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Wednesday B Morning walk – Waterbeach

October 3, 2018 @ 10:00 am - 12:30 pm

Wednesday B Morning walk – Waterbeach – 6.5 miles

Waterbeach: Up the drove and down the river.

This is a simple walk, up the Long Drove then back down the path by the River Cam.  Parking is in the DRB carpark at the very end of Barnold Road TL507657 and CB25 9LQ.

Directions: Turn off the A10 at the derelict Pub/Restaurant Bollywood Spice onto Denny Road (marked Waterbeach Barracks). Follow this road to “The Beach Fryer”, then take a left onto Barnold Road. Just passed the level crossing the road appears to end, but keep going over the small bridge to the car park.

Wear: Half the walk is on tarmac, but by the river part of the path is overgrown with nettles, so long trousers and long sleeves might be advised. A stick would be a good idea too. Machete optional!

A bit of history: Waterbeach and Landbeach have been inhabited since Roman times. Landbeach occupied the higher and more habitable ground to the east of the Roman Road “Akeman Street” which followed the route of the A10. The site of Denny Abbey has been occupied since that time, but the Abbey (of which only ruins remain) was built by Benedictine monks and the Knight s Templar in the Middle Ages. Denny was a popular stopping point on the pilgrim’s journey from London, through Cambridge and Ely, toward  Walsingham on the Norfolk Coast. There sin and purgatory could be exchanged for Prayer, Penance and Pounds.

The land by the river was drained and made arable between 1740 and 1780. After which animals could feed on the rich riverside pasture and the Long Drove would have been used to take livestock to market in the two big towns.  Drainage was maintained by a series of dykes and windmills and later by steam power. The RAF purchased some of the flat drained land by the river and east of the drove to build the barracks in 1940. After closure in 2013 this land will be used for housing. This might be the last chance to see this landscape as it has been since medieval times as planning permission for a new Village has now been granted.

Leader:  Esther 01223 524894 0r 07833 732933

Wednesday B Morning walks are moderate speed – 3 m.p.h. on good terrain.
Start at 10:00. There will be a 10 minute drinks stop part way.
As no lunch is involved it is not necessary to phone leader – just turn up.

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Details

Date:
October 3, 2018
Time:
10:00 am - 12:30 pm
Event Category:

Venue

Cambridge, United Kingdom + Google Map