The Fen Rivers Way is a long distance footpath that spans a distance of . It runs between the City of

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

and the town of

King's Lynn King's Lynn, known until 1537 as Bishop's Lynn and colloquially as Lynn, is a port and market town in the borough of King's Lynn and West Norfolk in the county of Norfolk, England. It is located north of London, north-east of Peterborough, no ...

in West Norfolk. It follows the course of the

River Cam The River Cam () is the main river flowing through Cambridge in eastern England. After leaving Cambridge, it flows north and east before joining the River Great Ouse to the south of Ely, at Pope's Corner. The total distance from Cambridge to ...

and

River Great Ouse The River Great Ouse () is a river in England, the longest of several British rivers called "Ouse". From Syresham in Northamptonshire, the Great Ouse flows through Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Norfolk to drain into the Wa ...

across the Fenland landscape into

the Wash The Wash is a rectangular bay and multiple estuary at the north-west corner of East Anglia on the East coast of England, where Norfolk, England, Norfolk meets Lincolnshire and both border the North Sea. One of Britain's broadest estuaries, it i ...

. It provides a small part of European Long Distance Path E2 which goes from

Nice Nice ( , ; Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative c ...

Galway Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a City status in Ireland, city in the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lo ...

Description

The Fenland landscape is a man-made environment constructed over many centuries. This fertile land is dominated by

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

and is dissected by dykes, draining ditches, rivers and embankments. The walk gives walkers the opportunity to see the Fenland's open landscape and skies that contribute to the character of the Fens. The walk has a number of points of historical and wildlife interest. The route passes close to five railway stations, offering opportunities for one-way walks of varying lengths.

The route

Starting from Cambridge, the route follows the River Cam with its banks and pastures fringed with weeping

willow Willows, also called sallows and osiers, from the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 400 speciesMabberley, D.J. 1997. The Plant Book, Cambridge University Press #2: Cambridge. of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist s ...

trees and out into the fens. The Cam Washes have been designated a

Site of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of ...

because of their rare and special habitats and wildlife. Within this SSSI,

otter Otters are carnivorous mammals in the subfamily Lutrinae. The 13 extant otter species are all semiaquatic, aquatic, or marine, with diets based on fish and invertebrates. Lutrinae is a branch of the Mustelidae family, which also includes wea ...

s can sometimes be seen. Approximately north-east of Cambridge is Wicken Fen National Nature Reserve, where walkers will pass through the remains of a fragment of a Fenland wilderness of former times. Wicken Fen was the first nature reserve to be owned by the

National Trust The National Trust, formally the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there is a separate and ...

and has been in its care since 1899. Wicken Fen is a haven for birds, plants, insects and mammals. It can be explored by the traditional wide droves and lush green paths, including a boardwalk nature trail, giving access to several hides. A little north of here, the River Cam joins the River Great Ouse. Next walkers approach the city of

Ely Ely or ELY may refer to: Places Ireland * Éile, a medieval kingdom commonly anglicised Ely * Ely Place, Dublin, a street United Kingdom * Ely, Cambridgeshire, a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, England ** Ely Cathedral Ely Cathedral, formal ...

. The magnificent

Ely Cathedral Ely Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, is an Anglican cathedral in the city of Ely, Cambridgeshire, England. The cathedral has its origins in AD 672 when St Etheldreda built an abbey church. The presen ...

and ancient city dominate the skyline for miles around. At the hamlet of Brandon Creek, the Great Ouse is joined by the River Little Ouse and the route enters the county of

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

. The Great Ouse is now contained by flood banks and from these banks there are views of the surrounding countryside.

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

Sluice, being at the confluence of five watercourses, was first built across the river in 1651 as a focus of the flood defence system that protects the low lying Fens, although it had to be rebuilt after bursting in 1713. Nearby Denver Windmill is a fully restored 19th century windmill which lies on the path of the Roman Fen Causeway. The Ouse Washes are an internationally significant environment. Flooded in winter, they attract thousands of migrating wildfowl. From Denver the river is tidal, bringing with it subtle changes in scenery and habitat. Close by is the Relief Channel, the final link in the drainage system, completed in 1964. The two waterways meet at King's Lynn, the historic port on the edge of the Wash where the footpath ends.

Way markings

The route is marked with a small circular badge with a blue eel logo. In 1995, Cambridge's local newspaper, ''The Cambridge Evening News'', ran a competition for its children's Saturday Club, to name the route and design the logo. The winning entry naming the walk "Fen Rivers Way" with an eel as the logo, was submitted by Alexander Hunt from Teversham.

Further walks

There are four smaller circular walks along the Fen Rivers Way. *Wicken Fen Walk *Baits Bite Walk *Fenland Village Walk *The Cutters Walk

External links

Fen Rivers Way Working Group

European Long Distance Path E2
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fen Rivers Way Footpaths in Norfolk Footpaths in Cambridgeshire Long-distance footpaths in England