Skip to content
View across river and meadows
Peaceful views across the meadows near Houghton Mill | © National Trust/Phil O'Donoughe
Cambridgeshire

Houghton Mill and Houghton Meadows walk

A short, circular walk, ideal for bringing the dog along. Starting at Houghton Mill you'll be passing the remains of the old Huntingdon branch line viaduct and around the unspoiled and tranquil water meadows with wonderful views across to the Hemingfords.

Total steps: 12

Total steps: 12

Start point

Houghton Mill, Mill St, Houghton, Huntingdon, Cambs PE28 2AZ

Step 1

From Houghton Mill head towards the tea-room and along the river past the car park and campsite and through a gate at the end of the field.

View of Houghton Mill looking back from the gate at point 1 of Houghton Meadows walk.
Looking back from the gate to Houghton Mill. | © A. Carter

Step 2

Go across the first field and over a small bridge.

Step 3

Continue on and cross a bridge to your right.

Step 4

Cross a further two bridges, the second of which goes over the back stream weir from the Ouse.

View of what remains of the old railway viaduct at step 4 of Houghton Meadows walk.
All that remains of old railway viaduct | © A. Carter

Step 5

Follow the river through two fields and to another bridge. You can shorten your walk by turning left after crossing this bridge and following the green route to point 8 at the Trout Stream Bridge.

View across Houghton Meadows on the Houghton Meadows walk
View across Houghton Meadows | © A. Carter

Step 6

Continue across the fields with the river to your right until you come to a large weir.

Step 7

Continue along the riverside until you reach the Trout Stream, follow the path around to the left.

View of Hemingford Grey on the Houghton Meadows walk
View of Hemingford Grey | © A. Carter

Step 8

Continue around the meadow keeping the stream to your right until you come to a gate and a bridge.

View across the stream at step 8 on the Houghton Meadows walk
A Hemingford backwater | © A. Carter

Step 9

Head down the lane until you come to a pump house opposite a road.

View of old railway embankment on Houghton Meadows walk
View along the lane from the top of old railway embankment. | © A. Carter

Step 10

Turn left down Thicket Road until you reach the large gates of The Elms.

Step 11

At the gates turn left and immediately right down a footpath enclosed on both sides.

Love Lane on the Houghton Meadows walk leading back to Houghton Mill.
Love Lane | © A. Carter

Step 12

Continue down the path until you come to a gate on your left. Go through the gate and bear right to return to Houghton Mill.

End point

Houghton Mill, Mill St, Houghton, Huntingdon, Cambs PE28 2AZ

Trail map

Map route for Houghton Meadows walk
Map route for Houghton Meadows walk | © Crown copyright and database rights 2013 Ordnance Survey

You made it

Share your experience

More near here

A view of Houghton Mill across the river in winter, Cambridgeshire
Trail
Trail

St Ives and the Hemingfords walk 

Discover unspoiled villages and an old market town, alongside water meadows and the delightful Ouse valley landscape, on the St Ives and The Hemingfords walk.

Activities
Walking
DistanceMiles: 5 (km: 8)
A view of Houghton Mill across the river in winter, Cambridgeshire
Trail
Trail

Huntingdon and Godmanchester walk 

Head off through a watery landscape in search of lost mills on this 8-mile walk through the delightful landscape of the Ouse valley.

Activities
Walking
DistanceMiles: 8 (km: 12.8)
Family in canoes sailing down river
Trail
Trail

Houghton Mill trout stream loop 

Enjoy a delightful canoe paddle from Houghton Mill down the Houghton Trout Stream to Hemingford Lock, and then return on the River Great Ouse.

Activities
Canoeing
DistanceMiles: 3 (km: 4.8)

Get in touch

Mill Lane, Houghton, near Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, PE28 2AZ

Our partners

Cotswold Outdoor

We’ve partnered with Cotswold Outdoor to help everyone make the most of their time outdoors in the places we care for.

Visit website 

You might also be interested in

Walkers climbing rocks against a bright blue sky with the mountains in the distance at Sugarloaf, Monmouthshire

Walking 

Explore some of the finest landscapes in our care on coastal paths, accessible trails, woodland walks and everything in between. Find the best places to walk near you.

A visitor carrying a backpack and walking along a footpath at Divis and the Black Mountain with stone walls either side, the countryside visible in the background.
Article
Article

Follow the Countryside Code 

Help to look after National Trust places by observing a few simple guidelines during your visit and following the Countryside Code.

Visitors canoeing on Tumbleton Lake at Cragside, Northumberland
Article
Article

Outdoor activities at Houghton Mill 

Find out how you can get active on your visit to Houghton Mill and Waterclose Meadows with a range of walking and cycling trails as well as scenic canoeing routes close by.

A family with a pushchair and a young child running ahead walk along the boardwalk at Wicken Fen, Cambridgeshire, with sedge growing on either side and mature trees in the distance

Walking in Cambridgeshire 

From peaceful strolls through the Victorian garden at Peckover House to wetland wanders at Wicken Fen, these are some of the best walks in Cambridgeshire.