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Cambridgeshire; Hunts District
  • Andrew's Travels
  • Andrew's Travels

Cambridgeshire; Hunts District

Visits to, and walks around, the Huntingdonshire District of Cambridgeshire Read more
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  • Andrew's TravelsCambridgeshire; Hunts DistrictTraveler
    Hemingford Meadow from the Houghton Mill Bridge
    Hemingford Meadow from the Houghton Mill BridgeCrossing the Black Bridge into Hemingford AbbotsHemingford Abbots; The Axe and CompassThe River Great OuseHemingford Grey Manor HouseView of the River close to the Manor HouseHemingford Grey; St James's ChurchInside the ChurchView across Hemingford Meadow towards St IvesSt Ives; Quayside, the old riverportSt Ives; a 15th-century stone arch bridge with a chapel on its structureSt Ives; The Oliver Cromwell

    The Hemingfords to St Ives

    August 26 in England ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C

    This walk is the return part of the St. Ives to Houghton Mill walk (see The River Great Ouse > St Ives to Godmanchester post).

    From Houghton Mill, I walk across Hemingford Meadow, a 0.7 hectare Biological Site of Special Scientific Interest, towards Hemingford Abbots.  I cross the Black Bridge into a very nice village. From here, it is on to Hemingford Grey, which is another historic village famous for The Manor House. This a 12th-century house and one of the oldest continuously inhabited houses in Britian; it was home to author Lucy M. Boston (the author of the Green Knowe children's books that were set here) from 1939 onwards until her death in 1990.  The walk takes me past St. Jame's Church before crossing another part of Hemingford Meadow towards St Ives.

    It has been a lovely walk of about 3 miles.    Read more

  • Andrew's TravelsCambridgeshire; Hunts DistrictTraveler
    View of Woodwalton Fen after leaving Upwood
    View of Woodwalton Fen after leaving UpwoodGreat Raveley Drain towards Woodwalton FenWoodwalton FenThe Rothschild Bungalow; used by Charles Rothschild as a base for his tripsOne of the many waterways here; the water is black due to peatView over the Fenland from the other side of Woodwalton FenWalking back through Woodwalton FenA nesting SwanA walker!View of Manor Farm across Rapeseed oil fieldsManor FarmChurch End; the redundant Church of St AndrewWoodwalton village sign with The Dog and Castle pub in the backgroundLady's Wood; bluebellsUpwood Meadows; orchidsUpwood; St Peter’s ChurchInside St Peter’s Church

    Woodwalton Fen, Woodwalton, and Upwood

    April 30, 2025 in England ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    These places were visited on a 13.7 mile walk with the Cambridge Rambling Club - a bit of a longer walk than usual!

    The walk starts in Upwood, a village in the parish of Upwood and the Raveleys, approx. 7 miles north of Huntingdon and still part of Cambridgeshire.  We leave the village heading due west and then south past Lady's Wood before heading north along the Great Raveley Drain towards Woodwalton Fen.  

    Woodwalton Fen is a site of Special Scientific Interest and managed by Natural England; it is one of only four remaining fragments of the ancient wild fens that once stretched for 1,350 square miles across the area and a last haven for many rare fen species (not that we saw them).  The ancient wild fens once stretched for miles across a huge part of East Anglia, but more than 99% of the habitat disappeared when the land was drained for agriculture, and this site would not exist today if it were not for Charles Rothschild, a successful banker, wildlife enthusiast and "father of modern conservation".  We walk along several of the trails before leaving on the other side and walking south towards Manor Farm and Church End, where the redundant parish church of St Andrew stands - it is now in the keeping of the Friends of Friendless Churches.  From there, it is still over a mile to the village Woodwalton itself.  

    From Woodwalton, we then walk east passing through Lady's Wood, an 18-acre nature reserve west of Upwood, and then through Upwood Meadows National Nature Reserve and a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest, before arriving back in Upwood.  It has been a lovely walk on a lovely day in an area I have never visited before.    Read more

  • Andrew's TravelsCambridgeshire; Hunts DistrictTraveler
    The Old Riverside; a sign showing as it used to be / St Ives Bridge
    The Old Riverside; a sign showing as it used to be / St Ives BridgeViews from the Bridge; east to the Riverside / west to water meadows and the other side of townThe Old steam powered corn mill, now flats / gate houses at the original cattle marketMarket HillOliver Cromwell statue / The Free ChurchThe Italian Renaissance style Town Hall / The Victorian Chemist Shop (now Oxfam)The Victoria Memorial on The Broadway / The Norris Museum on The WaitsThe WaitsThe Old Butcher's ShopThe Parish Church of All Saints

    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

    Trip start
    July 11, 2023