Visiting E/SE England (1 Viewer)

[Dalradian]

Hi all, not really knowing the area I thought I’d come here for some advice on places to visit during a trip to the Cambridge area mid month. Being a primarily northern birder I’m hoping to see things such as nightingale, woodlark, stone curlew… Maybe also spending some time towards the coast to catch a bit of migration and dartford warblers.

I’ll be travelling by public transport (may hire a car or try hitching) and favour sites where you can enjoy spending time in one area sitting waiting rather than having to walk multiple kilometres.

So far I’m thinking Lakenheath and Fen Drayton lakes when around Cambridge and then heading south or east for the coast. Any suggestions of places to visit, things to see, or good buses to catch would be appreciated.

 

[Welsh Peregrine]

I presume Weeting Heath is still the place for Stone Curlew (and Woodlark)

 

[Captain_of_Crunch]

Lakenheath is a really great site to visit but only has train services stopping on weekends (majority on Sunday) and unlikely to see any of the three species you mention. For your target species, I would suggest Lackford and Cavenham Heath NW of Bury St Edmunds. There are regular buses to Lackford and you can cut through to the reserve using Church Walk. From Lackford, you could then get the bus to Camp Close in Icklingham and walk to Cavenham and Tuddenham Heaths. There is a nice farm shop/cafe along the laneway to Tuddenham village. Tuddenham doesn't get many bus services but may be worth checking times in case they work from your origin using Google maps.

Another good site for Nightingale is Abberton reservoir. To get there, you will need to take the 92 Seasiders bus from Colchester to Layer Breton causeway (the bus will drop off anywhere on the causeway if you ask). From here, there is a bridleway to the main reserve centre which takes about 25-30 mins to walk. There are a number of bus services to the east end of the reservoir (Abberton village) which may be worth exploring but I have not done this yet so cant give any advice.

RSPB Minsmere + Dunwich Heath would have all of your target species but unfortunately it lies in a public transport black hole. The only option would be to take a taxi from Darsham train station.

 

[Harry Stottle]

If you are in Cambridge you can take a train changing at Ely then to (Lakenheath) or Brandon. Very few trains stop at Lakenheath but more to Brandon from Ely. If you bring a bicycle (perhaps you can borrow one from friends in Cambridge or just hire one there), Brandon is in easy cycling distance from Lakenheath (about 6m) and Weeting (2m) for Stone Curlew. Weeting to Lakenheath is about 5 miles. Brandon is also about 10 or 11 miles from Cavenham heath and 15 miles from Lackford, if you care to cycle that far.
If you take the train from Ely you will pass Lakenheath fen. Usually you will have views of the Common Cranes from the train (the easiest way to see them - albeit briefly).
It would of course be better to hire a car, then you can visit all the local sites without spending time cycling.

https://www.greateranglia.co.uk/travel-information/station-information/lak

https://www.greateranglia.co.uk/train-times/cambridge-to-brandon

You could continue by train to Norwich from Brandon and then hire a car to give you access to the Norfolk coast.

https://www.greateranglia.co.uk/?open=buytickets&fromStation=BND&toStation=NRW

The nearest railway station to Minsmere is Darsham about 4 miles.

Accessible transport from Darsham and Saxmudham train station to the reserve can be booked a week in advance through Coastal Accessible Transport Services - C.A.T.S.
Simply call 01728 635938 or visit their website Home to book your spot. Much quicker by car however, less than 2hrs one way. The train takes 5 1/2 hrs one way.

https://www.rspb.org.uk/days-out/reserves/minsmere/location

Trains Cambridge to Darsham from £22.70 | Greater Anglia Times & Cheap Tickets | Trainline

Travel by train from Cambridge to Darsham in 2h 8m. Compare Greater Anglia times & prices. Buy cheap train tickets from Cambridge to Darsham from £22.70.

www.thetrainline.com

 

[a_j_steele]

Paxton pits in Little paxton village is a good site for Nightingale and nearby grafham water can be good but not sure on the transport links

 

[Captain_of_Crunch]

Given the ridiculous speeds car drivers tend to do on the Hockwold Road, I would would not recommend cycling to Weeting Heath unless you are an experienced road cyclist. Annoyingly, the road lends itself to the typical cycling/walking infrastructure prevalent in the Netherlands and elsewhere on the Continent.

Grafham Water has the service 400 (Dews Coaches) but it only goes a couple of times a day and not at weekends. The easiest way to access it is to take the 66 service to Diddington on the A1 and walk about 45mins to the east side of the reservoir (or bike it).

 

[Dalradian]

Thanks all, would have missed a lot of this on my own. There’s a particular appeal about cranes from the trains so will try to fit that in and see what else I can fit into the plans