During the Covid lockdowns we started a project to complete a circular walk each week, with a target of logging 52 different walks (one for each week of the year) within easy reach of home in Cottenham. Most are in South Cambridgeshire, although we’ve extended to an occasional Suffolk walk. We’ve hit our target now and are revisiting some of the walks – but we may try some new ones soon.
Many routes are from the Ordnance Survey book of Cambridgeshire Circular Walks or the Suffolk equivalent. The FootPathMap resource and Great Shelford website have also proved useful. We’re keeping a record here – for our own interest and as a database of future walk ideas for ourselves and others – do try them out!
At the foot of the page are a few walks we’ve completed while further afield.
Steve & Joy
Local(ish) circular walks project
The map shows the starting points of the walks. The table below the map lists the walks, sorted alphabetically by starting location. Follow the link to the blog entry of the month in which we did the walk for details (including route maps for many of the walks).
| Starting point | Miles | Route | Blog(s) | |
| 1 | Aldreth | 4.6 | Great Ouse – Causeway | July 2022 |
| 2 | Bluntisham | 8.5 | Colne – Somersham – Earith | Mar 2022 |
| 3 | Buckden | 5.5 | Offord-Cluny (C9) | June 2021 |
| 4 | Burwell | 7.1 | Reach | May 2022 |
| 5 | Chesterton | 5.2 | Along the river and around the city | Dec 2020 |
| 6 | Chesterton | 6.7 | Chisholm trail – city – river loop | Feb 2022 |
| 7 | Chittering | 6.8 | Great Ouse and Stretham | July 2021 |
| 8 | Comberton | 7.3 | Hardwick – Toft | Jan 2022 |
| 9 | Coton | 4.9 | Madingley via American cemetery | Apr 2021 |
| 10 | Cottenham | 4.8 | Smithy Fen, Lode, Les King Wood | Sep 2021 |
| 11a | Cottenham | 7.5 | Rampton + Long Drove loops | Mar 2021 |
| 11b | Cottenham | 5.4 | Rampton loop | Mar 2024 |
| 12 | Cottenham | 7.4 | Cottenham Lode, Great Ouse | Jun 2022 |
| 13 | Eddington | 6 | West Cambridge – City – Histon Rd | May 2022 |
| 14 | Ely | 7.8 | Little Downham – Chettisham (C27*) | Jan 2022 |
| 15 | Ely | 6.8 | Little Thetford (C19) | Mar 2021 |
| 16 | Ely | 6.8 | Queen Adelaide (C27*) | May 2022 |
| 17 | Fen Ditton | 6.6 | Cambridge commons and Mill Rd | Feb 2021 |
| 18 | Fen Drayton | 5.5 | Fen Drayton lakes | Apr21, Apr 24 |
| 19 | Fulbourn | 6.3 | The Wilbrahams | Feb 2022 |
| 20 | Histon | 6.0 | Girton – A14 loop | Feb 2022 |
| 21 | Histon | 5.8 | Oakington – Girton | Jan 2021 |
| 22 | Holywell | 4.3 | St Ives | Oct 2021 |
| 23 | Horningsea | 4.6 | Clayhithe – Baits Bite Lock | Dec 2021 |
| 24 | Horseheath | 5.2 | West Wickham (C4) | Nov 2021 |
| 25 | Houghton | 5.3 | Godmanchester Nature Reserve | May20, Dec22 |
| 26 | Isleham | 7.1 | Fen loop (C17) | May 2021 |
| 27 | Kingfishers Bridge | 6.0 | Padney Drove – Barway – river | Dec 2021 |
| 28 | Landbeach | 6.6 | Waterbeach – river – Milton | Jan 2021 |
| 29 | Linton | 7.3 | Rivey Hill – Hildersham (C22) | Apr 2021 |
| 30 | Lode | 5.5 | Stow-cum-Quy Fen (C10) | Mar 2021 |
| 31 | Lolworth | 6.5 | Chliderley, Knapwell, Boxworth (C15) | Feb20, Jan23 |
| 32 | Mepal | 3.5 | The Hundred Foot Drain (C1) | Nov 2020 |
| 33 | Mildenhall | 7.6 | West Row – Worlington (S16) | May 2021 |
| 34 | Milton | 4.8 | Country Park – Chesterton – river | Jan21, Jan23 |
| 35 | Moulton | 6.9 | Three churches walk (S27*) | Sep 2022 |
| 36 | Newnham | 6.3 | Trumpington – Grantchester | Feb21, Feb24 |
| 37 | Over | 4.8 | Swavesey via the Great Ouse (C3) | Nov 2020 |
| 38 | Reach | 4.5 | Swaffham Prior & Devil’s Dyke (C7) | Nov 2020 |
| 39 | St Ives | 6 | Houghton & the Hemingfords (C12) | Nov 2020 |
| 40 | St Neots | 8 | Little Paxton nature reserve (C16) | May 2021 |
| 41 | Sawston | 5.7 | Whittlesford | Mar22 , Jan24 |
| ,42 | Sawtry | 7.2 | Steeple Gidding – Little Gidding (C21) | Jan 2022 |
| 43 | Stilton | 5.7 | Folksworth loop (C14) | Nov 2021 |
| 44 | Stretchworth | 4.2 | Wooditon | Aug 2022 |
| 45 | University Library | 6 | City – Grantchester loop (C8) | Dec 2020 |
| 46 | University Library | 7 | West Cambridge – Coton | Feb 2021 |
| 47 | Wandlebury | 7 | Magog Down – Stapleford (C24) | Jan 2021 |
| 48 | Wicken Fen | 6 | Upware (C11) | Mar21, Jan24 |
| 49 | Wilburton | 5.5 | Haddenham loop | Oct 2021 |
| 50 | Willingham | 6.3 | Great Ouse – Aldreth Causeway (C18) | Mar 21 |
| 51 | Wimblington | 7.2 | Stonea Camp (C20) | Oct 2021 |
| 52 | Wimpole Estate | 4.8 | Estate walk (C5) | Dec20, Nov22 |
Total mileage = 317.5 miles
Average walk = 6.1 miles
Other walks
A few walks from our travels. Listed chronologically.
| Starting point | Miles | Route | Blog | |
| 1 | Wiveton Downs, Norfolk (N20) | 7.7 | Cley-next-the-sea – Blakeney | Jun 21 |
| 2 | Glenmore Forest Park, Cairngorms | 7.5 | Loch Morlich + Green Loch | Jul 21 |
| 3 | Divis Mountain, Co Antrim | 4.2 | Divis Mountain ridge trail | Aug 21 |
| 4 | Southwold, Suffolk (S2) | 3.8 | Circuit of Southwold | Sep 21 |
| 5 | Titanic Quarter, Belfast | 5.0 | Riverside and city | Dec 21 |
| 6 | Burnham Deepdale, Norfolk | 6.1 | Brancaster beach & back | Apr 22 |
| 7 | Tardree Forest, Co Antrim | 2.6 | Forest trail | Aug 22 |
| 8 | Randallstown Forest, Co Antrim | 3.0 | Forest trail | Aug 22 |
| 9 | Croagh Patrick, Co Mayo | 4.2 | Mountain climb (736m) | Jul 23 |
| 10 | Leiston, Suffolk (S18) | 6.5 | Thorpeness | Sep 23 |
| 11 | Holkham, Norfolk | 3.8 | Wells-next-the-sea | May 24 |
| 12 | Brockenhurst, New Forest | 5.0 | Circular walk | July 24 |
| 13 | Bala Lake, North Wales | 7.9 | Bala-Llangower | Sep 24 |
“S” indicates a walk from Suffolk Circular walks. “N” = Norfolk Circular Walks. In all cases the letter is followed by the number of the walk in that book.