Directions
This leg starts off at Shippea Hill railway station at TL641841. Cross the level crossing by the station southwards and then immediately turn to the left, crossing a ramshackle bridge over a drain to join a track. This heads eastwards with the railway line to the left. After a little over a mile a barn is reached on the right; here the track curves to the right and passes through Lodge Farm to become a surfaced public road called Sedgefen Road. Follow this road; when it curves sharply to the right continue straight on along a minor road for another half mile until it curves sharply to the left at TL676841.
Do not follow the road around the bend and instead continue straight on along a good track. When this forks at a house continue straight on along a rougher track; a quarter of a mile after the house it curves sharply to the right to head south for a fifth of a mile before reaching a cottage on the left. Squeeze past the cottage gates on the right to reach another road at TL683837.
Turn left and follow this road as it immediately curves to the right. It heads southeastwards, passing Russell Farm on the right. After half a mile it curves sharply to the left to head northeastwards for a quarter of a mile. At a sharp right-hand bend at TL694836 turn left along a track that heads in a rough northwesterly direction. When this fork after a few yards take the right-hand fork; this soon curves to the right to head northwestwards with Lakenheath Old Lode mostly hidden to the left. After a mile the track reaches a gate guarding a railway line. Go through the gate, carefully cross the railway and then through the gate on the other side to join a footpath that runs along the top of a floodbank. Follow the path for 0.4 miles until it reaches a little cottage on the right.
Here the path turns right, temporarily joining a track that crosses the drain next to a pumping station. As the track immediately curves to the right, turn left to continue straight on along a footpath that heads along the top of a flood bank. This winds in a rough easterly direction alongside the Little Ouse for about 3.5 miles. The trail is easy to follow along this remote section; it goes through four metal clapper gates before it eventually ends at the B1112 road immediately to the south of Wilton Bridge. Turn right and follow the B1112 south for nearly 300 yards until it reaches a level crossing over a railway line, with Lakenheath station immediately to the right.
Cross the railway line and continue south for 150 yards, passing Hiss Farm on the left. Immediately after the last barn turn left down a good-quality track. This heads eastwards for a little under half a mile before it curves to the left and then right to reach a bridge over the Cut-Off Channel. Cross the bridge and continue eastwards along the track, which runs between hedges.
1.5 miles after the cut-off channel, the track curves to the right to head east-southeastwards; after another half-mile it curves to the left to regain an easterly direction, passing a farm and an electricity substation on the right. At TL767864 the track curves to the right; here turn left to go through a metal pedestrian gate to join a bridleway that follows a rougher track northwards through trees for a quarter of a mile.
As the hedge on the left ends and the track curves to the right, turn left to leave the track for about fifty yards and then turn right to follow a footpath for a short distance across a field; a waymarker shows the correct place. At the end of the field it continues between hedges, soon ending at a T-junction with another footpath. Turn right and follow this eastwards towards some trees. Go through a clappergate and follow the path as it heads through the trees with a fence on the right. This then meets a track called Smallfen Lane at TL770868.
Turn right to follow this lane southeastwards for 250 yards; just before it curves to the right turn left through a gap in a hedge to join a footpath that heads eastwards between fences. The path curves slightly to the left and the fence on the right becomes a hedge and fence; at the current time (2011) this stretch heads through a pig-farm.
The path curves to the right, keeping a fence on the right, and then to the left to reach a wooden footbridge on the left. Cross this, and on the other side turn right across some grass to reach a track. Cross this and head straight on across a recreation ground to reach a metal clappergate in a fence. Go through this and continue across a paddock to reach another clappergate. This leads on to a third clappergate and finally a pedestrian gate to reach Coulson Lane on the outskirts of Brandon.
Turn left and follow the lane as it heads northwards with a wall on the left. Just after the last house on the right, turn right down a narrow gravel path between walls to reach the A1065 in the centre of Brandon at TL783866.
Ely to Shippea Hill
Brandon to Croxton
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