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South Cambridgeshire District

March 2021 - May 2024
Exploring our local area in the county of Cambridgeshire. Read more
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  • TravelerSouth Cambridgeshire District

    Shepreth L-Moor and Barrington Village

    March 9, 2021 in England ⋅ ⛅ 5 °C

    This is a walk we have done several times over the years and it has never disappointed.

    We start just before Barrington and walk the permissive path across meadowland close to the River Cam, turning off at some woodland to follow Guilden Brook; there is some waterlogging and the path has been blocked in places by fallen trees on this occasion, but it is still splendid. We reach the outskirts of Meldreth and head towards Shepreth, turning of at the Shepreth L-Moor. So called because of its shape, the site is a nature reserve and comprises unploughed grassland with many wet areas and is very attractive. After crossing the L-moor, we turn off towards the All Saints Church, cross the churchyard and walk up the High Street as far as The Plough at Shepreth; this is an active pub selling real ale, has large gardens and is a music venue as well. We cross a stile and then a small bridge before walking up a lane next to the River Shep; we pass the outskirts of the Shepreth Wildlife Park - this is small zoo and wildlife conservation charity with various creatures ranging from hedgehogs to owls, meerkats and a lynx (we have not been for a very long time).

    From here we cross the railway line (Cambridge to Kings Cross) and follow the footpath across fields to the small village of Barrington; small, yes, but with a village green covering 30 acres and more than half a mile (800 m) long - it is supposedly the longest in England. It is a beautiful place on a day like today - we see the Grade I listed All Saints Church, walk along the length of the village green admiring the picture postcard cottages dotted along it and pass The Royal Oak pub. Many years ago when I first visited here, the landlady was a real character and wore extremely strong, dark make-up - great days. At the end of the green there is, of course, a village pond.

    A lovely walk, with the added bonus of glorious weather today.    Read more

  • TravelerSouth Cambridgeshire District

    Fowlmere Circular; part 1 - Fowlmere

    April 3, 2021 in England ⋅ ☁️ 6 °C

    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

  • TravelerSouth Cambridgeshire District

    Fowlmere Circular; part 2 - Foxton

    April 3, 2021 in England ⋅ ☁️ 7 °C

    We cross the A10 at Shepreth Mill and follow the course of the River Shep; we turn at the road we eventually meet and have a good view of the Shepreth All Saints Church. From here we walk up the High Street as far as The Plough and cross a stile and then a small bridge before walking up a lane next to the River Shep; we turn off before Shepreth Wildlife Park, doubling back to take the footpath to Foxton. We reach a large, private lake close to the A10 - we never knew the lake was there as it is hidden from the road.

    Crossing back over the A10 we walk into Foxton, passing daffodils and reach the small, triangular village green; there are several attractive houses around it and an interesting shelter on it. We walk up the High Street to see Foxton Dovecot and Meadow, a 300 year old building with a small conservation area around it. A very short distance from here is the Church of St Laurence.

    We double back to the Green and pass through Foxton Wood on our way back to Fowlmere. A really interesting day out.    Read more

  • TravelerSouth Cambridgeshire District

    Melbourn and Meldreth Circular

    September 13, 2022 in England ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    We start this walk at the Dunsbridge Turnpike, just off the A10, and outside the Green Man pub; the turnpike was a toll gate along the old Cambridge to Royston road and was in use 1793 - 1872.  We walk south along the River Shep and then turn off along the edge of the Kingsway Golf Centre before heading down the Cambridge Road to Melbourn.

    Melbourn is a large village in the far south-west of Cambridgeshire and on the edge of the River Mel.  All Saints Church is in the centre; only a couple of pubs remain in Melbourn now from its heyday of 11 inns in 1865.  We walk past Sheene Mill, a former 16th century mill house on the river and now an upmarket restaurant and wedding venue (we have been to friends' weddings there).  Our route takes us along the bank of the River Mel, past the edge of Melbourne Village College playing fields and then under the A10 and over (or under) the railway line that links Cambridge to Royston and then Kings Cross in London.

    The course of the River Mel is through the small Melwood Nature Reserve on the outskirts of Meldreth; this is a much smaller village than Melbourn.  We pass the gardens of the British Queen pub and carry on past an old mill (now part of a much larger house). A diversion into the village to Fenny Lane takes us to see the Prime Meridian marker here; this is where longitude is defined as 0° and the village happens to lie directly on this (it was unveiled on 4 December 1999 to celebrate the millennium). We double back and pass the Holy Trinity Church and join the road to Shepreth.

    We cut through Shepreth L-Moor (see earlier post) and then follow the path to Frog End down to the A10 and cross over back to the Dunsbridge Turnpike.     Read more

  • TravelerSouth Cambridgeshire District

    Harlton Circular

    February 12, 2023 in England

    Harlton is a small village 5 miles southwest of Cambridge, just off the A603.  We pass an attractive church, the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the public house; the Hare and Hounds is a community owned thatched village pub that is popular in the area - so much so that the Devils Dyke Morris Men there during the Summer.

    We leave the village and walk up a ridge to Harlton Clunch pit; clunch is the traditional local term for a hardened chalk and there is a cluster of clunch pits dug into the sides of the low chalk ridges bordering the upper Cam valley and along the Fen edge towards the Suffolk border.  The village was an important source of this building material for many centuries, and clunch was sourced from here to build Cambridge Castle in 1295; the pit is now a wooded recreational area.  

    We leave the clunch pit and join an ancient track, the Mare Way, which runs along a raised ridge dividing it from Barrington.  There are good views of the Barrington Chalk Pit; this is now a disused quarry area that was originally worked for chalk and clay for cement production.  It is a geological Site of Special Scientific Interest as it is the only surviving exposure of the Cretaceous Cambridge Greensand; the quarry is currently being utilised for landfill and rehabilitation and for disposal of spoil transported by rail from High Speed 2 construction sites.  

    After a while, we turn left and head south in the direction of Barrington and enjoy views of the quarry area as we reach Wilsmere Down Farm.  We carry on into Barrington and then double back north on another footpath, eventually turning on to the Whole Way. After a while, we turn right on to the Mare Way again and then left towards Limes Farm and Harlton.     Read more

  • TravelerSouth Cambridgeshire District

    Wimpole Estate

    April 25, 2023 in England ⋅ ⛅ 7 °C

    We have recently joined the National Trust and our first use of our passes is to a locally owned NT property; the Wimpole Estate, comprising a listed 17th century Georgian mansion (Wimpole Hall) with its associated gardens, parkland and working farm (Home Farm). 

    We visit Wimpole Hall first and are able to see part of the interior (see picture captions).  We then look round the gardens; these include a formal grand avenue which heads south (and is visible from the top of Royston Heath, several miles away), whereas the parkland on the north side and behind the house were "naturalised" (by Capability Brown).  Here, we walk north towards Wimpole's Folly (a false Gothic Tower, 1768) and loop back via part of the multi-user trail to see other estate buildings - St Andrew's Church and the stable block.  We then look around the Walled Garden and Home Farm (home to rare breeds, including Shire horses, pigs, sheep, cows, and goats).

    The Wimpole Estate is a lovely place to visit, walk, and explore during different times of the year - we'll be back.    Read more

  • TravelerSouth Cambridgeshire District

    Cambourne and neighbouring villages

    March 20 in England ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    Cambourne is the largest town within the South Cambridgeshire district, comprising the villages of Lower, Great, Upper, and West Cambourne.  It is a new town, and construction began in June 1998 on what was previously the land of Monkfield Farm, with Upper Cambourne completed in 2016. In January 2017, outline planning consent was granted for a further 2,350 homes to the west of Lower Cambourne.  The name of the community was created from the names of Cambridge, the nearest city, and Bourn, a nearby village; the local area is interesting, with some good walks - this post is a compilation from two of them.

    We start off from Cambourne, up to the local nature reserve and pass by couple of small lakes (see picture captions) enroute towards Bourn, but not into the village itself; we visit the local landmark that is Bourn Mill, which dates from 1636 and has been recently restored (thanks to the Cambridge Past, Present and Future organisation).  Another nearby village is Eltisley, which has a large village green and an interesting church with a lychgate (a covered gateway found at the entrance to a traditional English or English-style churchyard).  We then walk to Cambourne via the village of Caxton; note that Caxton Gibbet (now a replica of the original) is a long way outside of Caxton itself, on small knoll on Ermine Street (now the A1198) - the original was reputed to be a gruesome example of the cage variation of the gibbet, into which live victims were allegedly placed until they died from starvation, dehydration or exposure!

    It has been an interesting couple of walks, and there is more to the Cambourne area than I originally thought.    Read more

  • TravelerSouth Cambridgeshire District

    Six Mile Bottom and Burrough Green

    April 3 in England ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    This post describes a 12-mile walk with the Cambridge Rambling Club.  

    Six Mile Bottom is a hamlet within the parish of Little Wilbraham, near Cambridge; it is 6 miles from Newmarket and located in a "valley."  There are few houses here and a small church, but the A1304 main road runs through it and it is on the Cambridge to Ipswich railway line; the station here was closed in 1967, however, and is now a private residence.

    We circle round the back of Six Mile Bottom and cross open countryside towards Weston Colville; we then join the Icknield Way Trail and head through Brinkley towards Burrough Green - this is a small parish in Cambridgeshire, close to the Suffolk border, and also 6 miles from Newmarket.  There is a lovely village green here, a pub and the parish church of Church of St Augustine (a Grade II listed building dating from the 13th century); nearby the church is the Old Hall, a manor house which is now a farm.  Also of note is the primary school, which has been operating for over 400 years and the Reading Room dating from 1887.

    We then walk to Westley Waterless; this is a small, long, and thin village that is featured in the Domesday Book.  The recently restored Parish Church of St Mary-the-Less is known for its 1324 brass monument to Sir John de Creke and his wife, Alyne (Anne) Clopton.

    It has been a really interesting walk.    Read more

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