Wednesday 9 April 2008

Starting at the bottom - Huntingdonshire

Not so Boring Field....



Our next port of call was Huntingdonshire. Hunts is a county that disappeared for ever in 1974 after a brief marriage with Peterborough, but the name lives on as a district of Cambridgeshire. Not big and not hilly, it is still quite an attractive county famous for being the birthplace of Oliver Cromwell. St Ives, along the banks of the Great Ouse, is a good place for a day out; attractive riverside walks, an impressive 15th century bridge complete with chapel, Houghton Mill and Hemingford Grey where you can visit the manor house, one of oldest continually inhabited houses in England.

The county top is listed as Boring Field (263ft), (not a name I can find on any map) so hopes were not high for the spectacular and stunning. However there was a Caravan Club certified site about half a mile away so Noddy and I ended up there on a Friday night for a 2 night stay. A lovely little site it turned out to be with a very smart lawn surrounded by a tall hedge and a beautifully maintained shower room that I immediately left muddy footprints in. The best thing about the site, aside from splendid facilities and pretty, quiet location (Covington) was the direct footpath from my van to the summit half a mile away.

Noddy and I duly rested overnight to prepare for the coming exertions. Our walk took us through farmland that was used as a cross country course for horses but fortunately we didn’t meet any on the footpath. We walked north- west up a barely perceptible incline and then branched off south along a ridge which marked the border with Northamptonshire. At this point I got out my new GPS to locate the actual spot only to find that it didn’t register altitude. Looking at the map, I think we were actually in the wrong county when I took the photo as the footpath appears to be in Northants, but I wasn’t going to hack through the hedge, we were near enough. There were pleasant views from the ridge and the weather was kind. Noddy and I wandered the footpaths for a couple of hours which eventually led us back to Archie. We never needed to cross a road, great!

We had planned on walking up Warren Hill (232ft) in nearby Kimbolton, which offered extensive views (according to the Pathfinder guide) but the rain came down and soaked us about 10 minutes after we left the van. Kimbolton, medieval church at one end, Vanbrugh built castle at the other, it is well worth a return trip some day.



Huntingdonshire might not have the biggest or most inspiring top but it has its compensations.



Click here for walking guides of Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire

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