We’re a Ramblers group aimed mainly at people in their 20s, 30s and slightly older, offering led walks and social events across Herts, Beds and south Cambs.
This walk is for up to 25 people, including the leader.
Join us for a unique and unforgettable day trip to the Whittlesea Straw Bear Festival in Cambridgeshire! This lively event celebrates Fenland traditions with a vibrant procession, folk music, dancing, and the famous "Straw Bear" – a person dressed in a costume made of straw.
The event starts with the Straw Bear(s) leading a parade into the town at 10:30am and then continuing to meander around Whittlesey (yes, there are two spellings of the town’s name), with colourful teams putting on displays of Morris and Molly dancing throughout the day, culminating in an afternoon finale in the market place. The Straw Bear custom dates back to at least the mid 19th century and was revived in 1980. More information on the history and festival can be found at www.strawbear.org.uk
The general plan is to enjoy the dancing and festivities in town during the morning, then go for a shortish walk (maybe ~6 miles but TBC) after lunch to explore some of the nearby countryside, before returning for the dancing finale around 3pm. The walk leader has not attended the festival before so there may be a certain amount of playing it by ear on the day! However, the walk leader does plan to visit Whittlesey the weekend before to test out some local footpaths, so further details of the walk will be confirmed nearer the time
Procession
The initial procession of the Straw Bear and dance groups is set to start at 10.30am. Based on info from last year’s event, this follows a short route from the Manor Leisure Centre, heading up Station Road towards Market Street and the marketplace (by the Buttercross and George Hotel). The town will be busy so it might be tricky to meet everyone before the parade, but make sure you have a good spot to watch from and we will find everyone afterwards. Of course, feel free to explore the town and festival at your own leisure and meet the group at any point. There will be dance displays throughout the day in various locations plus other activites such as storytelling.
Lunch
Given Whittlesey and its dining establishments will presumably be busy, lunch will likely be takeaway (supermarkets, fish & chips, kebabs, Subway etc. available) or bring a packed lunch to save on queuing.
Please note that this walk is not suitable for dogs.
For information about walking with the group, including our dog policy, please visit the Stag Walkers website.
Booking your place: Please book your place using the free Meetup website/app. Join the Stag Walkers Meetup group and click the 'Attend' button on the event page.
Please do not turn up for a walk without booking, as places are limited.
If the walk is fully booked, click 'join waitlist' to get a place if one becomes available and please check back regularly in case you do get a place. The waitlist gives priority to single bookings so if you wish to bring a guest, we recommend booking separately.
Unless you opt in to further communications, we will only use contact information you provide to get in touch about the walk.
This is a circular walk.
The start time is when we aim to start walking and the finish time is an estimate.
Walks are graded Easy, Leisurely, Moderate or Strenuous in increasing order of difficulty. Please read the walk description to check it is within your abilities and contact the group if you are unsure.
Please:
We are a Ramblers group, non-members are welcome to try us out for three free walks before joining Ramblers as a full member.
As a charity we ask that non-members consider making a voluntary donation to Ramblers until they purchase membership. We suggest £3-4 per walk. You can donate in person or online.
The Ramblers’ Association is a company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales. Company registration number: 4458492. Registered Charity in England and Wales number: 1093577. Registered office: First Floor, 10 Queen Street Place, London EC4R 1BE.
The Buttercross, 1-4 Market St, Whittlesey, Peterborough PE7 1AF. Whittlesey is situated about 7 miles east of Peterborough and can be reached by both road and rail. If catching the train, take the Thameslink service to Peterborough which departs Stevenage at 8.45am (also calls at Hitchin, Biggleswade, St Neots and others), arriving at 9.39am, then change for the 9.50am Greater Anglia service to Bury St Edmunds. Whittlesea is the first stop, arriving at 9.58am. Return trains in the afternoon leave Whittlesea at 3.31pm and 5.31pm. If you plan to drive, please see the festival website for further information, it recommends using the Park & Ride setup at Sir Harry Smith Community College (which looks close enough to walk from) and also notes some road closures.
