Best Walks And Trails In Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county that’s full of splendid scenery – this part of East Anglia is packed with woodlands, fenland areas, riverside trails and traditional villages, all of which make excellent focal points for a rural walk. And of course the urban views are rather lovely too – especially in Cambridge, a city famous across the globe for its mix of architecture spanning everything from Romanesque to contemporary.
And there’s even better news for those of you that favour gentle walks rather than hardcore hikes: Cambridgeshire is said to be the flattest county in the UK, so most of the county’s walks are fairly easygoing. That means there are plenty of great options around for family walks and trails that will suit beginners or less mobile walkers.
To help you get started, we’ve picked out seven of the best walks in Cambridgeshire. All of them are fairly easy in terms of the terrain, so you’ll just need to decide what sort of mileage you’d like to tackle.
If you’re visiting the area and fancy making the most of the fresh air and views, how about an outdoor break? There’s plenty of flat land here to pitch your tent on, and Pitchup has a great range of campsites to choose from (including glamping options for those who don’t want to pitch a tent). Take a look at the full range below to find the place that suits you.
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Along the River Cam from Cambridge to Grantchester
Taking you from the spires of Cambridge to the thatched cottages and gardens of Grantchester, this four-mile route along the banks of the River Cam is a popular one that takes most people about an hour and a half to complete. From the city centre, head down Station Road and take a stroll through The Backs to the river, where you should spot signposts directing walkers and cyclists to Grantchester.
The meadow-lined riverbanks make a great spot for a picnic, or simply to watch the boats go by as willows nod into the water. The walk passes by the puzzling Grade II-listed Mathematical Bridge and then crosses several nature reserves, before reaching the Eight Acre Wood. Here there are views of Grantchester Meadows as you approach the village itself.
It's a tradition (almost mandatory, in fact) to complete this walk with high tea at the Orchard Tea Garden. For something more substantial, there are a couple of pubs in the village, with some of them feeling pretty familiar to those who watched the ITV series Grantchester.
Anglesey Abbey
Anglesey Abbey is a Jacobean National Trust property that’s now no longer an abbey or anywhere near Anglesey (which is about 250 miles away on the north coast of Wales). The site is actually between Cambridge and Newmarket, with a mansion house on the site of a former priory, and the surrounding parkland has lots of walking trails of varying lengths to choose from.
A particularly popular route is the 4.5-mile Beyond Anglesey Abbey trail, a flat route that’s dog friendly and ideal for a family walk. Along the way you’ll see the historic watermill, a wise old oak tree and plenty of wildlife-rich fenland scenery. The circular route starts and finishes at the visitor centre, which has toilets and a restaurant.
Barnack Hills and Holes to Burghley House
Hills are a rarity in this flat land but holes were once dug all over Cambridgeshire as part of quarrying operations – and the Barnack Hills and Holes Nature Reserve obviously has both. Once the site of a medieval quarry, the area’s undulating mounds grew up where the old diggers put all the bits they didn’t want while extracting limestone from the ground. Over time, flora and fauna reclaimed the terrain, turning the area into the wildlife reserve it is today.
You can happily wander along several paths through the nature reserve, keeping an eye out for all sorts of insects, wildflowers, scrubland and trees. Or for a longer walk, head for the hilly part of the Hills and Holes of Barnack and then on to Burghley House, a Tudor mansion in Stamford with extensive parkland. To make a good outing of it, follow the nine-mile circular route all the way to Stamford (perhaps with a stop for lunch?); alternatively, just go for a shorter out-and-back route, or spend some time exploring Burghley House.
Wicken Fen
Located between Ely and Cambridge is Wicken Fen, a National Trust nature reserve that was in fact the very first to enter into the hands of England’s conservation guardian. Wicken Fen has a great mix of wildlife in its wetlands, meadows, reedbeds and lakes, and if you go bug-hunting here you’ll be following in the footsteps of Charles Darwin, who collected beetles on Wicken Fen as a young man.
The reserve has a good network of walking trails, including a 0.7-mile boardwalk that’s suitable for wheelchairs and buggies, and the four-mile Four Lodes Trail, with ponies and Highland cattle to see along the way. Visitors are also welcome to join the walking groups that go out on Wednesday and Friday mornings.
Paxton Pits to St Neots
Paxton Pits Nature Reserve is another reclaimed quarry that’s now been flooded and given back to nature. This Site of Special Scientific Interest is a haven for wildlife and is likely to delight birdwatchers. Wintering wildfowl gather upon the waters, and you might spot nightingales and hear cuckoos up in the trees. The local wildlife trust manages the site and there waymarked paths throughout, including a circular trail that will take around an hour and a half to walk.
To make a day of it, add a detour to St Neots, following the watercourses of the pits to Rudd Lake and then Little Paxton before picking up the Ouse Valley Way for the section to St Neots to see its historic church, brewery and museum and find refreshments in one of its indie cafés or tea rooms.
Houghton Mill to St Ives on the Ouse Valley Way
The Ouse Valley Way is a long-distance trail that begins at the source of the River Great Ouse in Northamptonshire and ends at The Wash near King’s Lynn. 26 miles of the route pass through the historic county of Huntingdonshire (now part of Cambridgeshire).
For those who aren’t up for taking on the full trail, a lovely five-mile circular walk starts at Houghton Mill (once a mill, then a youth hostel and now owned by the National Trust), passes through the charming villages of the Hemingfords, and arrives at the market town of St Ives.
The route follows riverbanks, crosses water meadows, passes wonky thatched cottages, stops at ancient churches and wanders along country lanes with suitably charming names (think Love Lane, Meadow Lane, Thickett Lane and others). A lovely way to spend half a day exploring classic English scenery.
The Cambridge Commons
Cambridge is surrounded by several areas of common land, each highly suitable for exploring and walking. These are places where you can swap the crowds of the city for the herds of cows that still roam the public open spaces. Where other towns and cities in England largely lost their grazing cattle as the gentry enclosed areas into private ownership, the scholars of Cambridge had more interest in academia than acquiring land, so the cows kept their roaming rights.
There are lots of named commons in Cambridge for an easy stroll among greenery. The most well-known are Stourbridge Common, Jesus Green and Lammas Land. To this day, Stourbridge Common hosts the annual Midsummer Fair, once the largest such festival in medieval Europe. Jesus Green has one of the few remaining 1920s lidos, next to the River Cam and boats navigating Jesus Lock. Lammas Land is an area of city park named after the Saxon festival of 'hlafmaesse' ('Loaf Mass') celebrated on 1 August, when bread made from the first harvest would be ritually blessed.
There are lots of walks on the commons, so you can either stroll through the features of each one, use them as start and end points to explore the wider Cambridge area, or link a few together. If you’re exercising your right to roam, just remember the herds have ancient permissions to do just the same. And it’s not uncommon to find the nosy cows of the commons wandering right into downtown Cambridge.
If you’re planning to get out for a bit of walking in the Cambridgeshire countryside and need a place to stay, take a look at Pitchup’s excellent range of outdoor breaks. Whether you choose a simple campsite, a smart glamping stay or anything in between, this is a great way to make the most of the rural scenery while also keeping costs down.