National Trust - Wicken Fen Nature Reserve - Ely

Bernard ROUX

Lieu paisible pour voir et écouter la nature

Mark Davies

Our first visit and we really enjoyed the walk around the Fen. We saw lots of dog walkers and many people hired bikes for the trails, we decided to stick with the pram and it was easy enough. We saw lots of wildlife and beautiful views on the adventures trail.

When we got back to the visitor centre, we enjoyed a very reasonably priced coffee on the outdoor seating area. The bench cushions are a great touch.

Our only suggestion would be that the trials require more signage and maps with "You are here" because it is very easy to venture on to another trail which can take you miles out.

Norma Trevenna

Absolutely lovely boat trip today. Our guide was so good. It was such a peaceful, lovely trip, and the grandchildren had the best time. We then followed the trail for brass rubbing. There is so much to do. Highly recommend. I'm glad we live only five minutes away.

Stuart Seale

Enjoyed 4 hours here today. Never seen so many dragonflies in my life. Lovely easy walk along the boardwalks. Lovely boat trip too.

David Watson

Wonderful Nature Reserve with several signposted walks, hides, café and, of course, a National Trust Shop.
We went on a fine day, but I can imagine it being pretty bleak on a wet and windy one. We also took the dog, which limited which paths we could use, so she did not disturb the wildlife in some areas but there are poo bins about for when the inevitable happens

Rob Surtees

Long flat walks available. Great in Spring, Summer and Autumn. Exposed in Winter. Wide open landscape. Reasonable tea shop. Flat cycle routes to Ely or Anglesey Abbey with bike hire on site.

Simon Hames

Lovely national trust walk. You can choose either a paid walk if you are a non NT member or a free walk (although the car park is £3.50). The usual welcome centre and decent sized cafe make for a nice brunch visit. Water ways with birds and fields with pony's and cows is the way here. Bring sturdy footwear for the well kept flat stone paths which get slightly muddy in places. You can pay for the parking at the centre if you are not an NT member or forget your change/ don't like using your phone.

Jon Clynch

I first visited Wicken Fen over twenty years ago, and recently decided to go back with my wife and boys, as they'd never been. My memory of the place was a bit fuzzy, and I couldn't remember much about it but certainly wasn't expecting to enjoy it quite as much as we did! The car park is a short walk from the visitor's centre, which was nicely kept and well-stocked. A very friendly staff member advised us about the site, where we could walk and what we might look out for. We booked a boat trip for later, then went around the boardwalk. It helped that the weather was fantastic that day, but I'm sure we'd have loved it even on a cloudy or wet day. The boardwalk was wide enough for people to pass without difficulty, and we managed to spot a dairy amount of wildlife (including Marsh Harriers!). After our walk, we crossed the lane from the visitor's centre and went into the Fenman's cottage, a fascinating snapshot of life more than a hundred years ago! Everything is set out as it would have been, as if the old fenman might return any minute! The cottage garden is well-kept, and there are several workshops and an outside toilet (that shows just how basic the facilities were!). After another short walk, we had an ice cream at the cafe before heading to the meeting point for the boat trip. It's an open boat with shallow draught and a very quiet electric motor, and we chugged gently along while the guide enlightened us about the fen, the wildlife and history of the area, which was excellent. The trip was just under an hour in total and well worth the fee. All in all, a fantastic day!
There are toilets near the visitor's centre (behind the cafe) and in the car park. There's also a bike-hire place next to the old cottage and plenty of paths to explore by foot or bike outside of the actual fen.