Holme Fen is a biological
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain, or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland, is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle ...
near
Holme in
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfor ...
.
It is also a
National Nature Reserve and a
Nature Conservation Review site, Grade I. It is part of the
Great Fen project, which aims to create a 3,700-hectare wetland wildlife area including Holme Fen,
Woodwalton Fen and other areas.
It is home to a variety of birds, including the
Eurasian siskin,
Nightingale and
Lesser redpoll, and around 450 species of
fungi
A fungus (: fungi , , , or ; or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and mold (fungus), molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as one ...
.
Holme Fen is described by
Natural England as the finest example of birch woodland in lowland Britain. Part of it was a
mere which was drained in the nineteenth century, and some relict wetland plants survive such as
saw sedge and
fen wood-rush. Two new lakes have been excavated.
[
Holme Fen, specificall]
Holme Posts
is believed to be the lowest land point in the United Kingdom at below sea level.[
]
History
In October 2015, archaeological work to recover a WW2 Spitfire, flown by Pilot Officer Harold Penketh, that crashed into Holme Fen on 22 November 1940, was undertaken.
Led by Oxford Archaeology East's project director Stephen Macauley, the teams located and recovered artefacts from the crash. A film of the excavation was shown at the Great Fen's Countryside Centre, Ramsey Heights on 27 September, 2019.
Access
The reserve is open to the public throughout the year. Several footpaths cross the site.
Management
Holme Fen is at the south-western edge of the former Whittlesey Mere, which has been drained. The Great Fen Project aims to reconnect Holme Fen with nearby Woodwalton Fen, another vestigial fragment of wild fenland. Holme approximately marks the south-western limit of Stage 2 of the Great Fen Project.
See also
* Ben Nevis – The highest point in the United Kingdom.
References
{{SSSIs Cambridgeshire
Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Cambridgeshire
Nature Conservation Review sites
National nature reserves in England
Lowest points of countries
Huntingdonshire
Extreme points of the United Kingdom