10__ The Beechwoods A walk on the wild side
To the south of Cambridge, towards the area where the boundaries of the Three Counties (Cambridgeshire, Suffolk and Essex) get a bit muddled, the ground rises to form the only natural hills on this side of the city. These are the Gog Magogs, chalk downs that reach a dizzying 246 feet – just enough to give a view over Cambridge and the surrounding countryside. Nobody really knows why such modest hills should have been named after a mythical giant – an ancient sense of irony, perhaps. Between the Gogs and the city are the Beechwoods, a stand of immensely tall beech trees that form a cathedral-like canopy over undulating paths through the wood. Stepping into this is like stepping back in time, despite the sounds of the nearby roads. Yet the Beechwoods, for all their height and stateliness, are not ancient woodlands. This hillside was farmed from the Middle Ages until the mid-19th century, when the first trees were planted. The gentle rhythm of their changing colours lasts for most of the year, from when the first leaves appear in the spring until the late autumn. The Beechwoods are a nature reserve. Dogs are welcome if kept on a lead, and there is a bike rack just inside the gate for those who cycle out of town. Circular walks take you through the older trees and round an area of newer, mixed planting. Annual pilgrimages are made by nature lovers to see the helleborine orchids that appear in the early spring. The more energetic might like to continue past the Beechwoods to the start of the Roman Road that runs for several miles to the outskirts of Haverhill, eventually joining the Icknield Way. If you are not feeling quite so adventurous, you can walk or cycle a little further along the Babraham Road to the country park at Wandlebury, the site of an Iron Age hill fort that has miles of walks, lovely picnic spots and family activities all year round. 28
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