Hugh Venables River Cam - geograph.org.uk - 4045844.jpg
Official route · Sustrans
NCN 11 - Fenlands, Cambridge and the Ouse
Saffron Walden to Cambridge is gently rolling farmland on road, then the route drops to the River Cam valley and stays flat for the rest of the way north to King's Lynn.
Surfaces are mostly tarmac, with a traffic-free section along the Fen Rivers Way between Barway and Ely as a notable exception. A land access gap on the Cam north of Cambridge forces a detour via Lode before you can rejoin the main line. Beyond Ely the route follows straight drove roads beside drainage channels all the way to Denver lock, then fantastic quiet roads into Downham Market and King's Lynn.
The figures
| Distance | 146.2 km |
|---|---|
| Climbing | 723 m |
| Off road | 12 km, about 8% of the route |
| Riding time | about 7 hours, roughly 2 days at a moderate pace |
| Region | East of England |
| Route from | Sustrans |
When to ride it
Spring and early autumn suit the fenland sections best, when wind is lighter and the exposed droves are not being swept by a winter easterly. The flat, open terrain gives no shelter from headwinds, and a northerly on the run to King's Lynn will slow you considerably.
Worth knowing before you go
Cambridge, Ely, Downham Market and King's Lynn are all on the line, so resupply is regular if uneven along the northern half. The Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust centre at Welney has a cafe and sits directly on the route, useful as a mid-section stop. The Lode detour north of Cambridge is easy to miss; check the turn before you leave Cambridge rather than after you have overshot it.
Put your own dates on this and TourTrax splits it into days at your pace, finds somewhere to sleep at the end of each one, estimates what it will cost and gets you to the start without flying.
Plan this route → Download the GPXGetting there
Trains reach most routes in Britain with the bike built and no box. Overland to the start carries the rail and ferry chains into Europe, and the planner times the legs for your dates.