Getting there

By foot: Wimpole Way from Cambridge; Harcamlow Way.
By bus: Whippet 75 from Cambridge, alight Arrington, then 1 mile walk; return bus from Orwell, a 2 mile walk. Bus subject to changes and cancellations. Please check with Whippet buses before you travel or call 01954 230011.
By bike: Cycle path to entrance from Orwell (A603).
By train: Shepreth 5 miles; Royston station, with taxi service, 8 miles.
By car: 8 miles south-west of Cambridge (A603); 6 miles north of Royston (A1198).

Local facilities
Historical house with Dutch and walled gardens; Home Farm; toilets; restaurant and café; visitor reception; toy shop, second-hand bookshop, garden, shop and National Trust shop; church

Distance, terrain and accessibility
Allow 1 hour 30 minutes for this 3 mile (5km) walk. The walk is on a well marked route and public footway, which can get muddy. There are a number of slight gradients as well as areas with livestock. Dogs under close control are welcome on the parkland.

Points of interest

The stable block
This grand stable block is where you'll find most of our facilities and is the starting and finishing point to this walk.

Wimpole lakes
Home to carp, rud, pike, tench, stickleback and the occasional eel, these lakes at the foot of Johnson’s Hill have been used and loved by generations, and are suitably placed for cattle and sheep to use them as their watering hole.

Folly
These gothic ruins, also known as sham ruins, were made purposefully to create a spectacular view from the Hall in 1768. They are just as stunning close up and stand as a unique portrayal of 18th-century style and fashion.

Woodland belts
Designed by Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown as a frame for the gardens. There are a number of wildlife habitats, home to a rich variety of flora and fauna. Check out the boards placed around the belts with seasonal information.

Wimpole Hall
Following centuries of remodelling and design, the grand Hall is rich in history and aesthetic beauty. This home was, and still is, the heart of this working estate.

Directions

1. Go through the black gate opposite the stable block and follow the pathway until you're in front of Wimpole Hall. Remember to look at the view down the South Avenue.

2. Follow the path around the house until you reach a gate. Once through the gate, please note the ridges and furrows in the field opposite, evidence of the plough pulled by oxen used on Wimpole’s medieval farmland.

3. Turn right and through the gate, then meander to the right, following the footpath away from the Hall across the field. Keep walking until you reach the ha-ha and iron bridge. Bear left ahead, towards the lakes until you reach the Chinese bridge.

4. Cross over the bridge and keep going up the hill until you reach the folly. Then, with the folly in front of you, turn left and down the hill towards the gate at the far end.

5. Walk straight through the farmland on the grass pathway into the woodland belt - the sign here is filled with wildlife information. Follow the path into the woods and then turn left. Keep walking, and after the path has eventually meandered around to the right, a fork in the footway will appear, take the left turning. As you walk, the fields are to your left behind the trees.

6. Once you’ve made it round the U-turn-like bend, follow the path behind the trees and up the hill. At the top of the hill the woodland belts come to an end. Jump over the stile and, in front of you, will be the medieval mill mound. Turn right through the half avenue and head towards the gate.

7. After you go through the gate there are some lime trees planted in parallel lines to your left. Follow this pathway down the hill toward the hall. At the bottom, bear right and go through the gate, the way you came before, where you can finish either at the stable block or restaurant.

Contact

01223 206000
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See www.nationaltrust.org.uk/walks

Download the OS map of this walk
© Reproduced by permission of Ordnance Survey. All rights reserved. OS licence no. AL100023974