Houghton - St Ives - The Hemingfords - Houghton, Cambridgeshire (4.5 miles)

This walk starts in the village of Houghton at Houghton Mill, goes through St Ives and onto Hemingford Grey, Hemingford Abbots and back to Houghton.  Parts of the walk are on the Ouse Valley Way. 

The car park is free (for National Trust members).  We attempted this walk once before (without a map or instructions!) but went wrong somewhere and ended up walking around Houghton Meadows - which are nice but not where we were aiming for!  Anyway, the instructions below are taken from the National Trust website and were pretty good.  We stopped in St Ives at The River Tea Rooms for refreshments but there are numerous shops cafes and pubs on route in St Ives and and the National Trust cafe at Houghton Mill.

I can’t say it was the most exciting walk we’ve done, it didn't go along the river as much as we thought it would but it’s a fairly easy 5/6 miles.  

It was a dry warm day but you should be aware that some sections of the walk are prone to flooding in wet weather.

Houghton Mill

Houghton Mill is open to the public (check website for opening times) and if you want a nice view take a quick detour along the caravan site field to the river bank and look back towards the mill.

Take the path diagonally across Houghton Mill car park and through the kissing gate and turn right into the narrow path called Love Lane.

Turn right onto Thicket Road and follow it straight on until it becomes a path.
This path is tarmac right the way to St Ives.  Half way down you come to ‘The Thicket’ which is an short alternative pathway up into woodland if you wish.  If not just carry on along the tarmac pathway.

Continue on this path alongside the river to St Ives to come out opposite All Saints' Parish Church. Holt Island Nature Reserve is over the bridge on your right (Holt Island was closed and appears only to be open weekends and Bank Holidays) and the Norris Museum is just ahead.

St Ives, Cambridgeshire

Walk along The Broadway to the Victoria Memorial and take the right branch along Merryland.

Take the first right hand turn down Bridge Street, St. Ives just before you get to Market Hill and go over the bridge.
The River  Tea Rooms are down a small passageway on the right just before you cross the bridge.

Turn right through The Dolphin car park and out onto Hemingford Meadow. Walk across the meadow, following the path diagonally left.  Keep to this path until you reach a stile at the far side This is now a metal gate. 

Follow Meadow Lane until it bends sharply left and a track comes in from the right.

Take a small path straight ahead that comes out on a road. Follow the path ahead until you reach another road.

Turn right at the road to Hemingford Grey church.
Turn abruptly left alongside the graveyard to follow a path along the riverbank. 

Hemingford Meadows

Follow the path keeping the river on your right to the far end of the High Street then turn right to continue along the riverbank.

The path crosses two meadows then leads alongside a mobile home park into Hemingford Abbots.

Turn right along the road until you reach the Axe and Compass pub.

Take the next road on the right after the pub (this isn’t immediately after the pub but about  100m down the road) beside the post box and follow this over the Black Bridge. 

Cross Hemingford Meadow to a lock and follow the path back to Houghton Mill.

Our route was: 5.47 miles
See the route on mapometer.com
Terrain: Flat (if miss out The Thicket), tarmac and grass paths
Habitat: Meadow, River, Woodland, Urban
Facilities: Cafe and toilets at Houghton Mill (check website for opening times), Refreshments in St Ives, Axe & Compass Pub in Hemingford Abbots