The Cambs village with beautiful nature reserve and annual scarecrow festival
Cambridgeshire is known for its many tiny villages dotted around the county. Many of which have wonderfully rich histories and make for a great day out.
If you are a fan of stunning nature walks, you might want to journey out to Great Paxton. While ironically it is smaller than its sister village, Little Paxton, Great Paxton still has plenty of things to do in and around the area.
Alongside its relaxing nature reserve, Great Paxton also hold an annual Scarecrow Festival. This quirky activity happens every September and is definitely worth making the trip down to the village for.
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Great Paxton has been around since before 1020 and it was named in the Domesday Book in 1086 as "Pachstone". The village's shape and location has remained largely the same for over 1,000 years.
If you fancy learning more about the area's history, the Great Paxton History Society do walks through the village to point out some of the lesser known facts about Great Paxton. The walks ends at the Church of the Holy Trinity, which is more than 1,000 years old.
You can go inside the church at the end of the walk to take a look at its remarkable architecture. The walk costs only £5, all of which goes into preserving the village's iconic church.
If you prefer to take a walk through nature, the Paxton Pits nature reserve is easily accessible from Great Paxton. The visitor centre is open every day from 10am to 4pm giving you the option buy food, drinks and even bird food to get up close to the wildlife in the area.
The nature reserve is great to visit all year round with its wide variety of birds, mammals, insects, and flora. The friendly volunteers are always around to chat to you about the nature reserve and to answer any specific questions you might have about the area.
Great Paxton is also known for its quirky Scarecrow Festival. The festival first took place in 2020 as a way for people to get out of the house during lockdown.
The festival encourages people to create their own inventive scarecrow for the chance at winning in one of their categories including funniest, favourite, and best name. Alongside being able to see the wonderful creations, there will be street food and arts and crafts stalls assuring fun for all of the family.
The festival takes place in The Bell pub carpark and is a great community event to get involved in. This year, the festival is taking place from 14 to 22 September.
If after all of this sightseeing you feel like you need a break, The Bell pub is a wonderfully welcoming place to take a moment to relax. There used to be three pubs in the village but The Bell is the only one left standing since opening in 1889.
The pub acts as a community hub for the village and serves up a wide range of affordable food to enjoy with a pint. The pub hold regular events such as their beer festival and live music so there is sure to be something going on when you visit.
Great Paxton takes only around 34 minutes to reach by car. If you prefer to take public transport, you can take the 905 bus and then the 65 to get to the centre to the village.