Spinney Abbey farm borders onto the celebrated Wicken Fen National Nature Reserve. The Reserve would have once formed part of the monastic lands surrounding the Abbey, and visitors to the reserve can see one of the very places where the ancient fen landscape is still relatively unchanged.
The first monks at Spinney and many of those who came after them would have been all too familiar with the wetlands and swampy ground which is now almost all drained and converted to farmland. Alongside this landscape was an unique fenland way of life and remarkable wildlife. Some of both can still be glimpsed at Wicken Fen, carefully conserved and developed by the National Trust.
| The reserve is the oldest in Britain and the history of the reserve itself is an extraordinary story integral to the development of the science and industry of nature conservation in England. In recent years large areas of the Reserve (in the foreground below) have been made a great deal wetter, and there have been corresponding improvements to visitor access allowing views of areas previously almost impossible to observe. This has been particularly beneficial for those interested in observing wetland birds, and is strongly recommended for those visiting in the winter months. Wicken Fen has been in the news for the ambitious plan to buy and reflood many hundreds of acres of farmland to the south and west of the reserve. | |
Visitors to Wicken Fen can enjoy the William Thorpe Visitor Centre for free, where a comprehensive display tells the story of the Fen and its wildlife. The Fen also features a restored Fenman's cottage, and the last working windpump in the Fens.
You can find out more about this extraordinary reserve and its wildlife at the excellent Wicken Fen website.
Spinney Abbey is superbly placed for the wildlife enthusiast - especially if you like birds. A very few of the many nature reserves and facilities within a day's drive include WWT Welney, Chippenham Fen, RSPB Slimbridge, RSPB Ouse Washes, and the spectacular North Norfolk Coast.
Aerial photograph of Wicken Fen, looking North showing the reserve borders and Spinney Abbey farmhouse just to the North of the site. (based on photograph supplied by the National Trust, used by kind permission). NB - the reserve has grown since this photograph was taken, and now includes all the land in the foreground too.
