FulbournNewmarket

Fulnew one
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Slow Way not verified yet. Verify Fulnew here.

By a Slow Ways Volunteer on 07 Apr 2021


Distance

21km/13mi

Ascent

98m

Descent

113m

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So far it has been reviewed by one person and surveyed by zero people and there is one issue flagged with this route.

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Description

This is a Slow Ways route connecting Fulbourn and Newmarket.

Know of a better route? Share it here.

This is a Slow Ways route connecting Fulbourn and Newmarket.

Know of a better route? Share it here.

Status

This route has been reviewed by 1 person.

This route has been flagged (1 times) for reasons relating to access.

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Information

Not verified

Route status - Live

Reviews - 1

Average rating -

Is this route good enough? -  No (1)

Problems reported -  Access (1)

Downloads - 1

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Geography information system (GIS) data

Total length

Maximum elevation

Minimum elevation

Start and end points

Fulbourn
Grid Ref TL5200756228
Lat / Lon 52.18337° / 0.22199°
Easting / Northing 552,007E / 256,228N
What3Words humidity.quiz.carpentry
Newmarket
Grid Ref TL6456563539
Lat / Lon 52.24544° / 0.40906°
Easting / Northing 564,565E / 263,539N
What3Words reader.riding.forgiving

Fulnew One's land is

Arable 56.0%
Pasture 10.1%
Urban 33.9%

Data: Corine Land Cover (CLC) 2018

review


Jake Goldsmith

27 Mar 2023 Spring

Direction: Newmarket to Fulbourn

Route issues:
- No access through Newmarket Racecourses before 1pm! (or 11am on Sundays)
- Prolonged section of walking directly beside a busy high-speed carriageway
- Some footpaths have been ploughed/planted over so are hard to find

Overall, an enjoyable walk through Cambridgeshire countryside, with some pleasant sections.

The walk begins following the old Roman road, now the A1304, out of Newmarket. The road becomes increasingly busy and fast, up to the national speed limit, and while there is a pavement along the whole length it is sometimes in poor condition, either covered in mud, or the asphalt worn down to grit. I tended to keep it between me and the traffic, sticking to the grass verge. I came across litter thrown from cars and the bones of roadkill. Unless you are comfortable being close to fast moving cars and lorries I wouldn’t recommend this path.

The road passes next to the Newmarket racecourse and one of the highlights of this section was a purpose-built horse crossing, complete with illuminated horse images, for the riders to navigate between the different sections of track. I also found a pleasing sign welcoming me to the county of Cambridgeshire.

Watch for footpath signs on the right and left for your turning point. The left-hand path follows the Stour Valley Path which runs, according to a helpfully placed sign, for 60 miles to Sudbury and Manningtree. But for this walk, take the path to the right through a white gate and up a set of steps onto the Devil’s Dyke, an Anglo-Saxon earthwork dating, again according to an explanatory sign, from the late 6th or early 7th centuries. The ditch and bank, which is up to 34 feet high, stretch in a straight line for 7.5 miles, from the Fens in the north to higher ground in the south, preventing passage along the older Roman roads that head east into East Anglia. The path is steep, narrow, and chalky at the top of the bank, so proceed with caution while enjoying the views over the various horse racing tracks that comprise the racecourse. It might be possible to bypass the more difficult sections on the left or right, although it was unclear whether the racecourse allows access.

After descending the far end of the bank my path was interrupted by the white fences of the race track. I assumed that, given no horses were present, I could duck under the barriers and proceed but was surprised to find on the other side a sign stating that public access to the area was restricted before 1pm, although I had seen no such sign when entering the area. After further research on returning home, I discovered that the restriction on the day I was walking, Sunday, was 11am, which was before the time I passed through. This was fortunate since I have now learned that the course is used on a daily basis for exercising 3,000 horses, which would have blocked my path.

The route passes up more stairs and over a footbridge across the roaring A14, and then right along an unremarkable looking muddy track. I was lucky to spot a rabbit or hare racing across the fields, in what I anticipated would be the most dramatic moment on this section of trail, and so I was appropriately surprised when I came upon the splintered hawthorn and crumpled blue metal of a car which had lurched off the carriageway, which passed only a few metres to the left of the track, which had come to a halt directly on my path. Thankfully, the rescue operation had already been performed and the wrecked car was empty. Indeed, I passed the high-vis of the Highways Agency van coming to recover the vehicle soon after.

At the end of the track, turn right along a quiet country road. I used the arc of the electricity pylons to mark my turn to the left off the road, but if you are following this route I wouldn’t recommend that path, as the proceeding footpath has been planted over by the farmer. Instead take the next, more clearly trodden footpath on the left. (If heading eastwards then at this point take your turn left one footpath earlier than marked on the map).

Next follow a pleasant downhill track past a farmyard and into Swaffham Burbeck. The route quickly departs the village, heading left along another peaceful country lane. Keep an eye out for the Public Footpath sign to the left, for a shortcut into Bottisham. After crossing the field and arriving in the outskirts of Bottisham, take the cul-de-sac named Vineyard Walk, and then follow a set of paths and alleys southwards, cutting through the village, between a cemetery and churchyard. When the path meets a road, turn right and then left at the sign reading Public Footpath, Little Wilbraham 1 ¼. Then at the next road, turn left along a tree-lined roadside path, and then right at the Bottisham Airfield Museum, once again crossing the A14. Take care in this section as the road has no verge to walk on.

Another Public Footpath sign indicates when to turn right after crossing the bridge however, when I walked the route in March, this path across a field was again nothing more than a vague line in the mud. Aim for the point of the group of trees opposite, and then turn 90 degrees left. There are no reliable sight markers along the next section of path, so if the route is hard to see I would recommend using a compass or GPS to stay in a straight line. The path continues across fields, over one road and then ending at another, where you should turn briefly left and then right into another field. Pass through the farmyard at Hawk Mill Farm, following the more established path southwards. Navigation in this section is difficult with no distinctive landmarks but aim roughly towards the large industrial buildings a mile distant, and you will find your way. At the road, turn right and, for one final diversion, left at the footpath signed Harcamlow Way, into the field which filters into an overgrown alley past the aforementioned buildings owned by S & B Herba Foods Ltd. and finally out, left, and over the railway at the level crossing. This is the final stretch into Fulbourn; follow the road forwards and enter the charming village which is the destination for this Slow Way walk.


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