This pretty walk in the Upper Cam Valley offers plenty of opportunities to forage for a wealth of autumnal fruits in the abundant hedgerows en route. Starting in the pretty village of Shepreth, the route crosses the river Rhee - a tributary of the Cam - and continues through Barrington, with its fine example of the village green. It then climbs onto the Mare Way, an ancient track way running along a ridge about 213ft/65m above sea level with superb views of the valley, before descending via a disused clunch pit to Harlton, attractively covered by mature deciduous trees and bushes. The route then returns to Shepreth via an alternative route back to Barrington.
[1] Head from the station (TL393481) into the village, passing the village hall on your left and continuing over a small bridge. Turn left along Angle Lane leading round to a railway crossing, cross over and follow the path past blackberry bushes on your left. Continue straight on to the corner of the field, turning right along the boundary, then left onto the first of two footbridges that cross a field drain and then the River Rhee.
[2] Continue on the ascending path through a kissing gate and up to a road junction in Barrington. Turn right along the pavement for a short distance before crossing the road to join a narrow lane opposite. Follow the lane as it curves round to the left, with a small recreation ground on your right. Just before the track narrows, turn right through a gate signposted for Harlton, following a track beside a field which eventually forks either side of a hedge. Taking either, continue to a T-junction with a farm access road to Wilsmere Down Farm (TL389508). As you approach the farm, look for blackberries in the hedge in autumn.
[3] Cross the farm track and take the path ascending round the side of a field. After turning the corner and climbing further, look for crab apples and blackberries in the adjacent hedge. Upon reaching a belt of trees running along the summit of the ridge, turn right onto a path along the edge of a field. When you reach the hedge boundary, turn left and immediately right onto a path running through trees.
[4] This is the ancient trackway known as the Mare Way. Take the next footpath on the left leading down to the top of the clunch pit (clunch is a hard chalk used as a building stone). Here the route becomes steep in places as it slopes down through trees, eventually emerging onto an enclosed path descending to Harlton. Before the road junction, turn left on a path along a field edge, passing the rear garden of the Hare and Hounds pub. Look for elderberries in the adjacent hedge. At the corner of the field, turn left (look out for good blackberries in the hedgerow) and shortly fork left onto a path climbing back up to the ridge. Turn right at the summit on to the Mare Way, which winds through the band of trees, continuing on until you eventually cross a stile leaving the woods. Turn left here at the junction with a public right of way that first climbs then descends to the bend in the Barrington/Orwell road.
[5] Turn left along the track leading back to Wilsmere Down Farm. After about 500m, turn right onto a signposted path across a field, passing through a gap in hedgerow and continue in the same direction to Barrington, with more blackberries in the adjacent hedge. Eventually the path comes out at the village green, with the cricket pavilion on the left. Cross the main road and turn left past the post office then right onto a minor road leading to a footpath along the River Rhee. After the second footbridge, turn left along a path running beside a field then right onto a path across the field, following a line of telephone poles. At the far side, turn left onto a path back to the railway crossing and Angle Lane, returning you to Shepreth.