WHAT’S NEW ON THE OUSE VALLEY WAY?

We are delighted to be able to give our readers an exclusive preview of a new, specially created Ouse Valley Way information panel for St Ives.

The long-distance footpath starts in and follows the river downstream through , , and , and to the sea at Kings Lynn. At 150 miles it is one of the longest river valley walks in the country. Our Cambridgeshire section was first waymarked and information panels provided in 2004.

Last year the County Council decided the path needed some TLC and invited the Great Ouse Valley Trust to take a look at the 12 information panels in our section and update them. The Trust was set up to ‘protect, promote and enhance the special landscape of the Great Ouse Valley’ and so it was delighted to take this on. Between Eaton Socon and there are 12 highly detailed and informative boards that show the route of the path in each section, plus clever circular walks along the way, ideal for the more casual walker.

The original panels are completely redesigned, the nature notes rewritten and a new feature – heritage items – added. Navigation hints for the routes and circular walks are provided plus updated safety points and a reminder of the Countryside Code. This was quite a demanding challenge for Trustees but luckily it came during lockdown enabling the tight schedule to be met!

The work revealed that an additional panel was needed for St Ives and the Trust was delighted when our Town Council agreed to fund it. This is the new panel shortly, we hope, to be installed on The Waits.

See an image of the full board on the next page.

www.greatousevalleytrust.org.uk