Wicken Fen, Upware and Wicken

The walk takes you along the banks of Wicken Lode and over to the other side, where you will see Adventurers' Fen. There are several fens named after adventurers — groups of financiers similar to later joint stock companies who got together to drain the fens. Adventurers' Fen was dug up during World War II and returned to the National Trust after the war, and the old pumping windmill that was on it has been renovated and removed to Sedge Fen.

From the banks of Wicken Lode and Burwell Lode, you cross a bridge and walk along the banks of the River Cam. The river rises in the south-west corner of the county and flows north-east; Cambridge is situated on the river some 10 miles (16 kilometres) south, and the Cam eventually flows into the River Great Ouse just south of Ely. The walk follows the River Cam a short way to Upware, the site of the first steam-driven pumping engine used to drain the fens. Although it is now just a patch of uneven ground buried in a small thicket by the bank of the River Cam, its main drain and outfall channel can still be seen as traces.

The original pub at Upware, "Five Miles from Anywhere, No Hurry", burned down in the late 20th century, but a new pub has been built on the same site. This was the haunt of fen lightermen (who used the waterways to transport goods in their barges) and undergraduates who would row down the river from Cambridge. University fellows formed the "Upware Republic" group, who met at the pub to debate and drink beer.

From Upware, the walk leads across fields to Fodderfen Drove, where the Commissioners' Pit is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The droves of the fens are the ancient roads along which inhabitants were able to cross the marshes; Fodderfen Drove was a link to High Fen Farm, while Shaw's Drove was at one time used for driving sheep.

Just off the route is Spinney Abbey, the farmhouse where Henry Cromwell, Oliver Cromwell's fourth son, retired after the Restoration. He died here in 1674, a man of great integrity, and is buried in Wicken churchyard.

The village of Wicken, with its wide green and interesting church dating back to the 13th century, marks the end of the walk. It also features a windmill which has been restored as a private home. Until recently, the white poppy was grown locally; in the past, the head of this flower was boiled to make an infusion drunk for "Fen Ague". From the village, the route goes down a lane to the start of the walk.

Acknowledgment: Text derived from the Out and Out Series; Discovering the Countryside on Foot. Pictures courtesy of Wikipedia.