Fenland Skating Venues

Here we will post the times, days and fields where you will be able to skate.

Scroll down for maps and up-to-date info

Keep up to date via twitter and facebook!

Generally skating on the Fens is free, although some farmers may charge a nominal amount for parking. We cannot give permission to skate at any particular place. Also please be aware that the flooded fields we skate on are either privately owned or part of a conservation area. Therefore please be respectful and do not venture deep into the reserve where you may disturb wildlife. This is not an automatic right to roam so please keep to areas that the locals use.

We try to update the website everyday in Welney between 9:00AM and 10:00AM. For pictures, messages and results of races go to the Club messages page.

For information about membership to the Fenland Skating Centre you can contact:

Alan White on 01354 680498 the centre's treasurer.

Email us at roger.giles@gileslandscapes.co.uk to update us with any news and we’ll post it on our website in the Email Your Comments page.

We endeavour to update this page everyday however if on the odd occasion it has not been updated please email Roger at roger.giles@gileslandscapes.co.uk for up to date skating information.

Ice skates for sale. Call Keith Miller (Wimblington, Nr March) on 01354 740 666 or John Cousins on 07967 568 321. Keith has selection of speed and figures skates, new and used, a variety of sizes available.  John has a good selection of hockey and speed skates sizes 4 - 12.  

VENUE	STATUS	LOCATION	DATE
Welney	Skating not recommended	Welney Wash	05/02/12
Earith	No Water	Bury Fen	01/02/12
Whittlesey	No skating	Whittlesey Wash	05/02/12
Upware	No Skating		05/02/12
Sutton Gault	Skating		04/02/12

Update - 05/02/12 (09:07)

Please continue to watch the blog for "safe" skating updates each day.

Points of Interest

We know who to blame for white out in the Fens as we see on Facebook that Christian Bennett is heading here again to play ice hockey, he bought the snow last time he came.

Last year, Christian Bennet from The Guardian came up and we gave him a plus when he put on skates to film Alan Fisher the former Fen Champion skating at Whittlesey, but in the blizzard and white out when he followed me back to Welney he got lost.  His SATNAV got him back OK to Back Drove, Welney until he bottomed out!  He rang our office in a bit of a state and worred the girls so much they walked out into the Fen and rescued him.  This definitely lost his his "street cred" a bit but we gave him top marks back again when he and his colleagues produced The Guardian video "Skating on the Fens" which was broadcast on YouTube. www.youtube.com/watch

 

Update - 04/02/12 (20:14)

The fen skaters were mixed with a smattering of people who had come from all over the country, such as London and Sheffield.  Malcolm Robertson, Secretary of the Fen Skating Centre, said he would postpone planning fen racing until the effects of the snow belt had manifested itself.

I know Smithy and Club Members are in the process of fitting up machine in chase they have to clear a 400m track!

Update - 04/02/12 (10:45am)

Fen Skating danger is high today, river and ditches are definitely not safe.

• Whittlesey - no skating today, ice frozen in 2 layers
• Welney - not recommended to skate here today, ice frozen in 2 layers in places
• Sutton Gault (near Anchor Pub) - best place for skating today

 

Update - 03/02/12 (21:41)

Looks good all round on Saturday for skating at Welney, Whittlesey and Sutton Gault (near the Anchor Pub).    See photo below of Malcolm Robertson skating at Sutton Gault earlier today.

Update - 03/02/12

Welney - Michael McInerney took to the ice today, not quite there yet as went through shallow ice.  

Whittlesey - no skating today, possibly tomorrow.

 

02/02/12

-4 today, strong possibility by weekend for skating.  Picture below of ice today at 07:45am.

Heavy frost but need several days

We rarely are represented as Team GB in Winter Olympics Long Track Speed Skating but know fen skater, Babs Horn represented us in the 30's.  I also remember the great fen skaters, the French Brothers, John French put his life on hold to go to Holland to train for the Olympics in the late 1980's as there were no 400m long tracks in this country.

I think I am correct to say that there are still no 400m tracks in this country, until the Snoasis Winter Sports Complex is built. 

It looks as though we have a long track hope but he has to go to Germany to train and I have just checked out Scott Anderson's video and it looks like he can fly! javascript:void(0);/*1327415116004*/

19/01/12

Almost got there, just one more night's frost was needed to get on fen ice.  It looks as if no chance of ice for few days with current warm front, but snow and frost due end of the week.

Points of Interest

A really interesting DVD has been produced by the Welney Youth Club & Youth Music Camera Action as part of a Heritage Lottery Funded project.  In the DVD Welney Youth Club explores its rich history touching upon Fenland traditions such as Ice Skating, Wildfowling, Folklore and much more.  It is a credit to all those involved in the research for the project. 

If you would like further details on this DVD you can either contact by email: youthmusiccameraaction@yahoo.co.uk or copies can be obtained from the Lamb & Flag Public House in Welney for a small donation.

18/01/12

Fen skating will not happen today, as predicted the warm front came in early last night and it is raining this morning.

Photograph to follow of how it would have looked for the skaters whom may have took to the ice at first dawn, this photo was taken yesterday. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

17/01/12

Best ice there has been at Welney, walked about on it but eventually did go through.  Would not advise fen skating today but some people no doubt will have limited skate further inland which is often a few degrees warmer.

If there is another frost tonight before warm front arrives there is a good chance of skating on Wednesday.

16/01/12

15/01/12

Ice conditions at 8:30am today at Welney Wash.

13/01/12

• Welney - excellent water, slight frost last night, forecast getting colder just a chance in near future
• Whittlesey - excellent water, slight frost last night, forecast getting coldeer just a chance in near future
• Bury Fen - no water

Just to remind you of last year's skating at Bury Fen.  www.youtube.com/watch

Points of interest

The Moors of Littleport where crowds of many thousands watched epic skating matches in the late 1800's and early 1900's, lays just on the left as trains pull into Littleport Station from Ely on the way to Kings Lynn, but of course it is not flooded now but I am sure it would be still possible to do so.  When there were top skating matches on, excursion trains ran from Kings Cross to Littleport every half hour loaded with skating enthusiasts.  It has been said that there were as many as 20,000 people on many occasions watching these matches.

See video promo the fens which includes a clip of C W Horn racing on the Moors at Littleport plus tells you how Littleport gave the world the Harley Davidson motorcycle.  www.youtube.com/watch

Also, see a little promo on the lottery funded film being made about the Family Adams Project.  Adams Shop in Littleport had the franchise for Hagans Skates 1800 to 1930.  familyadamsproject.webs.com/apps/videos/

Last year, David Lowe, the Property Agent for the Snoasis Project visited Welney to skate on several occasions.  Snoasis is Destination Winter Sports Resort which is just about to start at Ipswich and includes a 400m long track speed skating rink.

David made an "epic" tour skate of the Welney Washes, with his brother, John and two Fen Skaters, Malcolm Robinson and James Ashby.  He has made a bound copy of this event called 'Escapades on Fen Ice' which includes excellent photography and a commentary on the areas covered.  It also has a paragraph on safety equipment needed for this type of long distance skate.  Bound copies can be seen in the Norris Museum at St Ives or the Lamb and Flag Public House, Welney.

You never know who you are going to meet when you go Fen Skating, Sarah Lindsey with the UK Speed Skating Team turned up at Whittlesey last year and joined in fun skating.  www.youtube.com/watch

  

 

27/12/11

Bury fen and  little  fen  Earith have no  water due to last year's summer drought and low amounts of water coming down tidal river however this may change as we get into 2012 as most of you know Bury Fen is great for national and fen Championships.

Will still have to say Whittlesey wash is still the favourite with excellent water and would be great for local fen and national championships.
You never know what sort of superstars you're going to meet on ice in the fens  last year we had a treat with the appearance of the UK speedskating team, Sarah Lindsay.

Improving water levels at Welney after recent rain but a milder few days are forcast. Whittlesey is still the best bet if it freezes.

16/12/11

The first proper cold snap of the winter has started - but it's still not cold enough to allow for any skating. Watch this space!

17/10/11

After the heat of an Indian summer - everything looks set to change this week when arctic blasts start to creep in. This could mean that we get some early ice as soon as the early part of November (this will beat last year's record when there was skateable ice at the end of November!)

21/01/11

Welney is still flooded - and no ice!! So lets remind ourselves of how beautiful winter can be with a photo taken this season sent in by David Lowe.

18/01/11

Welney is flooded, tractors and heavy vehicles still going through. 

17/01/11

Welney is now flooded and diversions are in place.

10/01/11

Water at Welney has risen, perfect for skating if it freezes.  For further information contact Roger Giles on 07711747114. 

Welney

17/01/11

 

Welney is now flooded and diversions are in place.

Skating is usually just above the 'A' pointer off Wash Road.

Bury Fen

10/01/11

No Skating

Little Fen is the adjacent field to Bury Fen which lies below Church.

Whittlesey

10/01/11

No Skating. 

 

General Update - 08-12-10 cont.

Here's a link to a news piece that appeared on ITV last night - (thanks to Rose Dixon for the link)

http://www.itv.com/anglia/fen-skaters05288/

Here's another great link from David Lowe - Scandinavian style cross country skating!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHxJJUKjtkU

 

General Update - 08-12-10

Great skating yesterday with lots of people popping over to Welney to have fun on the ice. Local news teams and journalists turned up too! Below are a couple of photos taken by David Lowe EWS property agent for snOasis who adopts a more Scandinavian technique which was great to see.

 

The above photo is of Macolm Robinson showing off his skating prowess.

Above images © David Lowe 2010

General Update - 06-12-10

Due to the shock thaw on Friday there was no skating this weekend at all. Our apologies for not updating the site over the weekend - this was due to a problem with our system which has now been rectified.

It looks as though the cold weather is with us until Friday by which time it looks set to get a bit warmer for the weekend. So the week looks like the better bet for skating than the weekend.

 

General Update - 01-12-10

On Monday we had some journalists come down to Welney to do some coverage of the skating. So Rod Ward and our very own Contract's Manager, Gary Evison came along for a skate. Thanks to Geoff Robinson for the photos.

All images © Geoff Robinson 2010

 

General Update - 29-11-10

Over the weekend there was skating on the Welney Wash - the earliest skating in living memory (unless someone can tell us otherwise).

General Update - 20-01-10

For those of you that missed the bbc's coverage of the skating I have provided a link on the emails page after receiving a lovely email from Rose.

BBC video at Bury Fen http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8465105.stm

Also see Adam Giles and Gary racing, 400m Bury Fen, at the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_EdUxUmxOE

 

General Update - 15-01-10

Roger Giles the owner of Giles Landscapes is passionate about fen skating, often seen on a winter's morning investigating the condition of the Welney Wash to let skaters know when the ice is ready. Roger was pleased to met Charlie Helliwell this year, an enthusiastic skater the makes the track up from London to skate, and the young people from London who returned to skate again in the Fens.

Christian Bennett came up the other week to visit us and has produced a great video capturing the essence of fen skating

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUnOitbEDpU

General Update - 13-01-10

Although it is snowing at the moment there is no reports of skating, and needless to say the championships will not be held this weekend. News of the fenland skating race has made it across the waters with the Washington Post enquiring about the event yesterday and an article published on the Reuters website link below.

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE60A3HU20100111 

General Update - 12-01-10

No skating is expected to be available at Bury Fen for this season so the table above has been updated with Little Fen the field adjacent to Bury Fen, on which we have got permission to skate. For those of you who are not familiar with the area I would suggest that you look out for a field near the church between Earith and Bluntisham on the A1123 where it looks like people have been skating or are skating on it.

No skating reported today. I posted the Whittlesey race result up in Club Messages, sounds like they had a great time on Sunday with an exciting exhibition race from the GB team. Also for those of you following the media coverage, Countryfile BBC1 on Sunday 17th at 6:00pm as scheduled to cover the Fen skating as is Inside/Out on BBC1 at 7:30pm for Monday 18th Jan.

General Update - 11-01-10

No skating reported today, but it has started snowing again so there is hope of some fun skating later in the week.

A great weekend of racing was had a Earith and a special thanks to Malcolm for his sterling efforts in organising and setting out the track. The results of the racing have been published on the Club messages page but we have a few pictures for you below thanks to Geoff Robinson (www.geoffrobinsonphotography.co.uk). I also had a lovely email from Margaret with pictures from 1907 when her grandfather raced. I have posted these on the email comments page for the moment as we are currently upgrading our archive page to make it easier to browse through.

The Guardian have done a nice cover of events too. http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/gallery/2010/jan/10/weather?picture=357865464

... a bit about Whittlesey on ITV Anglia Regional News

http://www.itv.com/anglia/fen-skating-tradition98439/

Bury Fen on Saturday 9th Jan 2010

David Smith, ex British Gold Medal winner pictured in the foreground.

Malcolm Robinson on skates, secretary of the Fenland Skating Centre and Gary Warrington the previous secretary, timing the race. (Pink and blue coat).

Michael McInerney (front) British Gold in Line Skating winner racing Gary Evison British Bronze in Line Skating winner.

Bury Fen, race track.

Gary Evison (front) and Michael McInerney (centre) posing for the media.

It is believed that the guy skating through the middle is a Dutch man that competed at Bury Fen for the cups some 30 years ago.

General Update - 08-01-10

Report from John of Mare Fen, Over, has several acres of field flooded to a depth of around 6 inches. Safe and good. Road Swavesey to Over, field on the left 20 yds before Over village boundary sign. This fen was used for the National Races in the 1960's

We had at least an inch of snow last night so I suspect that fun skating should still be available at Whittlesey and news about a possible club race it listed above.  Most of the back roads have snow on them so take care and allow extra time for your journey.

All our skates are currently be used, I will update the website as and when I hear about any other sources for skates.

Speed skates sizes 4 - 12 for sale contact John Cousins on 07967 568321.

Ice skates for sale. Speed and figures skates, new and used, a variety of sizes available. Call Keith Miller (Wimblington, Nr March) on 01354 740 666

Welney Wash pictured below, the flood water has almost gone so fingers crossed for skating next week!

General update - 07-01-10

The Cambridge Ice Hockey team have been out enjoying the ice at Whittlesey today and a race has been advertised at Whittlesey for Saturday I think it was 9am start but if anyone wants to confirm that I would be grateful. There are also rumours of another club race for this weekend but I am waiting confirmation.

General Update - 06-01-10

More reports of good skating at Godmanchester and other areas, to quote;

Frozen flood water just under where it says Hall - just outside Fen Ditton

- you can park right there at the bottom of the village

and

.... on Ditton Fields - an extension of Stourbridge Common just outside

Cambridge apparently.

I believe a few skaters are off this morning to check it out!

General Update - 05.01.10

05 Jan 10' - We have light snow in Welney today and have yet to have confirmation of the conditions in Whittlesey, Bury Fen still no water.

Had a report yesterday of "A fantastic morning of skating on Godmanchester meadows - the ice was just thick enough to bear an adult, it creaked and cracked a lot but held up. It was very smooth, we were the first people and only people to skate there."

We will not post any reports of people skating on rivers as this can be very dangerous and although we are happy to hear about anyone enjoying the ice we can only provide information on the above sites where permission has been granted by the land owner. Skating reported in Earith yesterday is believed to be in adjacent fields to Bury Fen which is land where permission hasn't necessarily been granted, or not that we can guarantee.

General Update - 04.01.10

04 Jan 10' - Rumour is that skating is available at Whittlesey but we are waiting confirmation, will update the website as soon as we know!

Also...

Ice skates for sale. Speed and figures skates, new and used, a variety of sizes available. Call Keith Miller (Wimblington, Nr March) on 01354 740 666.

General Update - 03.01.10

Very deep water at Welney. The A1101 is unusable at present. Even if the water does freeze it will be too deep to be safe to skate on. Whittlesey remains the best bet - at present no skating however should the cold weather continue it will soon be skatable. Please check this site regularly for updates.

General Update - 27.12.09 

A few skaters braved the fragile ice at Welney yesterday - an overnight frost has helped but skating is still not advisable. It looks set to get colder nearer the New Year so watch this space!

General Update - 24.12.09

Upon inspection this morning there was a sleigh enjoying the ice and fun skating in parts on the Welney Wash. Chances of running the Fen championships are now doubtful for this year, however Malcolm Robinson the secretary in charge of the Fen Centre is inspecting the ice in various areas including Welney today to confirm this. 

Beware of the bad road conditions in Welney and especially north of Wisbech today, the overnight rain has washed away the salt and with the cold weather there is now a lot of black, sheet ice on the roads, don't become another statistic in the Fen drains.

Over the Christmas break we will endeavour to continue to update you on the condition of at ice at Welney and for those of you who are interested in finding out more about the history (besides that detailed on our website)and area there is useful information below.

• The Lamb and Flag, local pub in Welney just over the bridge from the Wash, provides lovely hot lunches and dinners to warm you up after having fun on the ice. Telephone: 01354 610242 to check serving hours.
• The curator at the Norris Museum in St Ives is very knowledgable on the history of the Smart family, the famous fen skaters. The museum often gives talks on the subject and runs skating exhibtions at the museum. www.norrismuseum.org.uk/  
• Welney website www.welney.org.uk/ 
• Wildfowl and Wetland Trust WWT www.wwt.org.uk/welney, is a centre providing information on the local wildlife across the fens. Films running, including Fen skating 24-7.

The above picture was drawn in Roger Giles autograph book by Sir Peter Scott whilst visiting Sir Richard A. Bulter's estate in Halstead.

Founded in 1946 by the naturalist and artist, the late Sir Peter Scott, WWT is the only UK charity with a national network of nine specialist wetland visitor centres. With over 60 years experience of wetland conservation, WWT is committed to the protection of wetlands and all that depend on them for survival.

Thursday 24th December 10am – 5pm (Last admission 4.30pm)
Friday 25th December CLOSED
Saturday 26th December 10am – 8pm (Last admission 6.30pm)
Sunday 27th December 10am – 8pm (Last admission 6.30pm)
Monday 28th December 10am – 5pm (Last admission 4.30pm)
Tuesday 29th December 10am – 5pm (Last admission 4.30pm)
Wednesday 30th December 10am – 5pm (Last admission 4.30pm)
Thursday 31st December 10am – 5pm (Last admission 4.30pm)
Friday 1st January 10am – 8pm (Last admission 6.30pm)
Saturday 2nd January 10am – 8pm (Last admission 6.30pm)
Sunday 3rd January 10am - 8pm (Last admission 6.30pm
Monday 4th January 10am - 5pm (Last admission 4.30pm)

General Update - 23.12.09

Following the freeze overnight fun staking has been enjoyed at welney today. Several members of the Giles Landscape team have been required by various media groups to demostrate there skills on the ice today for tomorrow's news! A few of our international friends have also managed to make it down today through the regular updates on our website. It's rumoured that tomorrow maybe the last day for skating as temperature are said to be on the rise so get your skates on!

General Update - 21.12.09

The recent cold weather means that the Fens are starting to freeze. At the moment it looks like it is only poor quality snow ice but more cold weather is forcast for the beginning of this week so the conditions could get much better. 

General Update - 13.02.09

Ice quality is very poor as of Friday 13th February -  skating is not recommended. This could improve by the end of next week with some colder weather coming in after a spell of warmer temperatures in the next few days.

 

 

The A1101 on Thursday 5th of February - Drive carefully!

 

A1101 - Very slippery bends!

One of the Welney skating fields on Thursday 5th February

 

Another view of the field - it's looking promising!

 

The River Bedford with ice covering on Thurday 5th February - PLEASE DO NOT SKATE ON THIS RIVER - it won't freeze sufficiently to withstand any weight. 

               
Email us at info@gileslandscapes.co.uk to give your support to a team, update us with any news and we’ll post it on our website in the EMAIL YOUR COMMENTS section.

Disclaimer: Any Skating on the Fens is done at the skaters’ own risk. No company or persons can be held responsible for any injury or loss of life. Never skate on rivers, lakes or dykes where the water depth exceeds 4 inches.

 

 

 

Frozen flood water just under where it says Hall - just outside Fen Ditton

- you can park right there at the bottom of the village.  I believe a few skaters are going down there this morning to try it out.

 

Christian Bennett came up the other week to visit us and has produced a great video capturing the essence of fen skating.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUnOitbEDpU