Ouse Fen

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, Wales 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: Ouse Fen, Bluntisham Rd, Needingworth, Saint Ives PE27 4TA

Grid ref: TL348726

See our updates page to see which reserves are open.

Where the River Great Ouse spills into the Cambridgeshire Fens, a reedbed is coming to life. Hanson and the RSPB are working together, transforming a working sand and gravel quarry into Ouse Fen nature reserve. When it is complete, Ouse Fen will boast the biggest reedbed in the UK.

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
Picnic area
Guided walks
Viewing point
Nature trails

Accessibility

How to get here

By train

Nearest stations are Huntingdon and Cambridge.

By bus

The Cambridgeshire Guided Bus route run between Cambridge, St Ives and Huntingdon. Bus services between St Ives and Needingworth do not cater for reserve visitors but accessible taxis are available from St Ives for the 2.5 mile (4 km) journey.

By bike

National Route 51 meets the Guided busway route at St Ives.

By road

Nearest town is St Ivess. By car, the reserve is 10 minutes from the A14. Leave Junction 26 of the A14 onto the A1096. Staying on the A1096. At the fourth roundabout, take the third exit. Go straight over the next roundabout. Take the next right onto Bluntisham Road. After 400m, turn left.

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.

Other ways to get there

Reserve trails, footpaths and bridleways meet with the wider public right of network at several points. The Ouse Valley Way passes through the site.

Get directions from Google Maps

RSPB reserves on Google Earth

There are no facilities for visits by coach at this time.

16 degrees, Sunny day

Downloads

Helping you find your way around. PDF, 1Mb

Ouse Fen trail guide

Contact Ouse Fen

Ouse Fen, Bluntisham Rd, Needingworth, Saint Ives PE27 4TA
ousefen@rspb.org.uk
01954 233260
@RSPBFens
Find us on facebook

What will you see?

Our star species

Bearded tit

Look out for these colourful birds balancing on top of the reeds.

Great crested grebe

Watch the amazing courtship ritual of great crested grebes on the open water in spring.

Little egret

These dainty little white herons can be seen throughout the year here.

Marsh harrier

Marsh harriers nest here and are a regular sight over the reedbeds.

Reed bunting

Summer is the best time to see male reed buntings at their best at Ouse Fen.

In spring with patience you may hear the distinctive booming call of male bitterns or the 'pinging' of bearded tits in the reedbeds. Marsh harriers perform their sky-dancing display flight high in the sky. 'Mad' March hares can be seen chasing each other through the grasslands.

In summer reeling warblers sing from every corner of the reedbeds. Damselflies and dragonflies peak in numbers providing prey for dashing hobbies. Swifts, swallows and sand martins fill the skies once more. Male reed buntings with black crowns are at their most obvious.

Autumn arrivals and departures include wigeons, teals and lapwing gathering in large flocks on the riverside meadows. Groups of little egrets gathering to roost provide an impressive sight. Redwings and fieldfares escape the harsh winter in Scandinavia for berry filled hedgerows.

Over the winter, the lakes are host to growing flottilas of ducks and swans. Barn owls may be seen quartering the fields at dawn or dusk. Flocks of finches and buntings may be seen throughout the reserve. Great crested grebes perform courtship displays to potential mates on the lakes.

About Ouse Fen

Habitat

The extensive reedbeds and other habitats, including open water and grassland, are managed by the RSPB for nature conservation.

Swaying reedbeds are home to marsh harriers, bearded tits, otters and the secretive bittern. A visit at dawn or dusk may reveal a barn owl hunting over the grassland and scrubby margins. Ducks, grebes, swans and wading birds gather on the floodplain wetlands from autumn through to the spring.

Conservation

In the Cambridgeshire Fens, once part of one of Europe’s great wetlands, a working sand and gravel quarry is being restored and transformed into a vast nature reserve. The Hanson–RSPB wetland project began in 2001. It’s a 30-year commitment to improve the site for wildlife and people, giving more nature a home for generations to come. In 2016, with 15 years of this exciting, award-winning project still ahead, the reserve already covers 218 hectares (more than 200 football pitches).

Where, how and who?

After 30 years, 28 million tonnes of sand and gravel will have been extracted from Needingworth Quarry. From the landscape left behind, Hanson and the RSPB are shaping and improving habitats for wildlife. This partnership project is a brilliant example of how planned restoration, following large-scale mineral extraction, can help wildlife thrive.

Our Ouse Fen reserve has already attracted a wealth of wildlife: species that were once common in the Fens are returning here to feed and breed. Bitterns, marsh harriers and bearded tits have already colonised the reserve, and their breeding numbers are increasing.

Ouse Fen will link up neighbouring RSPB nature reserves at Fen Drayton Lakes and the Ouse Washes, creating a near-continuous wetland of some 2,500 hectares – the Great Ouse Wetland. A project of this scale and vision can only happen with the support and enthusiasm of a wide range of organisations and individuals. Hanson and the RSPB would particularly like to thank Cambridgeshire County Council and local people for their help and support in developing this important project.

Partners

The Hanson-RSPB Wetland Project is an ambitious partnership project that will deliver the RSPB Ouse Fen nature reserve in Cambridgeshire. This is a partnership project between the RSPB and Hanson UK. It is also supported by Cambridgeshire County Council.

Site information

At Ouse Fen, we're working with Hanson on an ambitious wetland project to create Britain's biggest reedbed.

The reserve is being created in 20–40 hectare blocks, divided by low earth banks. Each of these reedbed blocks have been carefully designed to include pools (small meres) of open water linked by ditches and channels, allowing wildlife to move around the wetland. Once complete, the whole wetland will stretch for 700 hectares and include the largest reedbed in the UK, spanning 460 hectares!

Latest blog posts

read our blog

Activities and events

Activities for children and families

Join a guided walk and learn more about the reserve and its wildlife.

Leisure activities

Discover what makes RSPB Ouse Fen such a special place for nature. There are two reserve trails, connecting to a network of existing public rights of way for lots of walking options. Barleycroft trail winds through the quarry landscape of lakes, lagoons and hedgerows. The Reedbed trail is the way to go to see the heart of the reedbed being restored. We’ll add new trails as the reserve develops.

There are miles of new paths for you to wander along, and there are even more to come. See for yourself, whilst exploring the lakes and reedbeds. There’s plenty for you to enjoy at any time of year, so do keep coming back.

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