Trumpington Meadows

A spacious expanse of flowering meadows, riverside, woodland, hedgerow and parkland.

Location

Grantchester Road Trumpington
Cambridge
CB2 9LH

OS Map Reference

TL 439 545
A static map of Trumpington Meadows

Know before you go

Size
58 hectares
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Parking information

The reserve is easily accessed by bike or public transport. Parking available at Trumpington Park + Ride or Byron's Pool car park.

Grazing animals

Grazing animals may be onsite in spring and summer, please follow signs on the reserve

Walking trails

Wide, secure pathways. Riverside paths may be wet in winter.

Please keep to the paths and do not cut across the meadows.

There is a permissive bridleway in some areas of the reserve. Horse riders, please follow permissive bridleway signs.

Access

There are wide, accessible pathways throughout the reserve.

E-Scooters are not permitted

 

Dogs

Under effective control

Dogs must be on a lead in some areas, please follow signs at the reserve.

Watch our video explaining where you can and can't walk your dog, and why.

 

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Facilities

Picnic area

When to visit

Opening times

Open all year

Best time to visit

Throughout the year

About the reserve

This expansive nature reserve sits alongside the River Cam and Byron’s Pool Local Nature Reserve, straddling both sides of the M11. Created for wildlife and for people, it is a place to discover and enjoy nature, explore diverse habitats and wander by the river and through flower-filled meadows. There is a Wildlife Trust office and garden, allotments, and a range of interpretation features and handcarved nature sculptures throughout the site.

Trumpington Meadows has been occupied for centuries. It has been home to Roman and Saxon settlements, a famous plant-breeding facility, a prisoner-of-war camp, coprolite pits and arable fields. There is plenty of natural space for walking, cycling and wildlife-watching. The flowering meadows are truly spectacular in summer, shimmering with wildflowers such as knapweed, field scabious, bird’s foot trefoil, ox-eye daisy and salad burnet. Butterflies float over the meadow flowers, while dragonflies and damselflies dip and dance along the river. The riverside offers beautiful spots to walk and look out for otters and kingfishers. 

The area is replete with culture and history due to its connection to the river (where Lord Byron once swam) and nearby Grantchester, home to poet Rupert Brooke and frequented by writers, intellectuals and scientists. 

The grasslands are managed through grazing and haycutting to benefit wildlife. Hedges and scrub are kept in good condition through regular management and trees such as willow are pollarded on a rotational cycle. New gravel shoals have raised the river bed to narrow the channel and increase the flow, encouraging brown trout and other fish to thrive.

Leaflet and map

Bridleway map

Additional information

  • Scroll down to see the reserve boundary. Please note the boundary map is for indication purposes only and does not show the Wildlife Trusts definitive land boundary. 

FOR ANY MEDIA ENQUIRIES PLEASE CONTACT OUR COMMUNICATIONS TEAM:   communicationsteam@wildlifebcn.org or 01954 713500 and ask for comms team.

Location map

Dog zones

Senior Ranger Becky Green explains how the dog zones at Trumpington Meadows Nature Reserve in Cambridgeshire are designed to make the reserve enjoyable for people and their dogs while protecting wildlife.

Flower-rich habitat at Trumpington Meadows

Photo by Becky Green

We want to hear from you

Betony at Upwood Meadows June  - c. Robert Enderby

Betony at Upwood Meadows June  - c. Robert Enderby

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