An excellent choice for our first coach trip of the new season. 20 of our members enjoyed a fairly rain free day on the flooded Cambridgeshire Washes and Wicken Fen.

The Ouse Washes

This is one of the most important wetland sites in Europe; it is protected under the Ramsar convention and is listed as a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The RSPB and the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust own much of the rest of the Washes.

The Ouse Washes are a 1/2 mile wide strip of permanent grassland lying between the parallel banks of the Old and New Bedford Rivers, running for twenty miles from Earith in the southwest to Denver in the northeast. The rivers were cut in the 17th century and earlier as part of the drainage schemes completed by the Dutch engineer Cornelius Vermuyden. The Washes act as a floodwater storage area; in times of high water the rivers are allowed to flood the Washes rather than the farmland, villages and towns of the fens. Regular winter flooding improves the washland summer grazing and hay cut, and provides vast areas of shallow water which are of international importance to wintering and breeding waterfowl. Bird numbers depend on the season and extent of flooding, but large numbers of teal, pintail, wigeon, shoveler, pochard and Bewick's swan may be seen in the winter. In summer ruff, black-tailed godwit, lapwing, redshank and snipe breed in the rough grassland. It is probably the best site in Cambridgeshire for dragonflies, with species including variable damselfly and hairy dragonfly.

In addition to the wildfowl, over 260 species of flowering plants have been recorded here, including fringed water-lily and greater water-parsnip which grow in the dykes and rivers. Many are relics of the fens, surviving only in the rare pockets of fenland habitat that survive today.

Location
From March take the A141 towards Chatteris, and at Wimblington take the B1093 to Manea. From the village follow the signs to the RSPB reserve at Welches Dam, and park in the RSPB car park. A footpath runs along the base of the bank to the hides built by the Trust and the RSPB. Please stay on the lower paths to avoid disturbing the birds. A single hide at TL 480 854 on the eastern bank can be reached from either Coveney or Little Downham.

Wicken Fen

Wicken Fen has been designated as a:

• National Nature Reserve
• Site of Special Scientific Interest under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.
• Special Area of Conservation under the EU Habitats Directive.
• Wetland protected under the international Ramsar Convention.

There is no higher recognition of ecological importance. These designations have been principally made on account of the open Fen habitats such as sedge beds, reed communities and Fen meadows. Aquatic habitats such as the dykes and pools are also very important. Dryer grassland and woodland also add diversity to the site but in the case of woodland, its expansion has often been at the expense of more valuable open Fen habitats.

The Fen has a prodigious list of rare species. It was established as a nature reserve because of its invertebrate interest. Nearly 5,000 species have so far been identified on the Fen, including more than 121 that are included in the Red Data Book of rare invertebrates.

With thanks to the National Trust. For more details on Wicken Fen visit their very informative website by clicking here.

Location
South of the A1123, 3 miles west of Soham, 9 miles south of Ely, 17 miles northeast of Cambridge via A10.?

A very big thank you to Cath Williams on her first successful coach outing

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