{"id":17788,"date":"2018-03-16T13:24:18","date_gmt":"2018-03-16T13:24:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thesojournseries.com\/bavaria\/?p=17788"},"modified":"2018-03-16T13:24:22","modified_gmt":"2018-03-16T13:24:22","slug":"wicken-fen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.thesojournseries.com\/bavaria\/wicken-fen\/","title":{"rendered":"Winter Walking – Wicken Fen"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Cambridge isn’t exactly known for its hills, something I have found quite strange at times having lived for a long time in a country that has more than its fair share of gradients.\u00a0 \u00a0It’s not like I haven’t lived anywhere equally pancake flat before however – Denmark in general, I am looking at you…<\/p>\n

Whilst the landscape in this part of the UK can seem flat and (weather dependent) quite bleak at times, there are unique pockets of it too, that you would truly struggle to replicate anywhere else.\u00a0 Wicken Fen is one of those places.<\/p>\n

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This National nature reserve was completely man made centuries ago, and has to be England’s most famous fen.\u00a0 It’s a massive expanse (some 254 hectares to be precise) of reeds, boardwalks and wildlife and not much else in between, and it’s also incredibly peaceful and quite strikingly beautiful to say the least.\u00a0 \u00a0It’s also home to the last wind pump (which I originally thought to be an ordinary windmill) that pumps water from the drainage channel up into the fen…<\/p>\n

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the windpump – wicken fen<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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like mother like daughter with a camera! :D<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Look in one direction and you can see nothing but the reeds and grasses that grow here (and that are still harvested as they have been for centuries, to thatch local roofs), and whilst you might not see anybody else during a wander (especially if you visit during the week I should imagine), it’s a treat for the senses with a full ensemble of birdsong and other creatures creating a sound wall…\u00a0 Charles Darwin visited this place many times as a site of scientific interest so varied is the wildlife (there are thought to be some 9000 species!)…<\/p>\n

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puddle jumping with his aunty!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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We spent a happy afternoon trundling the boardwalks (a lot of Wicken Fen is boardwalk so it’s pushchair friendly too for those of you with infants happy to sit in them!!), admiring a synchronised swimming display put on by the water voles and other wildlife from the various hides dotted about the place (until the Toddler and his Dad who had been admiring the “windmill” caught up with us – neither of them do quiet particularly well!), and completing a large circuit of this lovely wild place…<\/p>\n

As we have come to expect from the National Trust nowadays, there’s plenty to keep Small People happy including treasure trails, and things to look out for signposted along the way, as well as a choice of walking routes both long and short.\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0In the summer months there’s even a dedicated wild camping area, I imagine there must be a riot of a dawn chorus at the break of day here…<\/p>\n

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Wicken Fen is open all year around (apart from Christmas Day!), and is just as lovely in the winter months as it is in the summer with the various changes that the seasons bring.\u00a0 \u00a0 Visit on a Sunday and you can inspect the inside of the tiny Fen Cottage depicting how fen landers would have lived at the start of the 20th century (and also home to Father Christmas and his helpers in the Christmas season!).\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0And for those of us (adults included) that might need a bit of blackmail to help them around the very long walk, the Docky Hut cafe does the trick with cakes and sweet treats aplenty…<\/p>\n

We have loved having this place on our doorstep (it’s also one of those rare places where something created by man can work well with nature!), and if it snows again (as expected this weekend), we will head over for another Winter walk at Wicken Fen to enjoy the special scenery.\u00a0 \u00a0Although it’s truly lovely in the Spring too…\u00a0 And the Summer…. Oh, and the Autumn…!<\/p>\n

Wicken Fen<\/a>, Lode Lade, Wicken, Ely, Cambridgeshire, CB7 5XP<\/em><\/p>\n

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