Wicken Fen Octavia Hill Trail, Cambridgeshire
Starting from the original area of Wicken Fen, acquired in 1899, head along the Lodes Way and out on to Burwell Fen. This Fen is a piece of land acquired in 2001 as part of the Wicken Fen Vision, a project to create a nature reserve to protect the original fen and create more space for people and wildlife, meeting the aspirations of Octavia Hill more than a century ago. Suitable for active families.
Birds of prey
The whole area is a great place to see birds of prey in winter, and it’s not unusual to see buzzard, marsh-harrier, short-eared owl, barn owl, sparrowhawk, peregrine falcon, and occasionally hen-harrier.
Map
Start:
Wicken Fen Visitor Centre, grid ref: TL5651070686
1
Starting at the visitor centre, Wicken Lode will be on your right. Following the path (National Cycle Network 11), keeping the water to your right and Wicken's poor fen to the left. This is common land from where, traditionally, local villagers had the right to collect sedge and peat.
2
Cross Monks Lode at Normans Bridge then turn left and continue on NCN11 with the Lode on your left.
3
Turn right to follow the cycle track; you're now walking across Bakers Fen. Look out for Highland cattle and Konik ponies.
Highland cattle and Konik ponies
We use Konik ponies and cattle to graze the scrub, preventing the formation of woodland on the Fen and the loss of this unique wetland habitat. They're free to roam across a large area, but you should be able to spot them somewhere out on the Fen.
4
Pass Priory Farm on your right and when you reach Burwell Lode, use the concrete footbridge to cross over the Lode to Burwell Fen - look out for herds of Roe Deer on the Fen. Continue on the cycle path (NCN11).
Burwell Fen
We acquired Burwell Fen in 2001 as part of the Vision Project. To assist the re-creation of wetland habitat a low level clay bund has been constructed to enclose 183 acres (74ha) of the Fen. The bund will help retain water taken from Burwell Lode during the winter months. Raising the water table will lead to the creation of flood-plain grazing marsh, which will provide an important wintering habitat for birds such as wigeon, snipe (pictured) teal, and a breeding habitat in spring for lapwing and waders, including redshank and avocet.
5
Cross over Reach Lode Bridge. Turn right after the bridge and walk along the river bank with Reach Lode on your right.
Reach Lode Bridge
Opened in 2010, the bridge was the key link in the Lodes Way Cycle Route, a joint project with Sustrans to create a cycle route from Bottisham to Wicken.
6
Follow Reach Lode past Pout Hall Corner, the triangular pond where Reach Lode and Burwell Lode meet, and then continue on to Upware.
Pout Hall Corner
In the nineteenth century, a building called Pout Hall stood where the trees now are.
7
At Upware use the road to cross over the Lode and walk back down the other side until you reach the wooden ‘Cock-up Bridge’.
Cock-up Bridge
The name ‘Cock-up’ gets its name from the cock horse of ‘Ride a cock horse to Banbury Cross’ fame. A cock horse is a trace horse, as would have been used for towing boats on the Lodes. The old wooden bridge would have provided a vital crossing point for those on horseback.
8
Cross Cock-up Bridge and turn left, following Wicken Lode on your left. Here's a good place to see the height difference between the undrained land on the opposite side of the bank compared to the land on the side on which you're walking, which has been drained - the peat has shrunk much lower than the Lode Bank.
9
Continue walking along Lode Bank, you will pass Tower Hide on the opposite bank and eventually arrive back at Normans Bridge. Cross over Normans Bridge and turn left to return to the Visitor centre, café, and the end of your walk.
End:
Wicken Fen Visitor Centre, grid ref: TL5651070686
