Whaddon to Cambridge American Cemetery and Return
Cambridgeshire
Distance 39km Climb 320m
Saturday 28 November 2020
I was reminded of the Cambridge American Cemetery during my walk last week. I used to visit the Cemetery occasionally when I lived in Cambridge over 40 years ago. As I am currently working away from home and the American Cemetery was not too far, so I thought I would pay a visit.
Leaving Whaddon, I crossed the recreation ground and spent a little time finding the Geocache near St Mary's, Whaddon's Parish Church.
Continuing eastwards along Church Street. There was a lovely scented smell coming from one of the houses on my right but I could not identify it.
Reaching the corner where the road turns right I took the footpath left towards Orwell
After a couple of hundred meters the footpath turns right off the track and heads north east, between a ditch on the right and an open field on the left. I have since found on one map this path is called Leaden Hill.
At this junction my path continued straight ahead. The map shows the path to the right heads towards Hoback Farm.
Continuing north east a short rise took the path over a ditch.
Continuing north east my path crossed straight over an open field. I am sure I could hear buzzards to my right. Buzzards are one of the few birds I can identify so I mention them quite a lot in my blog posts.
The weather was a little warmer than last week. Possibly because there was no wind. With no wind the mist just stayed where it was all day. A little wind may have cleared it.
Over the field and the path drops a little into a small wood. Where the path narrows as it twists and turns towards King's Bridge.
King's Bridge crosses the River Cam or Rhee. Over the bridge the footpath travels between electrified fences. It was very muddy and slippery along here.
It was along here I did see a buzzard it just sat in a tree until I got my camera ready then it flew away. All I got was a smudge of a photo.
At the top of the hedge line, I was now heading slightly north west. Tractors had churned up the mud between the fields to my right and left. Leaving deep tracks, but I was soon over them and walking beside this great big white slug.
The path followed to the right of a ditch the length of the field before turning right along the side of the field for approx. a hundred meters. Then it turned left through a gap in the hedge. Ahead I could see a small hill.
The hedges were full of lovely looking berries bluey/black and a couple of different types of red berries. They looked good enough to eat but I remember my Nana telling me not to eat red berries as red for danger. I don't know if there is anything in that, but you always do what Nana says.
At the top of the hill was a seat and a view of Orwell. Another opportunity to collect a Geocache.
From the seat the path starts to drop slightly. At a footpath junction I turned right, north east and followed the path down the hill into Orwell.
My route took me straight through the village along Town Green Road. Passing another Geocache spot.
At the top of Town Green Road was the church of St Andrews.
I turned right along High Street for a few meters.
Then across the road taking the footpath up the stones steps as it climbs beside the church.
At the top I collected another Geocache, before continuing to climb up Toot Hill.
At the top there is a kissing gate which took me into an area called The Clunch Pit.
The Clunch Pit is where they got the building material for a lot of the buildings in the village. A very hard form of chalk. The area is now a Site of Special Scientific Interest for it's chalk grassland flora.
This was also where I realised what the GMT footpath sign stood for. The Greenwich Meridian Trail. I had seen this sign on last weeks walk and only now just realised what it was.
After a quick look around I headed for the footpath on the west side of The Clunch Pit, heading north. Continuing along The GMT.
The footpath heads down the hill and travels beneath some trees before it reaches Hillside, the busy A603 Roman Road.
Eventually I crossed over the very busy road, took a right, passing the front of a few houses. After a few meters I reached the next footpath which turned left. I was heading for The Eversdens.
This was Rectory Farm Lane, after only a few meters I saw a sign saying I was now on The National Trust, Wimpole Estate.
Continuing along here for another 500m when I saw the sign showing the footpath I was after on my right.
I started heading north east, by the side of a large hedge. The path started to climb, my map shows this as Thorn Hill. I was blowing a bit when I reached the top.
Leaving The Wimpole Estate, parallel footpaths led me north west for a short distance. I have since found this is The Mare Way.
After a few hundred meters I turned right and headed down the hill, north east. I was heading for a small rectangular shaped wood.
Walking down the hill I could hear voices but the people were out of view until I crossed over a small crest on the path. They were walking up and had been in a patch of dead ground. Further down the path it levels out and then enters the rectangular wood.
There were a number of fenced off areas within the wood. Look like private paddocks.
Coming out the wood on Pound Drift, I followed the footpath north east towards Little Eversden.
At the junction where the track joined the road I turned right onto Harlton Road.
Walking Harlton Road for about 400 meters, I turned left up High Street.
There are some very interesting looking houses in Little Eversden as I made my way along High Street. Including this VR post box.
High Street follows on and becomes Lowfields. At the top, the road just stops and a footpath continues north east.
As I walked along beside the edge of the field, a field of turnips I think, I could see three large radio telescopes pointing skywards just on the edge of the mist, across the fields to my right.
At the top of the field the footpath crossed a narrow track, something to do with the telescopes.
On the far side the footpath follows by a fence which took me into and around the edge of another large field of turnips, I think.
Leaving the field I was now walking north on the Royston Road heading towards Comberton. Collecting another Geocache on my way.
I stayed on Royston Road passing St Mary's.
Royston Road becomes South Street, where I passed the empty Three Horseshoes.
I continued up to the junction with the B1046.
Crossing the junction I was still walking north, passing the Comberton Village Pond. I was on Green End. A little further along I passed the Baptist Church,
I stayed on Green End until it left Comberton. At the very top of the road just as it turns sharp right. I took the footpath to the left, heading west.
It was lovely walking along here, the colours of the hedges. Yellow leaves, bluey/black and red berries. Some of the berries had a sheen of water others had droplets making then shine in the weak watery light, beautiful.
After walking west for a few hundred meters the path turns north. Then starts to gently climb uphill. In places the path was very muddy but nothing like the path I walked by Hardwick Wood last week.
At the top I have since found I was in Starve Goose Plantation. This is where I joined part of the walk I did last week along The Wimpole Way.
As always I take too many photos, so I have not included any for this part of my walk. You can check some out following the links to last weeks walk.
Today I followed the Wimpole Way north then east as it followed the edge of a large field. Last week I thought I could see Cambridge along here. Not today because of the mist.
At the bottom of the field the Way turns left and drops down to cross a stream over a metal bridge. A little climb and the Way turns right to cross Long Road into the Barton Road Range.
Something I did notice last week but forgot to mention was as I approached Coton. The footpath crosses an area of old tree roots. Very flat you would hardly notice them. These look like they belonged to very old trees, I don't think they belong too the trees there today? I also collected another Geocache.
It was along here last week when I collected a couple of Geocache I saw they mentioned the Cambridge American Cemetery. Which was a reminder, so thank you.
Walking through Coton, I took the footpath to the left up by Coton C of E Primary School. Pointing towards Madingley.
The footpath climbs a little and it was along here I collected another two Geocaches.
At the top, the footpath comes out on Madingley Road the A1303, another busy road. Right across the road from the Cambridge American Cemetery.
The A1303 is another busy road to take care crossing over. I walked along to the entrance to the Cemetery which was closed. Thinking about it I would have been surprised if it had been open. I remember it being a very peaceful, restful and respectful place. Since my last visit all those years ago I heard they now have a visitors centre.
I had a little wander around, to collect a couple more Geocaches before heading back.
The route I took back was almost the same route out. I like to walk the same route in reverse as things sometimes look different, other things may catch my eye.
I saw this cottage on my way out but there was just something about it asked me to take its photo on my return. Perhaps it was the little stone pig?
Leaving Comberton on South Street I turned down a footpath called The Causeway. This took me passed a large house and behind St Mary's Church.
Coming out on Church Lane I collected another Geocache, which has not been deleted so far. Before walking right, back onto Royston Lane and continuing along my original route.
Someone flying a microlite passed as I was walking by the turnip field heading towards Little Eversden.
Walking High Street through Little Eversden I spotted this strange chimney. I hadn't noticed it on my way out. Worth taking a photo I thought.
At the end of High Street, instead of turning right along Harlton Road the way I had walked out. I continued straight ahead and onto The Mare Way.
After a slight drop down hill, there was a steep climb up beside a wood. At the top after a few meters I had to walk through an area of slippery mud before I reached the junction where I had joined The Mare Way earlier in the day. However before turning left down onto The Wimpole Estate I had to walk on a little further to collect one more Geocache, one I walked passed earlier.
Returning to my original route, I was in a little bit of a hurry as I was trying to get as far as I could before it turned dark.
I reached the edge of Whaddon just as the light faded. Not far now.
On the whole most of the paths were dry but there were still patches of slippery mud. I was still covered in mud.
I was a little tired, who said Cambridgeshire was flat, I found some of the hills made me blow a little especially on my way back.
It had been a good day walking. I have shown the distance above as 39km return but this is approx. With all my wandering here and there I had covered 44km with a climb of 320m. I have another walk planned so looking forward to that.
More to follow
Boz North
Details correct at time of writing.
If you have enjoyed reading my walk or found it useful you may also like to read other walks I have done in Cambridgeshire/Bedfordshire/Essex/Hertfordshire or other areas. Please check out the links on the right hand side.
