チャタリスの湖・トップ6

An idyllic landscape between ponds and small lakes. A place to rest and enjoy.

Tried to ride this in late April (2025) and the water levels were so high that you couldn't access the bridleway to get through. We could see there was a bridge for the footpath in the middle of the lakes but this was well under water and tipped sideways! We had to go back on ourselves (approached from the North on the March line) and took Short Drove and Parkhall Road down to Somersham.

Parking is £2. There is a portaloo and a bin in the carpark. This hike was limited in what you could see, in August the trees and weeds blocked most of the view. For safety note that the pathway takes the narrow road that cars are entering and exiting. There are two crossings over the guided path where the buses are traveling at speed. The first part of the walk by the Ouse was lovely as was the last part on a field where you ton off by the weight limited bridge. I would imagine in winter the path would be a mush pit.

The bus whizzes through the yellow grain landscape like oiled lightning. The intercity bus from Cambridge to St Ivy rolls over a special lane bus track and reaches an impressive speed. Today he transports the four of us to the "Fen Drayton Lakes Nature Reserve", in the lake landscape we hike and do "birdwatching". “Fen Drayton Lakes was originally a flooded sand and gravel pit bordering river floodplains. Today the area is a magnet for a variety of wildlife including otters, dragonflies, ducks, swans and geese. There is something to see (and hear) here all year round.” (https://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves-and-events/reserves-a-z/fen-drayton-lakes/)

Part of the RSPB Nature Reserve, Far Fen Lake is recognisable by the island near its eastern shore.

Less than 1km off route and a lovely view with a little deck overlooking the water.

The pleasant Cambridgeshire village of Somersham has plenty of greenspaces to explore, including a nature reserve and Somersham Pocket Park. In the village, there are a number of shops, eateries and a pub. Somersham Local Nature Reserve has developed around the disused railway line from Cambridge to March and includes a lake and areas of woodland, grassland and wildflower meadows.

This is the site of an ambitious project, a partnership between the RSPB and Hanson to transform a working sand and gravel quarry into a thriving nature reserve. When it is complete, it will boast the largest reed bed in the UK. It is hoped that by 2030, the expanse of wetland habitat will cover the area of 980 football pitches. The site is already seeing some great success stories, such as a breeding pair of European cranes.