The Fens don't shout about themselves. There's no summit to aim for, no ridge line to follow — just a horizon that keeps moving away as you walk towards it. Which is exactly why people fall for the Fenland Way: a long-distance route threading through the drained landscape of eastern England, linking river banks, straight droves and old sea walls with the market towns strung along them.

If you've never tackled a long-distance path before, this is a forgiving place to begin. It's flat, it's rarely crowded, and it asks for different skills from a hill walk — patience, navigation, and a willingness to notice small things.

The shape of the route

The Fenland Way crosses some of the flattest land in Britain, the former marshland drained over centuries and turned into a patchwork of arable fields, drains and embankments. Instead of climbing, you follow: alongside rivers, along the tops of flood banks, down drove roads that run ruler-straight for a mile or more.

Most people walk it in stages rather than as one expedition — a few days end to end, or a series of day sections linked by bus and train. Routes and diversions do change, and waymarking here can be patchy, so check the current line on an up-to-date Ordnance Survey map or the trail's own route notes before you commit to a section.

Highlights to look forward to

River banks and embankments

The rivers that drain the Fens — the Great Ouse, the Nene, the Welland and their smaller neighbours — are mostly held above the level of the surrounding fields. Walking their banks gives you long views, grass underfoot and a steady supply of swans and herons. Early morning is best; by afternoon the wind picks up and the water turns choppy.

Droves, dykes and drains

The straight lanes between fields are the signature of the Fens. Some are footpaths, some bridleways, some access tracks shared with the occasional tractor. They're peaceful and slightly hypnotic, and they're where you notice the detail: reeds in a drain, a wind pump, a line of poplars planted as a windbreak.

Towns and villages

Settlements sit on the few patches of higher ground, which is why so many churches have such tall towers — they were built to be seen across the marsh. A handful of towns along the route give you a bed, a hot meal and a decent cup of tea. Worth pausing for:

• Church towers, often open during daylight hours
• Market squares with a bakery and a hardware shop — useful for last-minute supplies
• Village pubs, though opening hours vary and can be limited outside weekends
• Small local museums covering drainage, farming and fen history

What's underfoot

Expect a mix: grass field edges, rough farm tracks, tarmac lanes, riverbank paths and the occasional crossing of a ploughed field. Gates and stiles come and go. After rain, the heavy clay soils hold water and field-margin paths turn genuinely sticky — the kind of mud that adds an inch to your boots and an hour to your day.

Trail shoes are fine in dry summer conditions. Outside that, waterproof boots with decent grip earn their weight. A single walking pole helps on wet embankments, where a narrow path can slope towards a drain.

Preparing for your first stretch

1. Pick one section, not the whole route. Choose a day length you already know you can manage, then add a little. Flat ground is easier on the lungs but harder on the feet.
2. Check the map against the ground. Mark your start, your finish and any point where you could bail out to a road or a bus stop.
3. Plan water and food. Villages are spaced out, and a shop open on Saturday may not open at all on Monday. Carry more than you think you need.
4. Tell someone your plan and when you expect to be back. Phone signal is weak in the remoter stretches.
5. Check the tides if your section runs beside an estuary or tidal river. Creeks fill fast, and mudflats are not a shortcut.

Wind, weather and finding your way

There's very little shelter out here. A gentle breeze in town can be a stiff headwind on an exposed bank, and on a hot day the lack of shade tires you faster than the distance would suggest. A hat, sun cream and a light windproof layer earn their place in your pack all year round.

Navigation is straightforward but not optional: map, compass, and the ability to match a drain junction to the line on the page. Waymarks are usually present, sometimes missing, and occasionally point at a path that has since been diverted. If you meet a blocked or ploughed path, don't climb fences or cut across crops — take the nearest legal alternative, then report it to the local authority's rights of way team.

A few practical habits

• Close every gate you open, and keep dogs on a lead around livestock
• Carry blister plasters, a small first aid kit and a spare pair of socks
• Take litter home; there are few bins on the banks
• Start early in summer — midges are liveliest near water at dusk
• Assume slower going than the map suggests when it's wet

Your first day out

Choose a stretch that follows a river or a bank rather than a road. Aim for something you can finish comfortably in four to five hours, with a village or a station at the far end. Start early, take a flask, and stop somewhere with a clear view of the horizon. The Fenland Way's real pleasure isn't the achievement — it's the space.

If you're walking for fitness or managing a health condition, speak to a GP or another qualified health professional before planning longer days, and build up gradually with shorter routes first.

Photo: thilina_alagiyawanna / Pixabay