Ouse Valley Walk: Paxton Pits & Heron Trail (7.5 miles / 12 km, Leisurely, Booking Required)

This walk is for up to 30 people, including the leader.

A fairly flat walk from St. Neots to Paxton Pits Nature Reserve with plenty of wildlife spotting particularly along the River Great Ouse where you can spot some herons and many other ornithological creatures along the way.

We will start our walk at St. Neots Station and walk down Priory Hill Road where you will be able to take in some nice scenery in the distance as we head down Mill Lane and reach Paxton Bridge.

We will then reach the Ouse Valley trail where we will end up walking past Hayling Lake then reach a small section of the Meadow Trail and head towards Rudd Lake, you may be able to spot several species of wild orchids. We will then stop for a quick break once we reach Paxton Pits Visitor Centre Car Park along the Heron Trail where early into the walk, we have the option to stop at a viewpoint along Heronry South Lake where as well as the grey heron, you may be able to spot nightingales, kingfishers and if you’re lucky, cormorants.

We will then continue past Little Paxton Quarry, an archaeological and geological site containing remains of activity over 400,000 years including those of Iron, Roman and Saxon age. Shortly after this, we will reach our lunch stop where you can take in some nice views across Heronry North Lake. We will continue the rest of the walk along the Ouse Valley Trail whilst returning to part of the Heron Trail.

Meanwhile, we will pass Mooring Meadow which includes the site of an old farm abandoned during the early 60’s before it became gravel pits. We will then pass Dodder Fen which includes a wide variety of plants and insects like butterflies and have a long stroll along the Great Meadow, a rather flat Texas plain like landscape until we pass Cloudy Lake and eventually end up back at Hayling Lake.

Once we’ve rejoined this section, we will head back over Paxton Bridge, Mill Lane and up Priory Hill Road where we will take a right turn into Priory Park where you have the option to enjoy some live music, performing arts acts, food and beer stalls at the St. Neots Festival.

Dogs are welcome on a lead (we will be passing livestock).

For information about walking with the group, including our dog policy, please visit the Stag Walkers website.

Booking your place: If you would like to join, you must book in advance using the Stag Walkers Meetup group - see Notes for how to book & what to bring. If you are unable to attend, please cancel your booking so that someone else can take your place.

Please do not turn up for a walk without booking, as places are limited.

Unless you opt in to further communications, we will only use contact information you provide to get in touch about the walk.

Please car-share or use public transport if possible. To offer a lift or ask for one from a fellow walker, please use the Meetup event page.