Woodwalton Fen

Woodwalton Fen lies west of Ramsey in Cambridgeshire, a flat wetland of 209 hectares owned by the Wildlife Trust and managed by Natural England. It is one of England’s earliest nature reserves, created in 1910 by banker and entomologist Charles Rothschild. Rothschild built a thatched bungalow on the site in 1911, still standing today. The fen is also a Ramsar wetland of international importance and a Special Area of Conservation. It forms part of the Great Fen Project, which aims to link Woodwalton Fen with Holme Fen through restored habitats. The reserve protects rare East Anglian fen flora such as fen wood-rush and fen violet. Ditches hold uncommon aquatic plants including bladderwort and water violet. It stores winter flood water but faces issues with high silt and nutrient loads entering the site. The fen is connected to other fragments like Wicken Fen and Chippenham Fen within the Fenland SAC. The Great Fen Project began in 2002 with the purchase of Darlows Farm to restore arable land to wetland. Visitors reach the reserve from Chapel Road in Ramsey Heights village. A five-kilometre Fen Edge Trail follows the five-metre contour, tracing an ancient coastline. The trail offers views across open water and reedbeds where rare plants grow. The thatched bungalow remains a quiet landmark near the reserve’s edge. Restoration work continues to expand the wild fen landscape and improve water quality.