New trail maps highlighting how easy it is to walk from Earith, Bluntisham, Over and Needingworth to RSPB Ouse Fen have been finished and published. They are the result of the nine-month collaborative effort between the RSPB, Hanson UK and communities in the villages surrounding the nature reserve.
Residents took part in workshops to help advise and guide the design of the four trail maps, which cover public access routes that lead to RSPB Ouse Fen. Local knowledge provided by residents helped in the designs, including pinpointing well known landmarks to feature along the routes.
The workshop groups provided ideas about what they would like to see at the end of each walk where the trail meets RSPB Ouse Fen, and a combination of benches, birdboxes and habitat improvement works were suggested. With hands-on help from local residents, the habitat work was completed and benches and birdboxes were installed.
These maps aim to encourage more local people to arrive on foot instead of by car at the nature reserve. Recent guided walks launched the new maps whilst looking at history and nature along the routes, and were well attended by the local community.
This work was delivered by the RSPB and Hanson UK as the part of the Quarry Life Award project, with Hanson UK providing funding for the new maps and destination features. This work is part of the ongoing partnership project that is creating RSPB Ouse Fen.
The new trail maps can be found in the download section on: www.rspb.org.uk/ousefen