With easy access for visitors, Wicken Fen offers a unique opportunity to experience this unusua landscape, much as it would have appeared until the end of the 19th century. The reserve forms a harbour for a precious diversity of plant and insect life. Here, the changing seasons produce dramatic effects, from the green lushness of summer growth to the mystery of winter fogs and frosts.
The National Trust first acquired a plot on the Sedge Fen in 1899, for the sum of £10! Since then, more and more land has gradually been brought under the protection of the nature reserve. Now the area managed by the team at Wicken Fen is over 320 hectares (800 acres) in size.
Wicken Fen is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest, a National Nature Reserve, and a site under the Ramsar Convention. This means that it has one of the highest possible levels of protection under national and international law. It is also one of the best recorded and studied nature reserves in the world. Work by scientists and students from nearby Cambridge University has been very important in discovering how natural systems and human intervention maintain the Fen habitat. Almost every group of species has been recorded carefully at Wicken since the 1920s, and some, for example plants, birds and moths, have been recorded for much longer than that. Research in many fields still goes on today, and scientists from Cambridge and other interested institutions are closely involved in the management of the Reserve.
Wicken Fen is also a popular visitor attraction. The Boardwalk Trail is
a 3/4 mile journey through
the Fen habitats which is suitable for everyone to use, all year around.
For the more venturesome
there is the Nature Trail, which takes the visitor round into the
further reaches of the Reserve,
where unusual wildlife such as the Marsh Harriers and Bog Myrtle can be
seen. This trail can get
wet in winter!
In 1997 a new trail, the Adventurers' trail, will open. This trail explores Adventurers' Fen, and is ideal for birdwatchers as it includes several new hides with views of the Mere and other water bodies which could not previously be seen.
In the summer the reserve is teeming with insect life. Many different dragonflies and damselflies can be seen patrolling the dyke edges and droves. Butterflies feed on the nectar-rich fen meadows, including the famous Swallowtail. Bird life provides interest throughout the year, with many waterfowl overwintering. In the spring the distinctive songs of the Reed and Sedge Warblers can be heard throughout the reserve. Sometimes the extraordinary whirring song of the Grasshopper Warbler fills the air, giving the place an almost jungle-like feel.
The Reserve is managed intensively to protect and maintain the delicate balance of species which has built up over the years. Much of the management tries to recreate the old systems of fen working which persisted for hundreds of years, allowing species to become dependant on the practices. For example the Sedge plant, Cladium mariscus, is harvested every year and sold for thatching roofs. The first recorded sedge harvest at Wicken was in 1414. Ever since then, sedge has been regularly cut. This has allowed a pattern of plants and animals to build up who depend on regular clearance of the sedge to survive. The most prominent of these is the Swallowtail Butterfly, which needs the Milk Parsley plant to feed its caterpillars. If the sedge fields are not cut, the milk parsley in them dies off, and the swallowtail cannot breed. Many other plants and animals are similarly dependant upon regular management to keep their habitats going.
The present appearance of Wicken Fen is the result of centuries of management by human beings. Many of the practices now undertaken have changed little since medieval times. In surrounding areas, the landscape has changed so completely that it is almost impossible to imagine how it must once have all looked. Only a very few places survive where it is possible to experience this primitive landscape first hand - Wicken Fen is one of the most beautiful and best preserved of them all.
| Adult | £3.50 |
| Child | £1.75 |
| Adult (group rate) | £2.80 |
| Child (group rate) | £1.10 |
| Family discount | Every adult ticket includes up to 4 children at group rate |
| Cottage only | £1.50 |
The group rate is available to 12 or more visitors who book in
advance.
When the Visitor Centre is closed or unmanned there is a donation box in the car park nearby.
The necessary companion of a disabled visitor may request free
admission.
Visitors who decide to join the National Trust and take out membership
at Wicken Fen will be
refunded the cost of their admission.
The Nature Trail is for the more adventurous. It takes the visitor through over two miles of the Reserve, passing through many different habitats and management areas. In wet weather this trail can be quite muddy. The Nature Trail includes the Tower Hide, one of the oldest hides in the country.
The Adventurers' Trail will be opening in 1997. Ask for details to hear the latest news on this new trail.
Wicken Fen NNR Lode Lane Wicken ELY Cambridgeshire CB7 5XP
Since the year 2000, the latest news and information from the Wicken Fen National Nature Reserve has been posted to official Web site at www.wicken.org.uk.