Wicken Fen Walk and Cycle

Enjoy a walk or cycle through the beautiful Wicken Fen Nature Reserve in Cambridgeshire. National Cycle Route 11 runs right through Wicken Fen and there are some peaceful country lanes around the reserve.... Bike hire is available from just £5.
The route below starts at the pretty village of Wicken before passing through the reserve and into the surrounding countryside. You follow quiet lanes to Upware, located on the River Cam, before returning to Wicken Village.
In the reserve you will find flowering meadows, reedbeds and waterways where you can see a variety of wildlife such as hen harriers, water voles and bitterns. In the Baker's Fen area you can also see konik ponies, highland cattle, lapwings and barn owls. If you're on foot you can follow the Boardwalk Trail or the longer Nature Trail while stopping off at one of the many bird hides. In the summer months you can also enjoy a 50 minute boat trip along the waterways of Wicken Fen.
A number of options are available if you would like to continue your outing. If you're on foot you could follow the Fen Rivers Way along the River Great Ouse to Ely. For cyclists National Route 11 runs along quiet roads and the River Great Ouse to Ely on the Ely to Wicken Fen Cycle Route. Or you can head east towards Newmarket via Burwell Fen.
Postcode: CB7 5XP
Pubs and More Info
Head south along the Fen Rivers Way and you will soon come to the pretty village of Waterbeach. There's some nice waterside paths and a fine riverside pub and garden to visit here.
The Lodes Way starts at the reserve. This circular walk or cycle follows NCN Route 11 through the Cambridgeshire Lodes, a series of ancient man made waterways created to link a series of Fenland villages to the River Cam.
The circular Soham Walk starts from the nearby town. It visits the reserve before heading north along the river to link up with another waterside path along Soham Lode.
For more walking ideas in the area see the Cambridgeshire Walks page.

Ordnance Survey Map OpenStreetMap OS Map (Mobile GPS) OpenStreetMap (Mobile GPS)

Interactive Map

Ordnance Survey Map Full Screen>>

OS Map (Mobile GPS)

Nearby Routes

Ely Newmarket to Ely Cambridge to Ely Fen Rivers Way Newmarket Waterbeach Witchford National Cycle Route 11 Lodes Way Cottenham Ely to Wicken Fen Cycle Route Burwell Fen Walk Chatteris Circular Walk

Photos

Tower hide at Wicken Fen. It looks out over Wicken Lode

Herd of Konik Ponies. The ponies were introduced,on an area of the reserve called Verrall's Fen,to help keep the scrub from re-establishing now that the fen is no longer cropped, and thus preserve the rare open fenland habitat.

Track through the Fen. The grid of tracks separate the fen into segments with different management regimes or cutting times.

Sedge Fen and the Wicken Fen wind pump. Late afternoon in February

Fen Cottage. This farm labourer's cottage dating back to the 18th Century and now owned by the National Trust, was occupied into the 1970's. It is opposite the entrance to Wicken Fen.

The Fen is a remaining fragment of the original fenland landscape, which was an almost impenetrable wilderness. Everywhere else the fens have been drained and are now rich farmland. 

Visitors' Centre, Wicken Fen. This building is the headquarters for Wicken Fen (National Trust) National Nature Reserve

Bog Oak. 'Bog Oaks' are the remains of trees that have been preserved in waterlogged peat. Not necessarily oaks, they could be one of many tree species from the forest that grew here over 4,200 years ago. This Bog Oak was dug from Adventurers' Fen in 1991.--From the information sign.

Download GPX

Wicken Fen.gpx