Follow the Fen Edge Trail
Fen Ridges
The Yaxley Ridge is located between the Nene Valley, the Woodwalton Apron and the Fen Edge. At Norman Cross it reaches above 30m OD. The ridge comprises Glacio-lacustrine Deposits, Glacio-fluvial Deposits and Oadby Glacial Till overlying Jurassic Oxford Clay. The ridge is surrounded by low-lying land with the Woodwalton Apron to the north and west , the Nene Valley to the east and the Fen Edge to the south. There are poorly drained soils on bedrock clay and Oadby Till, & well-drained soils on Glacial Gravels and River Gravels. There are no geological SSSI and no LGS.
The Upware/Wicken Ridge comprises the north-south aligned ridge of Jurassic Upware Limestone, which to the north is capped by Oadby Glacial Till. A spur of the ridge also extends east through Wicken village, where Oadby Till overlies Cretaceous Gault Clay and separates Wicken Fen to the south from the site of Soham Mere to the north. It reaches an elevation of 8m OD. The ridge is surrounded by the Fen Edge and has a narrow link to the Lode Apron in the east. There are poorly drained soils on bedrock clay & Oadby Till, and well-drained soils on Upware Limestone and Woburn Sands bedrock. There are two geological SSSI, Upware South and Upware Bridge Pit North, and no LGS.
At various times in the last few thousand years, the fenland has been flooded and, at the edge of the Fens, where these ridges are located, the land changed from extensive wetland to dryer land where settlements could be built. The higher land now provides viewpoints that are windows into the past – looking down into one of the last areas in England where ‘wilderness’ existed and people have met many challenges to survive. Compared to the extensive wetland basin, the Fen Ridges, along with the Fen Islands, have provided humans with a safer and easier place to live for thousands of years. They have, therefore, been the location for cultural, and often strategic, sites and have a rich history, much of it linked directly to the local geology.
More information on the landscape and geology of the Fens can be found on our Fen Edge Trail website.
A journey across a landscape and time
The Fen Edge Trail is our exciting project linking the geology and landscapes of the Fen Edge to the local history, culture and wildlife. Taking the 5 metre contour as a guide, the main Trail takes you from the border with Lincolnshire, in the north west, to the border with Suffolk in the south east. In addition, there will be walks around several of the ‘fen islands’ including Whittlesey, Thorney, Chatteris, March (including Wimblington and Doddington) and the Isle if Ely (including Littleport). There will also be a walk around Wisbech, a once-famous port, which has some land above 5 metres. See the Fen Edge Trail website for the full list of walks and to download the Walk Guides.
