The best gravel rides around Duxford

Wide clear path, smooth and even. Really nice gravel ride.

An enchanting woodland section with trees arching over the gravel path

The Windmill at Fulbourn stands on an outlier of the Gog Magog Hills 4 miles east of the City of Cambridge. Low chalk hills run to the south of it; northwards the Windmill overlooks the Fens which are at most only a few feet above sea level. The cap of the Windmill rises to 160 feet above sea-level and from it there is an uninterrupted view of the roofs and towers of Ely Cathedral. It has long been an outstanding landmark in the south Cambridgeshire countryside. It was the enclosure of the parish for the improvement of cultivation that led to the building of the present Windmill. Much of the land in the north of the parish was low-lying and waterlogged and needed draining to convert it into profitable arable land. Fulbourn Fen was a peat fen only 20 feet above sea level over which the Great Wilbraham River spread its waters in times of flood. The Act of Enclosure for Fulbourn was passed in 1806 and the Commissioners completed their work two years later. The drainage of the parish reduced the level of water in the upper reaches of the Great Wilbraham River on which the manorial watermill was situated. The loss of power brought to an end the life of a mill which had first been recorded in Domesday Book. In 1808 the machinery of the watermill was put up for sale. A new mill was therefore needed and the Enclosure Commissioners allotted one acre on Mill Hill, on which to build a mill and miller’s cottage, to John Chaplin, a considerable landowner and farmer. He used copies of Old Moore’s Almanack as a diary, entering personal events and business notes in the margins of the calendar. In 1808 he recorded against 11 July, ‘I laid the first brick of my mill’; 22 November, ‘Mill sails put up’; 15 December, ‘Began grinding’. It is a large octagonal smock mill with a brick base and wooden superstructure. Its outline is squat with a shallow conical cap. The fantail, as usual in Cambridgeshire mills, is close against the cap. The mill holds three stones, one of French burr and two of Derbyshire stone. With floors 24 feet in diameter, there is exceptional space for working the mill. (https://fulbournwindmill.org.uk/history.html)

Heading out of Braintree you hit the main road after this point. Careful of the traffic!

Year round

Great greenlane/byeway

Classic cafe stop in the area, always plenty of cyclists and places to put your bike.

Sept 2024. Dry but serious ruts and deep pot holes some 5ft across and 2 ft deep. In places there is only 1 narrow route along the ridge between pot holes and deep ruts. Some nice climbs as well so this is a challenging ride but satisfying if you can do it - it is not a fast run. Suitable for experienced track riders do not attempt on road tyres. Also if its been raining it will be very wet with deep puddles as the pot holes fill with water. The ridge route will become too slippery to navigate and a serious pile up and bike damage could result. However, there are other stretches which will be ridable even after rain so if you use caution and walk round the treacherous parts you should be OK. 1st time I rode this stretch in early winter starting at the North end, the pot holes were full of water and after slipping and sliding around a bit even when walking I turned round and went back to the other track to the North Green Croft Lane which is rideable all year.