Cambridgeshire

Walk Details:
Date: 12/2/2005
Total ascent: 2m/ 7ft
Total distance walked: 0.09 miles
Walk difficulty: 0/10
Enjoyment rating: 0.5/10
Best bits: With this top we completed 20% of the current top list
Worst bits: An entirely unmemorable top for the 20% marker
Walkers: Anth, Jim
Car Parking: If you're quick and discreet you may actually be able to park where we did, immediately adjacent to the top. Otherwise you'll have to park in the centre of Great Chishill at TL 423 388

Top details:
Name: Great Chishill
County top number: 42 of 207
Grid reference: TL 42627 38640 MAP
Height above sea level: 146m/ 479ft
How nice was the top? 0.5/10
Views: 1.5/10
Description/Notes: The highest point of Cambridgeshire is an unmarked point in a field to the east of the village of Great Chishill

The Walk:

We had planned to link the Cambridgeshire top to the Essex top in a long looping walk, but time constraints had made us decide to lazily drive between them instead. Somewhat disappointingly, this meant that we ended up doing the Cambridgeshire top as almost a drive-by - a real shame for a top that would get us over the 20% mark on our current list of tops.

The grid reference for the highest point in Cambridgeshire is an OS spot height at a bend in the road outside a building called "The Hall". We thought that we wouldn't be able to park there and would have to park in the village centre and walk back, but as it turned out there was a triangular access road where we could leave the car for the brief few minutes we needed.

The grandly named "The Hall" seemed to merely consist of a B&B and a slightly ramshackle farm. The road corner was clearly not the highest point; we wandered a few hundred feet down the road and climbed a small bank into a field to the north of the road and decided that would do. The field beyond was fairly flat, and we didn't want to trespass in what might be a fruitless search for marginally higher points (or for that matter traipse around a ploughed field).

With the top done we headed back to the car. I did wonder though why all the fields around here have such open field boundaries. I mean, it's renowned as the least hilly region of Britain and (as we'd discovered earlier) when the wind blows it rips across the flat landscape. Surely some hedges would help?

Jim was delighted with the minor road leading away to the north west of Great Chishill - it ran as straight as a ruler through open fields (so superb visibilty) for several miles. We wondered if it was formerly a Roman road.

ADDENDUM
We subsequently discovered that this hill was also the highest point of the historic county of Cambridgeshire & Isle of Ely. To visit the report click here.