Latest news

Budding cyclists are invited to grab their bicycles and join a guided cycle ride from Wicken Fen to explore Burwell Fen on Saturday 4 July. The ride is being organised by Wicken Fen Community Warden Emma Shepherd, as part of Connect2 Day, a series of national celebrations to mark the achievements of the Sustrans Connect2 project since being awarded £50Million from the Big Lottery Fund’s Living Landmarks: The People’s Millions award in December 2007.

The National Trust’s Wicken Fen Vision is one of 79 schemes nationwide to benefit from the lottery award won by Sustrans, the UK’s leading sustainable transport charity. Each scheme is designed to create networks to encourage people to travel on foot or bike for leisure, or everyday journeys such as visits to the shops or the daily commute to school or work.

The Wicken Fen Vision has received £600,000 from the lottery award towards the development of a spine route for walkers and cyclists linking Wicken Fen to Anglesey Abbey, with a potential link across to Waterbeach in the West. When completed the Spine Route will complete the missing link in the Sustrans National Cycle Route 11 from  Cambridge to Ely. Part of the grant is being used to fund the construction of a bridge over Reach Lode which when completed will allow unrestricted direct access between Wicken Fen and Anglesey Abbey.

The Spine Route is being developed as part of the National Trusts Wicken Fen Vision to create a landscape scale nature reserve and green lung for Cambridgeshire stretching from Wicken Fen to the outskirts of Cambridge.

Speaking whilst planning the bike ride Community Warden, Emma Shepherd said:“This is a great opportunity for me to meet local cycle users and update them on the development of the Spine Route and for everyone to enjoy some fantastic countryside along the way”

The cycle ride will depart from the Visitor Centre at 10.30am on Saturday 4 July. Cyclists who would like to join the ride are asked to telephone Emma at the Wicken Fen Visitor Centre on 01353 720274 to reserve a place.

Nigel Brigham, Regional Director of Sustrans says: “Come and join this celebratory bike ride and find out more about your local Connect2 scheme and how it will be improving links and routes between the villages and Cambridge via some of our most scenic countryside."

Published on 18th Jun 2009