Coton Countryside Reserve

Coton Countryside Reserve is located at the western edge of Cambridge and there are wonderful views over Cambridge and the surrounding countryside.

Did you know that Coton Countryside Reserve is part of a working farm purchased in the 1930s and opened as a reserve in 2008 to improve the Cambridge green belt for nature and people? The Reserve can be visited for free, 365 days of the year and enjoyed from dawn until dusk.

Take an oxygenating walk up to Red Meadow Hill, where you will be rewarded for your efforts with panoramic views over Cambridge. There are also grass meadows and newly planted orchards where you can stray off the path and enjoy a picnic.

The main spine path through the reserve is hard surface and suitable for wheelchairs and cycles.

Dogs are very welcome but must be kept on leads except in the dog run area (located next to the spine path near the car park). Dog bins are provided.

We hold guided walks, volunteer work parties and other events at the Reserve, click here to find out what’s on.

There are no toilet facilities at the Reserve. Visitors should please be aware that some fields will contain cows/ sheep at certain times of the year and you should also expect to encounter tractors and other agricultural vehicles. Please do not stray into crop fields and close gates behind you if there is livestock present.

Click here for a visitor map of the reserve.

Click here to download our Coton Countryside Reserve visitor leaflet.

Click here to find out about walks based around Coton Reserve.

 For full details, directions and transport: Visitor Information Coton Countryside Reserve | Cambridge Past, Present and Future (cambridgeppf.org)

A Wilder Coton

Following a crowdfunding campaign called A Wilder Coton Cambridge Past, Present & Future need to raise the final £10,000 in order to begin to transform arable farmland on the western edge of Cambridge into new habitats that are rich in nature, help to mitigate climate change and improve community well-being. Cambridgeshire is one of the most nature depleted places in the UK, it has one of the lowest amounts of tree cover and people have limited free access to large areas of nature. Cambridge was also the 5th fastest growing city in the last decade with plans for this rate of growth to continue for several decades.

This rapid growth is putting significant pressure on the environment and people. To help tackle these challenges, our vision is to transform farmland that we own and create a large-scale area of ‘wild-belt’ on the edge of Cambridge for wildlife and nature, that mitigates climate change and improves community well-being by providing access to nature and attractive green space.

This is literally ‘seed’ funding for:

• preparing the ground, sowing 20 acres of wildflower seeds to create new meadows
• planting 5 acres of new woodland
• creating a new wetland to capture pollution & reduce flooding
• providing the infrastructure so that the community can enjoy the new habitats

Once the funds are in place work will begin in autumn 2024.