The River Great Ouse | FindPenguins

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May 11, 2021
The River Great Ouse Traveler
1. King's Lynn to Downham
May 11, 2021 in England ⋅ ☀️ 11 °C
From King's Lynn (see post in Norfolk), I walk south and cross the River Nar, a tributary of the Great Ouse; there are good views back to King's Lynn before we pass the side of Palm Paper's giant mill, on the site of what was once King's Lynn's sugar factory. Following the river, I cross the bridge over the Tail Sluice where the Relief Channel rejoins the Great Ouse; the Tail Sluice works in tandem with the Denver Sluice further down river for water management across parts of the Fenland area.

I reach the first of the four Wiggenhall villages; the Church at Wiggenhall St Germans (the other Wiggenhalls are St Peter, St Mary and St Mary Magdalene. A mile down river are the ruins of the Church of Wiggenhall St Peter and another mile brings me to Wiggenhall St Mary Magdalene, the largest. The church here is huge and has a weeping chancel, where the nave and chancel are built at a slight dogleg to each other, as well as a rare collection of medieval stained glass and beautifully carved benches.

The route south heads via Stowbridge takes me past the stone supports for an old rail bridge across the river on the line that ran from Watlington to Wisbech - the line closed in 1969, although the bridge over the Relief Channel is still there. At times, the Relief Channel is very close to the River Great Ouse;

From Downham Bridge, I head to Downham Market railway station after completing the first leg of this walk.Read more
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The River Great Ouse Traveler
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2. Downham to Littleport
August 16, 2021 in England ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C
From Downham Market (aka Downham), I head down towards the Denver Sluice Complex. This is important for water management across large parts of the surrounding Fenland area (comprising over 1,500 square miles of former marshland at or below sea level); in the 1650s, the swampland was used to create productive farmland out of the unused land - river channels were straightened, new channels dug, levee banks piled high, and the land was drained. At high tide, a series of sturdy gates at the Denver Sluice are closed, and the water is forced to back up in the river relief channels until the tide falls below the river level. When the tide falls to a low enough level, the sluice gates are re-opened and the river is allowed to continue its flow out to sea; if necessary, an area of animal grazing land at Welney — 20 miles upstream of the Complex — is sacrificed to the waters as a temporary reservoir. It was fascinating to visit this before heading further down river.

I pass the small, but growing, village of Ten Mile Bank before en route to Brandon Creek; is where the River Little Ouse joins the Great Ouse and for much of the its length it defines the boundary between Norfolk and Suffolk; indeed, after crossing the bridge, one is in Suffolk. From here the walk south is sandwiched between the A10(T) and a floodbank of the River Great Ouse (it is both hot and a little noisy at times, but there are good views of boats on the river), before heading to Littleport railway station.

It was fascinating to visit this before heading further up river to reach Downham Market (aka Downham) and the end of this leg of the Fen Rivers Way.Read more
Wolfgang und Heidi We really liked cruising with those narroboats. Sometime in the future we are going to do it again
9/7/21Reply
TravelerLet Ant and I know when you come here!
9/7/21Reply
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The River Great Ouse Traveler
3. Littleport to Ely
September 6, 2021 in England ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C
From Littleport railway station, I cross Sandhills Bridge and it is a 3 mile walk along the floodbank of the River Great Ouse to reach the hamlet of Queen Adelaide; this has three railway lines crossing its main street, each with a separate level crossing!

Further south, I divert to a factory area bearing right to Kiln Lane and the Roswell Pits; formerly a source of gault (aka Kimmeridge), an impervious clay, they are now a Site of Scientific Interest and a nature reserve. There is an excellent view of Ely Cathedral from here. I follow the trail along the river to pass Babylon ARTS, the leading arts organisation in Ely, and stop at Babylon Bridge for the magnificent view back; the bridge carries a private road to the various marinas that are on the other side of the river. I pass the Jubilee Gardens and the Maltings (see Ely; the Eel Trail part 2) to reach Quayside, where there are lovely views of the marinas and various boats and barges mooring in Ely, before passing The Cutter Inn and walking to Ely Railway Station.Read more
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The River Great Ouse Traveler
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4. Ely to Pope's Corner
October 8, 2021 in England ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C
As I head south from Ely, there are views of Ely Cathedral - the "ship of the fens" - looming in the distance, as well as a few houseboats on the river.

Further south, I reach Pope's Corner, the confluence of the River Cam and the River Great Ouse. This is the site of the large Fish and Duck marina; the River Great Ouse flows from here down to Earith and St Ives in Cambridgeshire and then on to Bedford and beyondRead more
Wolfgang und Heidi 👍
5/16/21Reply
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The River Great Ouse Traveler
5 Pope's Corner to Stretham Ferry Bridge
August 18, 2024 in England ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C
This walk was included as part of a Stretham Circular Walk via the Ouse Valley Way. After leaving the village, I eventually reach Pope's Corner, the confluence of the River Cam and the River Great Ouse. I cross the bridge here and follow the course of the river along the south bank (the Ouse Valley Way) and cross over the Newmarket Road towards The Stretham Old Engine. This is a steam-powered engine, just south of the village, and 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.

From here I soon reach The Lazy Otter Marina, part of the Lazy Otter Meadows sited close to the Stretham Ferry Bridge; it was still possible to cross the Old West River (as the River Great Ouse used to be known) by ferry until 1763 when a Turnpike Road was opened with a toll bridge. This bridge was replaced in 1976 when the road was straightened and the A10 bypassed the old bridge with a new one.

Then it's back along the other bank of the River Great Ouse and up towards Stretham village; it's been a pleasant walk of 7.6 miles.Read more
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The River Great Ouse Traveler
6. Stretham Ferry Bridge to Earith
August 19, 2024 in England ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C
This post covers two walks along the River Great Ouse; the first is from Stretham Ferry Bridge to Aldreth High Bridge (and back), the other a circular walk from Willingham via Aldreth High Bridge and close to Earith (Hermitage Marina).

Starting from Stretham Ferry Bridge and crossing the A10, the Ouse Valley Way is along the north bank of the river; Chear Fen and its pumping station are on the south bank. There are good views along the river and I soon reach the attractive Twenty Pence Marina; on the other side of the road here is Twenty Pence Cottage, formerly the Twenty Pence Inn that could be reached via a floating bridge. There is a large solar farm en route before I see Smithey Fen Engine on the other side; this was originally built in 1842 as an engine and boiler house, scoop wheel, and chimney pumping station. Further on is Aldreth High Bridge; the crossing here is part of the Aldreth Causeway, one of the ancient routes across the fens, running from Aldreth (a hamlet south of the village of Haddenham) to Belsar's Hill (the site of an Iron Age fort). It is then a 3 mile attractive walk to Hermitage Marina, which is on the outskirts of the village of Earith.Read more
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The River Great Ouse Traveler
7. Earith to Holywell
August 31, 2024 in England ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C
Starting from Hermitage Marina, situated close to Earith Bridge, the Ouse Valley Way goes into the village of Earith after crossing two artificial diversion channels of the River Great Ouse, the Old Bedford River and the New Bedford River; these leave the river on a course to Denver Sluice near Downham Market, where they re-join the Great Ouse in its tidal part (see earlier post in this trip). After walking through the village, the path re-joins the Ouse and passes along the edge of Berry Fen before reaching Brownshill Staunch and Sluice.

The Ouse Valley Way continues past the Pike and Eel at Needingworth and then cuts across, away from the river, to Holywell; Needingworth and Holywell villages are actually one mile apart (by road) and are known collectively as Holywell-cum-Needingworth. Holywell is a Saxon ring village, one of only three in Cambridgeshire, and is well known locally for its beautifully located pub, The Old Ferry Boat Inn. The holy water well from which the village takes its name is located in front of St John the Baptist Church, and has been refurbished and repaired many times over the years; the "well" is in fact a stone structure built over a natural spring which emerges here.Read more
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The River Great Ouse Traveler
8. Holywell to St Ives
September 11, 2024 in England ⋅ 🌬 11 °C
From Holywell, the Ouse Valley Way cuts down to the River Ouse for a short way and then passes through an industrial area towards the park and ride station to St. Ives. A far more interesting route is on the south bank of the river, and following the river towards St. Ives Marina and then head into St. Ives via the pedestrian bridge - which is what this post covers.

From Fen Drayton, I follow the old Holywell Ferry Road via the Fen Drayton Lakes Nature Reserve towards the River Great Ouse; there is a good view of The Old Ferry Boat Inn from here. There are more good views of river activity on the path to St Ives before reaching the marina; then, it is across the A1096 and into St Ives via the bridge. St Ives Bridge is a 15th-century bridge and noted for being one of only four bridges in England to incorporate a chapel and is Scheduled Ancient Monument Grade 1 category. St Ives is described more fully in the Cambridgeshire; Hunts District > St Ives FP post.

It has been a good and interesting walk.Read more
Wolfgang und HeidiWe are planing a Narroboat trip in the near future. Did it long time ago. We had to handle nearly 200 logs. But the best were the pubs at the locks
9/13/24Reply
TravelerI've never been on such a trip. Where are you planning to go?
9/14/24Reply
Wolfgang und HeidiWe did up the Grand Union, down the Oxfort Channel and then the river Thames to London to join the Grand Union. You have to handle nearly 200 Logs. Luckely very often there is a pub on those logs. We might decide that for late Sommer in 2026 … still have Magny other plans.
9/15/24Reply
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