Fen Drayton: Nature, Walking Trails and Village History

Fen Drayton brings together two key themes for planning a trip: the nature and walking trails of Fen Drayton Lakes, and the village’s historic features. If you’re looking for a hotel in Fen Drayton, these themes can help you plan your stay according to your own itinerary.

Nature and walking trails at Fen Drayton Lakes

Fen Drayton Lakes was created from a flooded sand and gravel quarry beside river meadows. The wildlife found there includes otters, dragonflies, ducks, swans and geese. Their presence can vary seasonally. For wildlife watching, there are five observation hides, three open-sided observation shelters and one observation post. The landscape, wildlife and observation facilities each give the nature reserve its own distinct focus.

Compare trails by distance

Three named trails run through the nature reserve. The Holywell Short Trail is 1 mile (1.5 km) long. The Ferry Lagoon Trail is 2.5 miles (4 km), and the Elney Loop Trail is 3 miles (4.5 km). This makes the Holywell Short Trail the shortest and the Elney Loop Trail the longest, with 3 km between them. At 4 km, the Ferry Lagoon Trail is in between. This lets you distinguish the three routes by their stated lengths.

Walk 1 of the Fen Edge Trail runs from St Ives via Fenstanton and Fen Drayton to Swavesey. The guide gives its distance as 6.1 miles (9.8 km) and its walking time as 3 hours plus breaks. At this distance, Walk 1 is more than twice as long as the longest of the three trails in the nature reserve. The stated walking time is an additional planning detail for this longer route.

Church and historic features

St Mary has served the village for over 800 years. The west wall of the nave and the lower courses of the chancel date from the late 13th century. These two details describe different aspects: the figure of over 800 years refers to the church’s service to the village, while the late 13th century refers to the named parts of the building.

The Village Lock Up in Fen Drayton is a Grade II listed building. It dates from the 19th century and is made of Gault brick, with a slate roof. Fen Drayton Conservation Area was designated on 10 September 1975. The village’s history therefore includes specific building details alongside the date of a conservation area designation.

Bus and cycle route

There is a request stop on the Cambridgeshire Guided Busway at Fen Drayton Lakes. If you want to get off there, let the driver know. National Cycle Route 51 runs through the middle of the nature reserve. These are two clear details to keep in mind when planning your trip: one about the request stop, the other about the route of the cycle path.

Planning a hotel search in Fen Drayton

The stated trail distances and Walk 1’s walking time offer different points of comparison for planning. You can then compare hotel offers based on your own travel plans.

Discover more destinations: Little Wilbraham, Brampton, Littleport, Stow Cum Quy, Milton, Hardwick, Buckden, Huntingdon.

For an overview of the wider area: Cambridgeshire.