The 150 mile-long Ouse Valley Way is a fascinating cross-section through England. It’s a chance to discover how the country has been shaped by the river and allowed our ancestors to prosper. It passes through ancient villages, new towns and communities of the future.
Seing how our country has come to be as it is poses questions about the future. You’ll get the chance to meet some of the people for whom the river plays a part of their daily lives.
The walk is described below in three sections and reflects the different character of each stretch of the river.
Headwaters: Syresham to Bedford
The Navigable River: Bedford to Earith
Interactive Map
This map also shows some suggested routes along with points of interest and potential obstacles.
Headwaters: Syresham to Bedford
every thousand mile journey starts with a single step
getting lost is part of the journey
In this stretch we’ll be spending time following the streams, brooks and ditches and walking through fields with the occasional sight of a hare or deer but usually accompanied by the sound of blackbirds, great tits and skylarks.
It’s fair to say that maintenance of this part of the Way has been rather neglected in parts. Known issues are marked on the map, as are alternative routes.
legs
- Syresham to Buckingham (12 km)
- Buckingham to Stony Stratford (15 km)
- Stony Stratford to Newport Pagnell (16.5 km)
- Newport Pagnell to Olney (14 km)
- Olney to Odell (13 km)
- Odell to Pavenham (10.5 km)
- Pavenham to Bedford (15.5 km)
1. Syresham to Buckingham (12 km)
The first part of the way starts near the source of the river in Syresham.
For purists, near might not feel near enough and they would like to start at the actual source.
If so, you could walk up the road towards Wappenham where there is a puddle by Wappenham Lodge Farm. However, the source is contested as there is a more westerly spring in Farthinghoe with the appropriate name of Ouse Well.
There are 26 waterbodies that feed in to the headwaters of the Great Ouse. Feel free to start at a different point if you’d like, after all, that’s just how freshwater works, or to put it in fancier terms: if every journey starts with a single step then doesn’t every river start with a drop of rain?
Syresham does have the obvious advantage that it’s on a bus route. Check out the Syresham page to find out how to get there.
Unfortunately, the route is a little bit confusing at the start and not all the landowners help to keep the paths clear. Following the road to Biddlesden is not a bad way to start.
After a while you’ll have the landmark of Wolf’s Obelisk at Stowe to help you navigate. Stowe Gardens are well worth a detour and you can pick up something to read along the way from from their pretty impressive second-hand bookshop.
From Stowe it’s a pleasant wander down Stowe Avenue, shaded by majestic beeches, down to the gate houses that demark the estate from the town.
Buckingham is a good place to get provisions if you’re just passing through or stay overnight. It’s also where you can meet local volunteers who look after their river and its surrounds.
2. Buckingham to Stony Stratford (15 km)
Leaving Buckingham takes us along a short stretch of the old canal which has been turned into a wildlife habitat.
If you pass through on a Tuesday or Thursday you might see members of the Canal Society carrying out maintenance.
Much of the route to up to Thornton follows the old canal and it’s worth noting the different species of plant that grow in the old canal bed.
There are a couple of issues with the route, particularly beyond Thornton, which have been marked on the map.
At Beachampton there’s a nice church and a pub where you can get some refreshments.
Arriving at the Lower Wield of Calverton marks the entry into the city of Milton Keynes. Milton Keynes (MK as the locals call it) takes its name from one of the 13 villages and towns that were incorporated into the new conurbation and if your only notion of MK is roundabouts and concrete cows, you will be in for a treat.
It’s just a short wander into the ancient coaching town of Stony Stratford which was, as the name suggests, the place where Watling Street crossed the Great Ouse (street ford). It’s a good place to stay or at least get something to eat and drink and why not do as travellers in the past did and go to either the Cock Inn or the Bull Hotel and tell your own Cock and Bull story.
3. Stony Stratford to Newport Pagnell (16.5 km)
Crossing Milton Keynes is a chance to see how tricky questions of development have been tackled and decide for yourself if they got it right.
There are several options for taking different routes and alternatives are marked on the map. The city is also served by a network of walkable/cycleable/scootable routes known as the Redways and are a great way to explore some of the sites - you could even hire a bike or scooter for some or all of the way.
The end point is the town of Newport Pagnell which mirrors Stony Stratford as an old place at the edge of MK. It has the only vellum manufacturer in the United Kingdom and is the original home of Aston Martin.
4. Newport Pagnell to Olney (14 km)
From Newport Pagnell the route crosses the Great Ouse at the weir
and heads to Sherington where a curious event took place in 1935. Delegations from long time rivals Oxford and Cambridge Universities met here to dig a hole and place a small axe in it. What better way to symbolise the ending of their rivalries by burying the hatchet.
There’s also a nice path up to the church.
The official route takes a long detour towards Tyringham, but doesn’t quite reach John Soane’s striking Tyringham Hall. The house isn’t open to the public but you can see the gatehouse and bridge and a diversion to these has been added to the map. Alternatively, a more direct route is also marked on the map in case you would rather spend your time amusing and amazing yourself in Olney. The route also goes through Emberton Country Park which leads up to a weir and sluice system for managing water.
Olney is a comfortable Georgian town and as the signs say, the ‘home of Amazing Grace’. You might want to spend some time here finding out more at the Cowper and Newton museum.
It’s also home to pancake racing, but if you’re here at the wrong time of year, you could always make up your own race with something from the Pancake Parlour.
5. Olney to Odell (13 km)
From Olney the route heads across meadows where locals often go paddling and swimming despite warnings not to and up the hill to the village of Clifton Reynes.
The village has a community pub, a theatre and a church with some eye-catching tombs.
The way then continues to Turvey in Bedfordshire
where the Great Ouse marks the border.
Turvey is a pleasant village, despite having to manage a fair weight of passing traffic, and a good place to get provisions.
The church also contains a curious mauseleum for the local big-wigs which suggests that there is more to it than meets the eye - look a the bricked-in door at the front…
The route leaves the river behind and continues over farmland to Carlton where The Fox will serve up lunch or a real ale liquid lunch - it prides itself on its CAMRA awards.
The route then drops down to Harrold via a bridge that is well used to dealing with flooding.
Harrold Odell Country Park is one of several accessible nature-rich habitats that have been created thanks to quarrying for sand and gravel. There’s a visitor centre, cafe and pay-by-donation car park. The bridge is also a popular place for bathers and paddlers heading towards Felmersham.
The route to Odell is entirely through the Country Park.
6. Odell to Pavenham (10.5 km)
The route from Odell to Pavenham makes a long loop, as does the wending river and yet seems to completely miss it, which is a shame. Even the part which does follow the course of the river is obscured.
Nevertheless, Sharnbrook is a good place for pub-based provisions and accommodation. Making a detour into Felmersham is worth the walk. When Niklaus Pevsner surveyed Bedfordshire for his epic series of books on the architecture of Britain, he put this church at the top of the list. The bridge is also a place where people come to bathe and paddle which should hopefully be a bit safer since the upgrade of the Odell sewage treatment plant upstream.
A shorter alternative route is marked on the map in case you would like to spend your time on some of the special places to come.
The village of Pavenham is rare for having a phone box with an actual phone in it (not working) and a collection of pretty cottages.
It’s also where we join another walking route, the John Bunyan Trail. The author of Pilgrim’s Progress used to walk about these parts as a tinker before his religious calling when he swapped mending pots and pans for giving sermons.
7. Pavenham to Bedford (15.5 km)
From Pavenham the route is back on the river and follows around a sloping bank to the river. The constant flow of water from the limestone ridge means that some of the ground is marshy all year round, which is an inconveience for walkers but a delight for nature. As a result, it has earned its status as a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
The constant flow of water to the river takes on a different significance at Stevington. Here you might see people who have come from miles away to fill up bottles of water from a holy well which passes under St Mary’s church (and graveyard).
The church is well worth a look inside if only to see the medieval pew carvings.
The village has a community-run shop in the village hall and if you are passing through on a Wednesday, you are welcome to join the locals for lunch.
The route carries on crossing over the old railway line and past the Stevington postmill.
Continuing into Bromham, the route meets back up with the Great Ouse at Bromham Mill. It’s now a nice park and popular cafe and is next to Bromham Bridge which is not pedestrian friendly.
The official route continues along the riverside and is accompanied by the unrelenting sound of traffic from the A6 before ducking unexpectedly into a housing estate at Great Denham. Alternative routes have been marked on the map…
Heading into town, you’ll pass near to the Guru Nanak Gudwara Temple and Eagle Brewery which is not open to the public.
Bedford makes the most of its river setting and a stroll through the parks that run along the river is a chance to see how it is actively used by local schools and enthusiats alike for rowing and kayaking.
Spending time in Bedford is also a chance to visit the John Bunyan museum and visit the Panacea Society.
The Navigable River: Bedford to Earith
From the retreat of the Romans to the industrial revolution, it’s fair to say that England wasn’t very easy to get around. As a result, it was towns set on navigable rivers that prospered from the free-flow of trade while the abundance of water powered various mills.
From Bedford onwards we’ll see a series of places that have benefitted from trade links and the source of power all while having to deal with the tricky business of managing too much water at times of flood.
legs
- Bedford to Great Barford (11 km)
- Great Barford to St Neots (15.5 km)
- St Neots to Godmanchester (16.4 km)
- Godmanchester to Holywell (12.5 km)
- Holywell to Earith (7.5 km)
1. Bedford to Great Barford (11 km)
This pleasant stroll starts by walking through Priory Country Park which was developed after the gravel pits were decommissioned.
There are several ways through the 300 acre Park with some paths skirting the lakes to hides where you can watch birds prospering from the newly formed habitat. If you are pressed for time, or want to pretend you are a train, you could take the most direct route along the former railway track to Cambridge.
The route takes you into the former Grange Estate that was owned by Bryant & May and used to produce wood for matchsticks. At this point there is a short detour to Willington where there is an impressive Dovecote and other buildings now managed by the National Trust.
Further on the route passes under a bridge to a new quarry.
It’s not great to look at but perhaps comforting that today’s desolate landscape could be made into tomorrow’s wildlife reserve.
The route continues past Willington Lake and then along the Great Ouse up to the suitably sturdy bridge at Great Barford.
Great Barford is a popular place for paddling - mainly upstream as 200 meters downstream is a weir (and sewage works). The village also has a friendly pub close to the bridge.
2. Great Barford to St Neots (15.5 km)
From Great Barford, the route diverts along the road past the sewage works and then a series of fields to Roxton. There are also some properties which it’s hard not to be envious of.
As the route reaches Roxton Weir passing a well-manicured lake on the left, the path heads into Roxton. Roxton Congregational church is worth a nosey.
From Roxton, the character of the walk changes dramatically. The route leaves being the river and much of its timelessness to witness a very different view of England.
Major developments are underway in this area with new road and rail infrastructure along with a substantial increase in housing.
Not all locals are happy.
There are some attractive parts of the walk into Wyboston which can feel like a quiet village.
However, at the eastern end of the village, the noise of traffic increases as we reach the A1.
The route continues along the A1 until it reaches Eaton Socon, where we rejoin the Great Ouse.
From this point on, the trail is in pretty good shape with good signage and other resources, thanks in large part to the Great Ouse Valley Trust.
Eaton Socon is split from St Neots by the Great Ouse and walks from here into St Neots take you through the flood plains that help manage the water.
3. St Neots to Godmanchester (16.4 km)
This is a well marked trail, however, the start can be a little confusing in negociating the St Neots streets to get to the Way.
It’s a short way along the Geat Ouse to Great Paxton and the pits that have become a nature reserve.
There are also other trails worth a diversion.
Not all of the way to Godmanchester is as accessible as it could be.
The East Coast Mainline railway runs parallel to the river and increasing makes its presence felt until you’re close enough to do some trainspotting. On the far side are the twin villages of Offord Cluny and Offord d’Arcy which each has a church that looks big enough for both - but one has been topped with a spire. Any previous sibling rivalry is now a thing of the past as only one has remained a church.
Buckden also offers some diverting walks and Buckden Towers, former home of the bishops of Lincoln is worth a look.
The route then continues through past Brampton Mill which has a pub (and an Environment Agency site) and across the common to Godmanchester. At this point, it is as easy to go to Huntingdon as Godmanchester which is where most of the facilities are as well as the bus and railway stations. It’s also a chance to pop to the pleasingly compact Oliver Cromwell Museum.
4. Godmanchester to Holywell (12.5 km)
The path out of Godmanchester is a little bit confusing as it heads to and then through the Godmanchester Nature Reserve but becomes clearer as it follows the river along Hemingford Meadow.
The route heads through Houghton Mill which has become a popular spot to paddle and swim.
Concerns over water quality have led a local group to take matters into their own hands and have started carrying out their own testing.
The route then carries alongside Houghton Meadows and the Great Ouse into St Ives but not before passing Holt Island which is worth a detour. It’s also a chance to learn about the history of the island and the philantropist who made a valuable donation to the town.
St Ives is an example of a place that grew in prosperity thanks to trade links despite its vulnerability to flooding.
The bridge is unique - not because it has its own chapel (there are three others in England) but because the chapel also spent time as a bawdy house
The 3 km walk from St Ives to Holywell takes a more direct route than the river passing lakes and lagoons on both sides of the path. The walk goes up hill towards the church at Holywell, where there is, perhaps unsurprsingly, a holy well.
The Old Ferry Boat is a good option for an overnight stay as well as refreshments.
It’s also a good place to visit the Fen Drayton Lakes Reserve
5. Holywell to Earith (7.5 km)
Leaving Holywell, the path heads along a dry ridge which is clearly useful in this floodable area
past the Pike & Eel Hotel and Marina, which is also an option for refreshments and overnighting.
The route carries on past the Browshill staunch and sluice, which is the first significant part of the water management system that has helped maintain the Fens as they are today. The path then heads to the village of Earith where we can now safely say, we are in the Fens. This is the point where managing water has been the No. 1 priority for the last 300 years.
The Old Bedford River was created first and locals walk their dogs along the top, although probably not all the way to Denver.
A more substantial New Bedford River (100-foot drain) was created in parallel and you could also walk along here to get to Denver Sluice.
The land in between has, in parts, become a wildlife habitat.
While here, there’s a chance to look as the Civil War fortification, the Earith Bulwark, which is now a rabbit warren. However, from the ground, it’s hard to make sense of the earthworks and the pattern only really becomes visible from the air.
For a glimpse of how things used to be before the Dutch engineers arrived, you could visit the Ouse Fen Reserve.
Fens: Ely to Kings Lynn
The Fens are unique - or at least unique to England. Over in the Netherlands, reclaimed land put to good use is commonplace, but this landscape created with the help of a Dutch engineer has been feeding England since the Civil War.
Compared to the walks in the previous sections, these are sparser in features and, for practical reaons, longer in distance (there are some suggested places to stop en-route). Nevertheless, they offer a profound lesson in how we use land and where we can provide opportunities to let nature co-exist.
legs
1. Earith to Ely (25 km)
From here, the route seems to go in the wrong direction, heading East-South-East, around Upper Delphs, Ewell Fen, Holme Fen, Upper Cuts, Middle Cuts and Chear Fen - all names for stretches of reclaimed land. At Stretham Mere, the route heads back in the right direction past the Stretham Old Engine which used to be one of many engines carrying out the drainage work in the Fens. and the Red Lion in Stretham offers food, drink and a bed for the night, in case the journey to Ely is a fen too far.
The walk ‘up’ to Ely which, being 26 metres above sea level is the hights land around here, is rewarded with some great views and a suitably splendid Cathedral. If you arrive around May Bank holiday, you can join in the fun of Eel Day when the city’s namesake is celebrated.
2. Ely to Downham Market (28 km)
At Ely, the Ouse Valley Way combines with the Fen Rivers Way and heads through the fens to Brandon Creek where the Great Ouse is joined by the Little Ouse and continues on to Denver Sluice.
The Sluice is all part of the great system of fenland water control. The river (combining with the Old and New Bedford Rivers which were last seen at Earith) is then split between a tidal and non-tidal flow and the path passes between the two.
A little further on is the pleasant town of Downham Market, which these days is as much commuter town to Cambridge as it is a market.
3. Downham Market to Kings Lynn (18.5 km)
From Downham Market the way continues between the two ‘rivers’ through the Wiggenhalls. First Wiggenhall St Mary Magdalen (where there’s a pub, the Cock Inn), then Wiggenhall St Peter where there is a ruined church.
At Wiggenhall St Germans there’s also is a pub to prepare for the final stretch.
As the way draws towards Kings Lynn, the two ‘rivers’ combine and we pass the industrial outskirts before reaching the quay where the way ends.
From there, the river flows out to sea.
