The Fen Rivers Way

${destination_filename}=./walks/Named/FenRivers.php ${route_title}=Fen Rivers Way ${route_description}=Fen Rivers Way


P20046200006 Looking north along the Cam from Clayhithe.		P20046200016 Bottisham Lock.

Introduction

The Fen Rivers Way is a walk between Cambridge and Ely following the Rivers Cam and Great Ouse. You can choose to either follow the western or eastern banks along this very nice (yet flat!) walk.

I tend to walk the FRW south to north, mainly because for the last 5 miles you get the view of Ely cathedral rising above the Fens like a ship ahead of you, the towers rising above the surrounding fenland like masts. I also tend to follow the western bank, as in my opinion it tends to follow the river more precisely than the eastern bank.

There are currently plans to extend the walk all the way to Kings Lynn following the Great Ouse and southwards from Cambridge to Grantchester along the Cam. I have already walked the all of this route, although past Ely or Littleport it can rely a little too much on the roads running alongside the river and not on the banks.

Cambridgeshre County Council Rural Group publish a folder describing the FRW as it stands at the moment, i.e. the Cambridge to Ely section. I intend sometime to put in here my preferred route on the other sections; OS maps will be mentioned, although technically there are not necessary as road maps can be used for the majority of the route. This folder is well worth obtaining as it also contains reproductions of OS maps for the whole Cambridge to Ely section, a history of the Fens and some circular walks. I will include details of the official route as soon as I find them.


P20046200025 The entrance to Swaffham Bulbeck Lode.		P20046200047 A boat on the Cam to the north of Dimmock's Cote.

The Fen Rivers Way and me

Because I used to live in the village of Waterbeach, 6 miles from Cambridge and 12 miles from Ely, the Fen Rivers Way was an ideal route for me to walk. Once I reached my target destination, then it was a simple matter to catch the train back to my local station. Since the railway follows the river all the way up to Kings Lynn, it allows you to do the entire route easily in this manner.

The FRW makes quite a nice and easy amble on a warm summers day, and there are a few pubs in which you can have a wayside drink. However, on a windy day the raised banks beside the river can feel very exposed as the wind sweeps in from the Fens. On the other hand, if you pick a nice summer's day to do the walk then the opposite problem can occur

For more details of the Waterbeach to Ely stretch of the walk, please see my latest walk along this bautoful stretch of the river.


P20046200061 Heading north along the River Cam.		P20046200078 The Great Ouse in Ely.

Extending the Fen Rivers Way

As mentioned above, there are plans to extend the FRW all the way from Cambridge to King's Lynn. This will make it a walk of about 48 miles in length. Personally, I think a link from King's Lynn to Hunstanton would also be advantageous, allowing it to connect to the North Norfolk Coast Path and the Peddars Way.

Detailed below is the Ely to King's Lynn extension of the FRW as I have walked it. Note that this is probably not the route that the council's will choose, but is the one that I have walked. I have split the walk into several sections:

Ely to Littleport

This six-mile section runs northwards from Ely to the village of Littleport.

You have a choice of routes to follow for the first two miles to Queen Adelaide bridge; you can either follow the river from the end of the FRW Cambridge-Ely route into Ely and then along the waterfront, or turn right and then head left along a road which loosely follows the river's eastern bank.

The last four mile section follows the river in an arrow-like straight line from Queen Adelaide Bridge to Littleport. I follow the eastern bank, where you can choose either to walk on the banking top and watch the pleasure craft and rowers on the river or walk along the road at the base of the bank. Route-finding for this section could not be easier - just follow the river.

Littleport to Downham Market

This 12-mile section again follows the river northward. From the A10 road bridge north of Littleport, follow the western bank of the river. Again, you have a choice of either using the quiet road at the foot of the bank or the bank itself. After a few miles the footpath on top of the bank ends and you have to drop down to the road all the way to Denver Sluice.

From Devner Sluice you can cross the river via a bridge and follow the eastern bank of the river into Downham Market.

Downham Market to King's Lynn

This 12-mile section can be split into two; the first from Downham Market to Watlington and Watlington to King's Lynn.


P20046200100 Ely Cathedral.		P20046200115 Looking back towards Ely Cathedral.

Transport

One railway services follow the river all the way from Cambridge to Kings Lynn, allowing you to break the walk into sections, the longest of which will be 12 miles (although you could make the legs longer by jumping stations). The staions on the line are detailed below, in order northwards and with approximate distances from Cambridge:

Station	Distance (miles)
Cambridge	0
Waterbeach	6
Ely	18
Littleport	24
Downham Market	36
Watlington	42
Kings Lynn	48

Hence you can see that the walk can be split into anything between 2 and 6 days. The going is (obviously) quite flat, so it is relatively easy to split it into 2 24-mile walks, with the night being spent at Littleport. There is a campsite on the route just south of Littleport.

Details of train times can be found on the National Rail website.