Fen Drayton Lakes

We're working hard to make our nature reserves safe and ready for our staff, visitors and wildlife. Many have now re-opened in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, although some facilities are not yet available. Some reserves remain closed for now. See our COVID-19 updates page for the latest information (link below).

Address: RSPB Fen Drayton Lakes, Fen Drayton Road, Cambridge, CB24 4RB

Grid ref: TL352680

See our reserves Covid-19 updates page for which sites are open and other important details.

Fen Drayton Lakes began life as a flooded sand and gravel quarry next to riverside meadows. Now, a huge variety of wildlife is drawn to the area, including otters, dragonflies, ducks, swans and geese. There's something to see (and hear) all year round.

Plan your visit

Open at all times.

Free entrance to RSPB members: Yes

Adults: Free, but donations are very welcome

Children: Free, but donations are very welcome

Car park cost: Free

Facilities

Car park
Pushchair friendly
Picnic area
Viewing point
Nature trails
Educational facilities

Accessibility

Download full accessibility statement (PDF)

How to get here

By train

Huntingdon and Cambridge rail stations are the nearest. You can then take the Guided Bus.

By bus

The Cambridgeshire Guided Busway runs between Huntingdon and Cambridge has a request stop at Fen Drayton Lakes. Please note that the driver will need to be made aware that you wish to alight.

By bike

National Cycle Route 51 passes through the centre of the reserve. There are cycle racks located on this route close to the Guided Busway stop.

By road

The reserve is signposted with brown tourist signs.

Sat nav POI file: If you have a satellite navigation system that can accept POI files, please see our POI page for a download link and instructions.

Get directions from Google Maps

RSPB reserves on Google Earth

Groups are welcome but there is no access for visits by coach at this time.

16 degrees, Sunny day

Downloads

Helping you find your way around. PDF, 391kb

Fen Drayton Lakes trail guide

Contact Fen Drayton Lakes

RSPB Fen Drayton Lakes, Fen Drayton Road, Cambridge, CB24 4RB
fendraytonlakes@rspb.org.uk
01954 233260
@RSPBFens
Find us on facebook

What will you see?

Our star species

Common tern

Common terns migrate to Fen Drayton from west Africa, arriving in April. They can be seen flying gracefully over the lakes as they hover and swoop to grab fish and other small morsels of food from the water's surface. You might see male terns carrying fish to give to their mates as courtship gifts.

Great crested grebe

Watch the amazing courtship ritual of great crested grebes on the open water in spring. You may see pairs performing their 'weed dance' when they present one another with weed and patter across the surface of the water together.

Gadwall

This subtly plumaged dabbling duck occurs here in nationally-important numbers in winter. You can watch them 'upending' for aquatic vegetation. They look plain brown and grey from a distance, but closer up you can see their remarkably intricate plumage.

Bullfinch

Bullfinches flit in and along the hedgerows, feeding on buds and seeds.

Hobby

Hobbies are falcons which arrive at Fen Drayton in late April, leaving in September. They are very agile and fast - they hunt small birds like martins, and dragonflies, which they catch with their feet. Watch carefully and you'll see them passing their prey up to their beaks to eat in flight!

Lapwing

Huge numbers of lapwings gather here in winter. If a bird of prey, such as a peregrine, is in the area, they take to the air in a vast wheeling mass.

Nature spectacles

In spring, look for stripy-headed grebe chicks and downy cygnets. Listen to the songs of reed and sedge warblers around the lake margins, or catch the distinctive call of the cuckoo. Watch the common terns which nest on the rafts in the lakes. You may see them plunge-dive into the water to catch little fish to feed to their chicks.

On warm, sunny days look in sheltered spots for dragonflies, damselflies and butterflies. May is the best time to see hobbies. If it’s cool and windy you can watch swifts, swallows and house martins swooping on insects over the lakes. Ducks will have downy youngsters by May.

By the end of summer mute swans, geese and ducks gather to moult in safety. On the lakes, you can see large flocks of ducks - you might find gadwalls, mallards, wigeons, teals and tufted ducks. Keep a sharp eye on the reedbeds - you may spot a bittern stalking through the reeds or flying across the lakes.

In autumn, warblers feed up on berries in September before migrating south for the winter. From September to December, starling flocks gather at dusk to roost in the reedbeds.

As you wander by hawthorn hedges in early winter, you may see and hear redwings and fieldfares. In late winter, great crested grebes and goldeneye ducks start their courtship displays.

About Fen Drayton Lakes

Habitat

Fen Drayton Lakes stands at one end of a string of wetlands and fens that runs for 25 miles (40km) along the Great Ouse floodplain.

It's made up of a variety of habitats - 46 per cent open water/wetland, 43 per cent grassland and 9 per cent scrub/woodland.

Conservation

The RSPB has been looking after Fen Drayton Lakes since 2007. We’ve been transforming the lakes and meadows into an even better home for nature. We’re creating more wildlife-friendly features, such as sheltered bays around the lake edges and shallow pools or “scrapes” in the wetland margins. Here ducks and other waterbirds can rest and feed.

Where there was once just bare sand and gravel, you can now hear the sounds of nature again, and watch great crested grebes performing their astonishing courtship dances, against the backdrop of blue lakes, lush, green meadows and the wooded fringes of the river valley.

Site information

You’re never far from water and wildlife here; it surrounds you wherever you wander. Explore through the woods and catch glimpses of secluded bays and pools. You won’t be able to miss majestic mute swans on the lakes but you’ll need to look a little harder to see the many colourful insects. The riverside meadows are alive with nature – reeds rustling, birds warbling, grasshoppers chirping and bees a buzzin’.

Fen Drayton is a County Wildlife Site, and 391 ha in size.

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Activities and events

Activities for children and families

Join in our family friends events. How about taking part in a willow weaving workshop, using willow harvested at the reserve? Or in the autumn, come along to a roost watch to see thousands of starlings performing at dusk.

Kids will love dipping for minibeasts in the lakes and hunting for bugs in the summer.

Why not join one of our regular guided walks? They’re a great way to learn more about the reserve and the wildlife which lives here.

Leisure activities

A 'RunTogether' 5.4 km running route is waymarked around the reserve. Explore the lakes and exercise while you go. Discover RunTogether routes in this area.

Sustrans Traffic-free National Cycle Route 51 provides traffic free cycle access to the heart of the reserve. Start your visit on two wheels. Find a Sustrans cycle route.

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