I've discovered a fantastic walk just near Cambridge. Looking at the map, I found that there were dozens of footpaths going from Great Eversden, across fields, woods, a spinney, and up and down a few hills (that's relative here in Cambridgeshire). And no roads or houses anywhere in sight.
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| Setting off up the hill to the spinney |
As it happens, I'd decided to go with Anne Louise, even before we knew that it was going to be the most amazing weather. We packed a picnic and set off about 12. She had a sheepskin coat on and a wooly scarf. I'd got a t-shirt and a thin jumper. It must have been about 16C, and not a breath of wind. We set off over a stile covered with some kind of black berry, and up a little incline through a spinney. We don't really find them around much any more - thickets of bushes full of spines. This one was a narrow cut through the hill with trees on either side, just wide enough for a two wheeled cart to get through. Although it was sunny all around, in the spinney I felt a bit of a chill - good place for a highwayman to jump out at unsuspecting travellers.
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| our picnic spot |
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| A twisted oak |
acWe walked gently uphill, through some woods with twisted oak trees, beautiful autumn colours, large mushrooms, and mossy logs. The low winter sun filtered through the trees and glowed through the copper leaves. After about an hour we reached the edge of a hill looking down to the south west with Wimpole Hall estate and farm in the distance. We sat in the grass, and took out our picnic. Ladybirds were everywhere, even a few flies and a dragonfly. Anne Louise finally shed her sheepskin, while I sat and took pictures of her and of the view.
Back in the woods, we could hear and see dozens of small birds flitting about. I can't identify most of them, but we did see a very large bird on the branch of a tree - it flew away as we got nearer and according to the RSPB bird identifier, I think it might have been a red kite. In the hedges everywhere we went there were tons of berries of different colours - bright red rose hips, strings of red berries of different kinds.
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| Looking towards Cambridge |
As we headed back down the hill towards Great Eversden, we had an amazing view of Cambridge over to the right of us (eastwards). Across brilliant green fields of winter wheat gulls circled around, further away we could see the large white parabolic reflectors of the Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory, and in the distance, the chapel of Kings College and the spire of the Catholic Church.
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| Tower of Great Eversden church |
It was about 3pm by this time and the sun was lower. Coming into the village we passed lovely thatched houses (too big for cottages), more signs to footpaths going off to the left and right and an elderly couple on a walk. The newly restored tower of the 16thC church stood out very white against the dark ivy-clogged trees of the churchyard across a field to our right.
The church was unlocked so we had a look round: very simple furnishings, some faded flowers, the benches all pushed back to one side, a huge rather musty looking bible open on the lectern. The wooden c.1920 organ looked the most well-cared for part of the building.
The village appeared deserted, apart from a man on a very tall ladder on his roof, which made me think of The Archers. As we came to the car, a lovely greyhound came bounding up to us and then disappeared again. Driving into Cambridge across Fen Causeway, we felt all of a sudden the contrast, with all the traffic, walkers and cyclists around.
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| Boxing hares on thatched roof |
