Wicken Fen

More hiking in the East Anglia!  Wicken Fen is north of Cambridge and part of the National Trust.  It is England's first nature reserve, established in 1899.  After taking a look around the visitor center, we started our three mile round-trip hike into the fens.  We followed the Wicken Lode for a while.  The Cambridgeshire Lodes are a network of man-made waterways believed to have been created by the Romans - perhaps to create navigation to certain village areas, or perhaps to drain the fens.

Further along the lode, we came upon two windpumps, one old and one new.  We learned that a windpump is used to control water levels in peat to allow agriculture.

After we turned away from the lode, we walked beside the natural fenland for a long ways.  We could hear many birds hiding in the grasses, but only a few allowed themselves to be seen.  I managed to photograph a couple of Greylag Geese and a Merlin Falcon.

The nature reserve uses highland cattle and konik ponies to naturally graze the fenland year-round.  We got to see both, but wished we could have gotten closer looks at them (they were on the other side of the lode).  Guess that means we'll be going back!

Cooper spent most of the hike rolling around in the swampy grass and running through mud, and came home smelling like a rotten fish.  It was worth it though... after a thorough bath, he played "dead dog" the rest of the night!

~Lindsay