Short birdwatching visit · Cambridgeshire County Council
Mare Fen
- Tier
- Good stop nearby
- Best season
- Winter flooding
- Headline birds
- Shoveler · Wigeon · Teal
- Parking
- The nearest parking identified by the council is at Church End, the northern end of Swavesey.
- Hides
- Not stated by the operator
- Step-free
- No detailed step-free specification is published; the stated entrance has a stile.
Station Road between Swavesey and Over
Mare Fen is a remnant of wet grassland in the Great Ouse floodplain near Swavesey. The county council describes winter flooding that provides shallow water for birds including Wigeon, Teal and Shoveler. Sluices manage the seasonal water levels, while summer grazing maintains the pasture. Ditches and ponds add other wildlife interest. Public access is via a stile beside High Causeway Bridge, so this is a grassland walking visit rather than a drive-up viewing hide. Consider the crossing and wet ground before setting out.
Birds and seasons
- Shoveler · Headline bird — Winter Source for Shoveler
- Wigeon · Headline bird — Winter Source for Wigeon
- Teal · Headline bird — Winter Source for Teal
Plan your visit
- Hides and viewpoints
- Not stated by the operator – check before travelling
- Paths
- Enter over the stile beside the interpretation panel at High Causeway Bridge. The reserve is flooding grassland rather than an all-weather surfaced circuit.
- Parking
- The nearest parking identified by the council is at Church End, the northern end of Swavesey.
- Access notes
- No detailed step-free specification is published; the stated entrance has a stile.
- Dogs
- Not stated by the operator – check before travelling
- Toilets
- Not stated by the operator – check before travelling
- Step-free access
- No detailed step-free specification is published; the stated entrance has a stile.
Getting there: Approach along Station Road between Swavesey and Over. The reserve is on the left after the former level crossing; use the High Causeway Bridge entrance rather than seeking access through fields.
Sources
Social preview: original typographic artwork by Does Your Duck Quack.
Nearby special trips
- Ouse Fen · 3.3 straight-line miles
- Kingfishers Bridge · 11.3 straight-line miles
- Cavenham Heath National Nature Reserve · 24.2 straight-line miles
Continue birding nearby
Nearest full guide: RSPB Fen Drayton Lakes, 1.4 miles away in a straight line.
- Ouse Fen · 3.3 miles in a straight line
- Overhall Grove · 4.6 miles in a straight line
- Somersham Nature Reserve · 5.1 miles in a straight line