Days out in the Ouse Washes Landscape Welcome to the Ouse Washes southern part, including St Ives, is of its good wetland preservation. It Landscape. Wide open skies, fabulous accessible via the Cambridgeshire is full of interesting historic remains, sunsets and straight lines generate a Guided Busway (www.thebusway. rich in prehistoric, Roman and more feeling of remoteness and tranquillity info). Walking and Cycling are also recent archaeological sites including in this rural landscape north of very popular and the Ouse Washes well-preserved ancient settlements and Cambridge, reaching from St Ives website has some helpful information ritual monuments and magnificent in the south to Downham Market about long distance routes and circular engineering drainage. in the north. It is in the heart of the walks (www.ousewashes.org.uk). Cambridgeshire and Norfolk Fens and Cambridgeshire County Council also Working alongside Visit Cambridge & includes the RSPB Ouse Washes, Fen produces some great cycling maps for Beyond, the Ouse Washes Landscape Drayton Lakes, Ouse Fen wetland the area (www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/ Partnership (funded by Heritage reserves and WWT Welney Wetland cycling). Lottery Fund and managed through Centre, all of international importance Cambridgeshire ACRE), has put to wildfowl. The area offers unique highlights that together 3 suggested itineraries to help are worth exploring. The beautiful, you to explore this beautiful area. We The area is very accessible with Ely, largely unspoilt, rural landscape hope they get you started discovering Downham Market, March, Manea provides a peaceful environment for this unique landscape. and Littleport train stations providing walking, exploring and getting close easy connections from Cambridge, to nature. The area is renowned for Norwich, Peterborough and beyond its waterways and contains one of Cover Images: Dawn over the River Great Ouse (www.thetrainline.com). The area is the UK’s most extensive networks of Water Meadows near Ely (part) by Andrew Sharpe, Sunset in St Ives by Sam Palmer’ to also well served by a local bus network wetland habitats. The area is also very ‘Sunset on the River Great Ouse in St Ives (www.stagecoachbus.com) and the important for its archaeology because (part) by Sam Palmer DOWNHAM MARKET NORWICH • • PETERBOROUGH • • MARCH ST IVES • ELY • • CAMBRIDGE Itinerary 1 Itinerary 2 Itinerary 3 ITINERARY 1 Exploring Downham Market, WWT Welney and Ely Morning Once you have finished exploring Wigeon Café at WWT Welney offers Downham Market, Denver Sluice or warming lunches or slices of cake with a Start in Downham Market, one of completing a circular walk, why not cuppa. All of which is enhanced by the Norfolk’s oldest market towns. Explore stop in Downham Market for a well- gorgeous panoramic view of the fens. the history of the area at the Downham earned coffee and cake stop. For more about WWT Welney visit Market & District Heritage Centre www.wwt.org.uk/welney (www.discoverdownham.org.uk), Around Lunch-Time or venture out on a beautiful walk “a year-round destination, around Denver Sluice and the Fens. Travel to WWT Welney where you can WWT Welney has one Norfolk County Council produce a explore an extensive wetland area. guide to walks in and around the Between Easter and mid-October of the largest wetland Downham Market area – visit www. you can use the equipment provided habitats in the UK” norfolk.gov.uk, search ‘Health Heritage at dedicated pond-dipping stations, and Biodiversity Walks’, and select and get a closer look at some of the Downham Market. underwater inhabitants. There is a summer walk available, so you can also Longer walks are available along fully explore the wetlands. A year-round the Fen Rivers Way which runs for destination, WWT Welney has one nearly 50 miles between Kings Lynn of the largest wetland habitats in the and Cambridge, passing near to UK, where you can see hundreds of Downham Market (www.norfolk.gov. wintering swans, flocks of ducks and uk/fenriversway). wading birds as well as hares. Wrap up warm and enjoy a commentated wild swan feed or a guided hare walk. The Image (across): Bug hunting at WWT Welney Wetland Centre by Bob Ellis. Images (below, clockwise from bottom left): bottom clockwise from (below, Images Ellis. Bob by Centre Wetland Welney WWT hunting at Bug (across): Image Kino Takeshi by Washes RSPB Ouse from Cathedral Ely Bancroft, Phil by Sluice Denver Dean, Allan by Welney WWT at Swan Whooper Afternoon stay with an overnight stop. Call into • Cycling from Ely Cathedral to Ely Tourist Information Centre to find Wicken Fen (National Trust), a 9 Travel on towards Ely for a culture filled out more about the accommodation mile mostly traffic-free route www.( afternoon. Ely boasts one of the most available and let them help you make sustrans.org.uk/route/ely-wicken-fen) magnificent cathedrals in the UK and the most of your time in Ely • Prickwillow Museum – its collection is home to Oliver Cromwell’s House, (www.visitely.org.uk). of diesel engines tells the story of the Ely Museum and the Stained Glass drainage of the Fens, the people Museum which are all within easy Extending your stay who ran them and the history of the walking distance. The riverside area local area is also perfect for walking, relaxing, Ely is a great base for exploring the (www.prickwillowmuseum.com). dining or water based activities. Ely Ouse Washes area – other suggestions • Shopping – Ely is home to some Liberty Belle Cruises provide river include: great independent shopping, cruises along the Great Ouse. 30 regular weekly markets -including a minute cruises depart regularly from • Cycling or walking along Sustrans fortnightly Farmers’ Market recently the riverside near the Maltings starting Route 11, which connects Harlow in voted one of the best nationally from 11am daily between March and Essex with Wigginhall St Germans (‘Observer Sunday Readers Survey the end of October. (south of Kings Lynn) in Norfolk, Oct 2016’) - and a good selection of via Cambridge and Ely. The route high street brands. If you are then looking for dinner – Ely passes straight through Downham is bursting with choice to cater for all Market tastes. You can spend much more (www.sustrans.org.uk/route/route-11) than just an afternoon in Ely, so you might want to consider extending your Image (across): Bug hunting at WWT Welney Wetland Centre by Bob Ellis. Images (below, clockwise from bottom left): bottom clockwise from (below, Images Ellis. Bob by Centre Wetland Welney WWT hunting at Bug (across): Image Kino Takeshi by Washes RSPB Ouse from Cathedral Ely Bancroft, Phil by Sluice Denver Dean, Allan by Welney WWT at Swan Whooper 2 FOR 1 at WWT Welney 2 FOR 1 Entry Oliver Cromwell’s House, Ely WWT Welney are offering 2 for 1 on admissions up until 31st October 2017 with Simply present the voucher upon arrival at this voucher. Oliver Cromwell’s House. Simply present the voucher upon arrival to the ticket office to claim your2 for 1 entry. The 2 for 1 offer is valid on Standard Adult tickets priced at £4.90 each or Standard Children (6-16 years old) tickets priced at £3.40 each. Terms Terms & Conditions: No cash alternative. Voucher valid until 31st October & Conditions: No cash alternative. Voucher valid until 31st October 2017. 2017. Not valid with any other offer or promotion. One voucher per Not valid with any other offer or promotion. One voucher per person person only. Printed copies and colour copies all accepted. only. Printed copies and colour copies all accepted. ITINERARY 2 In and around Chatteris, Wimblington and March Morning Around Lunchtime Start at the Chatteris Museum which Head north towards Wimblington and has local fossils and artefacts from the stop at the Skylark Garden Centre, Stone Age through to Bronze Age, Fenland’s largest Garden Centre. preserved by fen soils and information Skylark has a year-round events on more recent history. Nearly a million programme which includes summer years of human history is on show in activities. Between 15th July and 1st the museum (www.chatterismuseum. October the Skylark Maize Maze and wordpress.com). Funyard is open, which also includes a Pesky Pigeon Tractor Ride, Pig Racing Journey on towards the RSPB Ouse and more – great fun for the little ones! Washes Nature Reserve where you The Skylark Café is a great lunch stop can pick up leaflets for five circular (please see vouchers below). farm walks starting and ending nearby. The RSPB Ouse Washes itself For more about Skylark visit allows tranquil walking with stunning www.skylarkgardencentre.co.uk. views across a vast wet grassland site. There are lots of hides from which “tranquil walking with you can spot unique wetland birdlife stunning views across a and the area is also a hotspot for rare and protected farmland birds in vast wet grassland site” surrounding arable land (www.rspb.org. uk/ousewashes). Images (across): Boating on River Great Ouse, Skylark Maize Maze and Fun Centre. Images (clockwise from bottom left): Sunset over the Ouse Washes Washes the Ouse over Sunset left): bottom from (clockwise Images Centre. and Fun Maze Maize Skylark Ouse, Great on River Boating (across): Images WWT / Hann Graham by Rail Water Museum, Chatteris (C) Washes Ouse near found and Sword Shield Bronze Stirrup, Simon by Gault Sutton at Afternoon up in 1977 as a local folk museum Extending your stay with a number of displays showing the Near Skylark is Stonea Camp (off the life from the late 19th and early 20th There really is a lot to do in this area – B1093 Wimblington to Manea road) centuries through to the present day other suggestions nearby include: which is a County Farms Pocket park, (www.marchmuseum.co.uk).