The best gravel rides around Fowlmere

The Windmill at Fulbourn stands on an outlier of the Gog Magog Hills 4 miles east of the City of Cambridge. Low chalk hills run to the south of it; northwards the Windmill overlooks the Fens which are at most only a few feet above sea level. The cap of the Windmill rises to 160 feet above sea-level and from it there is an uninterrupted view of the roofs and towers of Ely Cathedral. It has long been an outstanding landmark in the south Cambridgeshire countryside. It was the enclosure of the parish for the improvement of cultivation that led to the building of the present Windmill. Much of the land in the north of the parish was low-lying and waterlogged and needed draining to convert it into profitable arable land. Fulbourn Fen was a peat fen only 20 feet above sea level over which the Great Wilbraham River spread its waters in times of flood. The Act of Enclosure for Fulbourn was passed in 1806 and the Commissioners completed their work two years later. The drainage of the parish reduced the level of water in the upper reaches of the Great Wilbraham River on which the manorial watermill was situated. The loss of power brought to an end the life of a mill which had first been recorded in Domesday Book. In 1808 the machinery of the watermill was put up for sale. A new mill was therefore needed and the Enclosure Commissioners allotted one acre on Mill Hill, on which to build a mill and miller’s cottage, to John Chaplin, a considerable landowner and farmer. He used copies of Old Moore’s Almanack as a diary, entering personal events and business notes in the margins of the calendar. In 1808 he recorded against 11 July, ‘I laid the first brick of my mill’; 22 November, ‘Mill sails put up’; 15 December, ‘Began grinding’. It is a large octagonal smock mill with a brick base and wooden superstructure. Its outline is squat with a shallow conical cap. The fantail, as usual in Cambridgeshire mills, is close against the cap. The mill holds three stones, one of French burr and two of Derbyshire stone. With floors 24 feet in diameter, there is exceptional space for working the mill. (https://fulbournwindmill.org.uk/history.html)

Huge chalk and lime quarry

Long gravel byway heading North is generally a gentle uphill run. good surface gets a bit over grown in late summer with brambles but a wide track so avoidable. Popular with horse riders so be prepared to stop and get out of the way (thay are bigger and not as placid as our bikes :)) Very good ride.

Enjoyable off-road climb (northbound) into Ashwell, where the off-road path continues, passing behind houses and allotments

This is a scenic, undulating part of the Icknield Way, very pleasant to ride through in summer.

A brilliant pub with great food on a really nice off-road route through this areas. Definitely worth the ride and stop to “rehydrate” and refuel. The tables outside are great for stopping, getting off the bike and recapping the ride.

Coming from Strethall, this is a rolling decent toward the motorway bridge on singletrack, diagonally through a field and along hedges.

This segment of the Icknield Way is a mixture of wider field track and tree-lined singletrack, which was well-rideable on a gravel bike.