins this a little further south at Pope's Corner, Little Thetford. Ely’s name relates to a time when the city was surrounded by marsh and its main trade was in eels - eels are still caught in the River Ouse.

    We follow "The Eel Trail" and start at Oliver Cromwell's House (he lived in Ely between 1638 and 1646); this was formerly St Mary's Vicarage and is now the Tourist Information Centre. We pass St Mary's Church and opposite the Bishop's Palace on Palace Green is the "Cannon on the Green"; this is cannon was captured during the Crimean War at the Siege of Sevastopol and presented to the people of Ely by Queen Victoria in 1860 as a war memorial.

    Just behind the cannon is Ely Cathedral; this has its origins as an Abbey founded in 672 and the present building dates back to 1083. Known as the "ship of the Fens" it is visible over much of local area as this is so flat. There are lovely views as we walk around it and then go inside to enjoy the cathedral itself; there is a contemporary piece of work known as "The Way of Life" (2001) and the nave is magnificent.

    A little up the road is the 14th century Ely Porta or Walpole's Gate; this was once the main entrance to Ely Monastery and is now part of the King's School, housing its library now; King's School is an independent public boarding school founded in 970 AD, making it one of the oldest schools in the world.

    We walk through Ely Park and have a magnificent view of the Cathedral before reaching the lovely Jubilee Gardens; there is a large eel sculpture as well as an 8 metre long eel mosaic made from shards of pottery uncovered by Time Team archaeologists working on the excavations in advance of the creation of the Gardens. The river is directly in front of us as we reach Quayside.    Read more

  • TravelerCambridgeshire

    Ely; the Eel Trail, part 2

    July 19, 2021 in England ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    As we walk along Quayside there are good views of the boats, barges and the marinas in Ely.  

    We turn left at the river and pass the Maltings (a Victorian brewery building beside the river that now hosts events, conferences and weddings) before walking up Waterside and Fore Hill to reach the High Street.  In the Almonry Wall opposite the Market Square is the magnificent City of Ely War memorial, taking the form of an arched and domed alcove within the rough stone wall.  There are beautiful old buildings further along up the High Street; after these we pass the Sacrist's Gate and Steeple Gate, both pedestrian entrances to the Precincts of the Cathedral. We then bear left at Minster Place to reach the Cathedral main entrance - the Galilee Porch - and close to where the Eel Trail started.Read more

  • TravelerCambridgeshire

    Fulbourn

    August 6, 2021 in England ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    Fulbourn lies about 5 miles southeast of the centre of Cambridge and is the next village after Cherry Hinton. With the Cambridge city boundaries to the west, the land north and east of the village is flat, drained fen whereas in the south and southwest the Gog Magog Hills rise up and to the east there is a wooded area, including a nature reserve (Fulbourn Fen), and Fleam Dyke – an ancient defensive earthwork (see post).

    In Norman times, Fulbourn was recognised as having five manors but only Fulbourn Manor remains today. A bit of a walk away is Hall Orchard, the site of an Anglo-Saxon moated manor known as Dunmowes which survives as an earthwork; it has a water-filled moat when suitable conditions exist - not today though, as I walked around the length of the bottom of the moat. After that, Fulbourn Fen nature reserve was an interesting walk back to the village.

    Back in Fulbourn, there is the Church of St Vigor's with All Saints. A dedication of two churches is highly unusual; at some stage in its early history, Fulbourn became two separate parishes, each with its own church, All Saints and St Vigor’s - All Saint's church was only a few feet away, apparently, and was ruined in May 1766 and the two churches became one. Not far from the church is the war memorial.

    Leaving Fulbourn on the road to Cherry Hinton, you drive past Fulbourn Windmill (on low chalk hills looking out to the very flat Fens) and then Fulbourn Hospital (a former Victorian age pauper lunatic asylum, but now providing proper mental health care and appropriate therapy).    Read more

  • TravelerCambridgeshire

    The Cambs Dykes 1 - Bran and Brent

    August 6, 2021 in England ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    There is a series of four defensive dykes that crossed the old Icknield Way - a pre-Roman path, often claimed as the oldest in England - that were built by the Anglo Saxons during the 5th - 7th centuries AD. Each comprise a substantial earthworks with a high bank and a ditch on its southwest side, and they run across the chalk downland ridge that carries the Icknield Way; they cross the South Cambridgeshire chalk plain from the springline and wetlands to the north to the junction of the chalk and boulder clay on the higher ground to the south. These monuments, generally referred to as The Cambridgeshire Dykes, increase considerably in scale from Bran Ditch to the west to Devils Dyke in the east, with Brent Ditch and Fleam Dyke in between; all are protected scheduled monuments. It is believed that these earthworks were designed both as defensive structure and as a means controlling trade along the ancient Roman roads that crossed the dyke (including the Icknield Way).

    This post covers the first two - Bran Ditch and Brent Ditch

    Bran Ditch (aka Heydon Ditch) begins on the outskirts of Heydon Village and it is now part of both the Harcamlow Way and Icknield Way walks; it extends as far as Heydon Grange Golf Club before these two modern routes turn west. Bran Ditch originally extended for approx. 3 miles from Heydon to Black Peak at the south end of Fowlmere RSPB Nature Reserve, but only a short section along part of these modern walking routes has not been lost to agricultural reforms etc - I walked it from Heydon down to Gravelpit Plantation on the outskirts of the Heydon Golf Club.

    Brent Ditch was built around the 6th and 7th Centuries and, unfortunately, most of its structure has also been lost over time. It was originally approx. 1 mile in length and now runs from Pampisford Hall in the North-West to Abington in the South-East; for most of its length it is wooded and on private land and so difficult to access - I viewed it as a low ditch in a wooded area besides the A11.    Read more

  • TravelerCambridgeshire

    The Cambs Dykes 2 - Fleam Dyke

    August 7, 2021 in England ⋅ 🌧 17 °C

    Fleam Dyke is the oldest of the four Cambridgeshire Dykes and comprised a 7 metre-high linear earthwork bank and ditch that ran from Fulbourn up to Balsham; thought to have been built in the seventh century as a defence of the Kingdom of East Anglia in its wars with Mercia, most survives now as a footpath that is now part of the Harcamlow Way (a walking route running in a figure-of-eight from Harlow to Cambridge and back again).

    Parking in Fulbourn, we soon reach the start of Fleam Dyke, walk its top and enjoying good views of the wind turbines at Wadlow Wind Farm site in West Wratting, near Balsham. The Fleam Dyke pumping station, now redundant, is ahead; there are good views of the dyke and ditch looking back to this. Crossing the disused railway line, we eventually reach a circular mound of earth - the Mutlow Hill Bronze Age Barrow; dating from 4,000 BC, this old shrine was used as a meeting place in the medieval period. We now have to cross the A11 using a footbridge and our guide map draws our attention to the Juniper Trees on the dyke on this side - they are the last nine wild Juniper trees in the whole of East Anglia! We walk down from Fleam Dyke to cross the Bedford Gap before walking up it again to continue south east into wooded land, as trees cover both sides of Fleam Dyke from here on. Our route takes us through Dungate Farm and then ascends, still through trees, to The Ambush (a local name with no historic meeting) to the end of Fleam Dyke near the Balsham ridge; the Harcamlow Way continues or you can take the path to the village of Balsham. We double back and do the walk in reverse to return to the car.

    Walking the length of Fleam Dyke did not disappoint, as it is a good and interesting walk.    Read more

  • TravelerCambridgeshire

    The Cambs Dykes 3 - Devil's Dyke

    August 20, 2021 in England ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Devil's Dyke runs in an almost straight line from Woodditton (just south of Newmarket) to Reach (north-west of Newmarket); it is over 7 miles (11 km) long and is the largest of the series of the four ancient Cambridgeshire dykes - in some places the bank measures 9 metres (30 ft) high and 36.5 metres (120 ft) across.  When it was created, Devil's Dyke completely blocked a narrow land corridor between the southern edge of a region of water-logged marsh (now known as The Fens) in the north-west and dense woodlands in the south, so making circumvention difficult and forming an effective defensive barrier for the lands to the east.  

    We start our walk at the southern access point of Devil's Dyke at Woodditton, passing the water tower; the Dyke initially passes through the woods of a private estate. The embankment is very high in parts here and is thickly enclosed by scrub and bushes. After a short while, we cross a minor road and then the B1061 before negotiating the steps down to the gap across the Cambridge to Newmarket railway line. 

    After crossing this, Devil's Dyke changes in character and becomes much more open, with chalk loving flowers along this stretch.  There are views of a links golf course before we enter the domain of horse racing, as the Dyke cuts between Newmarket's two famous courses - the Rowley Mile, with its Millennium Grandstand, and the July Course.

    Soon we reach, and cross, the A14 and have views of the surrounding flat farmland before reaching the B1102 to Burwell.  At last we arrive at the northern access point of the Devil's Dyke, close to the village of Reach, and the end of this great walk.

    There is a local Morris dancing side that is named after Devil's Dyke - follow this link to read more about them (us!).... devilsdykemm.org.uk    Read more

  • TravelerCambridgeshire

    Reach and Swaffham Prior Circular

    February 8, 2022 in England ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C

    The ancient township of Reach, or as it was previously known Reche, has been inhabited for over 2,000 years and is situated at the termination of the Devil's Dyke earthwork; the village was the centre of considerable trade in mediaeval times and was granted a charter to hold an annual fair at Rogationtide by King John (Reach Fair continues to this day, an event attended by the Devil's Dyke Morris Men who dance there annually).  

    We see the village sign - each side is different - and across the village green is the Dyke's End pub; this is close to the Church of St Etheldreda which was built in 1860 on the site of the former chapel of St John - the ruined perpendicular arch of the old chapel is visible behind the new church.  We leave the village and take a short detour through Reach Wood - volunteers from Reach and Swaffham Prior planted 3,200 young trees on this site in a single day as part of an initiative to create new woodland.  Much to our surprise, we see an emu in a farm enclosure.

    We walk up Barston Drove and turn right at the end to reach the village of Swaffham Prior; we see the village sign and the excellent Red Lion pub before reaching the twin churches that dominate the village.  The Church of St Mary and the Church of St Cyriac and St Julitta have served the parish since at least the 12th century, but in 1667 an act of parliament combined the churches under a single parish.  Swaffham Prior is also known for its two windmills; Fosters Windmill is still operating as a mill but the Smock Tower Mill, now a private property, is covered by scaffolding and undergoing extensive renovations for the new owner to return the mill to working order in order to generate electricity.

    We leave the village and head east for a mile to reach the Devil's Dyke earthwork and walk along the top to get back to Reach.      Read more

  • TravelerCambridgeshire

    St Ives

    July 11, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    St Ives is a market town 12 miles north-west of Cambridge; I have worked here, on the Industrial Estate on the edge of town, for the last 10 years (on and off) and have finally got round to a proper explore and town walk (now that I am retired!)  Originally called Slepe, St Ives is situated on the banks of the River Great Ouse; it was a strategic location in Anglo-Saxon times and in the 18th and 19th centuries was an active river port and trade hub on the way to London.  The use of the River Great Ouse declined as the railway and road networks improved, but it is still an active market town.

    I start at the Riverside; the St Ives Bridge dates to the 15th century and is one of only four bridges in the England to incorporate a chapel (it is Grade 1 listed as a result); there are good views from the bridge, including the old corn mill which has been converted to flats (and is where Clive Sinclair invented the world's first pocket calculator.  I walk back into town along the riverside to the car park and bus station - the site of the original cattle market and only the gatehouses remain at the entrance - and then double back to the wide Market Hill (where the modern market is now held).  Here, there is an imposing statue of Oliver Cromwell, who was born close by (in Huntingdon) and moved to St Ives for a while, during which time the non-conformist Free Church was built, as well as many old buildings along the street and nearby.  

    A short walk along Merryfield brings me to The Broadway, another wide street where the Victoria Memorial is situated, as well as many other fine old buildings.  The Broadway meets a riverside area known as The Waits; this is a lovely area, and the Norris Museum is here, featuring a collection of Huntingdoshire's history.  Along the road is the Old Butcher's Shop, the Old Grammar School, and it finishes at the Parish Church of All Saints (Grade 1 listed).

    St Ives is a lovely place, and there are some great walks nearby.    Read more

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