Doddington

Doddington sits on a low rise of clay in the middle of the Cambridgeshire Fens, roughly four miles from both March and Chatteris. It is easy to miss on a map, but for centuries it mattered a great deal: this was one of the largest parishes in England, a genuine "Fen island" that stood proud of the surrounding marsh long before the drainage engineers arrived. Three or four hundred years ago, reaching a neighbouring village might have meant taking a boat rather than a road, and that sense of Doddington as its own small world still lingers in its wide, flat-edged fields and its unhurried pace.

Today the village is a working Fenland community of around 2,000 people, ringed by some of the richest arable land in the country. Root vegetables, particularly cabbages and other brassicas, are grown in huge quantities on the black peat soil, and the landscape has that distinctive Fen character of enormous skies, long straight droves and dykes cut with ruler precision. At its centre stands a clocktower raised in 1897 to mark Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee, along with the Grade II* listed St Mary's Church, whose list of past rectors includes the Tudor composer Christopher Tye. It is a modest, honest sort of place, and a good base for exploring the wider Fens without the crowds of better-known Cambridgeshire towns.

Top things to do in Doddington

Doddington itself is small, but it sits within easy reach of the Fens' best walking, birdwatching and local history, and the village has a couple of genuine points of interest of its own.

• St Mary's Church - a Grade II* listed parish church at the heart of the village, with historical links to the Tudor composer and organist Christopher Tye, who served as rector here.
• The 1897 Clocktower - built to commemorate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee, this remains the village's best-known landmark and a natural spot to start any wander around Doddington.
• Jonnie Peacock's gold postbox - the village postbox was painted gold to celebrate local Paralympic sprinter Jonnie Peacock's gold medal at London 2012, a small but proud piece of recent history.
• March Museum and St Wendreda's Church - a short drive north, March's High Street museum covers the town's railway and agricultural past, while St Wendreda's is renowned for its spectacular double hammer-beam roof carved with 120 angels.
• Riverside walks along the River Nene - the old course of the River Nene winds through March town centre, with a pleasant riverside path past old cottages and gardens down to the water.
• RSPB Nene Washes - one of the most important wetland reserves in the country, with breeding cranes and black-tailed godwits, and huge winter flocks of swans, ducks and geese over the flooded washland.
• Chatteris market and museum - Chatteris, four miles south, has a Friday street market, a small free museum on Fenland life and the railway boom, and waymarked trails including the fen-edge Millennium Trail.

Getting to Doddington

Doddington lies just off the A141, the main road linking March and Chatteris, and is well placed for a car-based visit to the Fens. From Cambridge it is around 25 miles north via the A10 and A141, taking roughly 45 minutes to an hour depending on traffic. From Peterborough, the village is about 18 miles east along the A605 and A141. The nearest mainline railway stations are at March, which has services on the Ely to Peterborough line, and at Manea, both a short drive from the village; from either, a taxi or pre-arranged pickup covers the last few miles, as Doddington itself has no station. Local bus services connect Doddington with March and Chatteris, though as with much of rural Fenland, a car is by far the easiest way to explore the surrounding villages and reserves at your own pace.

Best time to visit Doddington

Late spring through early autumn is the most rewarding time to visit, when the Fen fields are in full growth and the long evenings suit an amble around the village or a walk out along the droves. Doddington holds its well-known carnival on the first Saturday of July, drawing visitors from across the district for one of the village's biggest dates in the calendar. Birdwatchers, however, should not overlook winter: the flooded washland at RSPB Nene Washes becomes a spectacular gathering ground for swans, geese and ducks between November and February, and the huge open Fen skies are arguably at their most dramatic under a low winter sun. Summer is best for exploring on foot or by bike, while autumn brings the vegetable harvest that still defines much of the local economy.

Where to stay in Doddington

Doddington is a village rather than a resort, so accommodation directly in the settlement is limited, but its position between March and Chatteris means a good range of options is never far away. Both nearby market towns have a mix of pubs with rooms, guesthouses and budget hotel accommodation, while the surrounding Fenland countryside has a scattering of farmhouse bed and breakfasts and self-catering cottages that suit those wanting a quiet, rural base. Given the flat, open terrain and the network of quiet lanes, the area also appeals to touring cyclists and walkers looking for a low-cost stopover between longer routes across the Fens.

Food and drink in Doddington

The village itself is served by two long-standing pubs a hundred yards apart on New Street: the Three Tuns, a recently refurbished pub dating back to the 1840s with a beer garden, dining room and separate games room, and the George Inn, another traditional local serving cask ales. Doddington also has a fish and chip shop and a small selection of village shops for everyday provisions. For a wider choice of cafes, restaurants and takeaways, March and Chatteris are both a short drive away and offer the usual spread of Fenland market-town eating, from bakeries and tea rooms to Friday market stalls selling fresh local produce.