Holme Fen facts for kids
| Site of Special Scientific Interest | |
 |
|
| Area of Search | Cambridgeshire |
|---|---|
| Interest | Biological |
| Area | 269.4 hectares |
| Notification | 1985 |
| Location map | Magic Map |
Holme Fen is a very special natural area in Cambridgeshire, England. It covers about 269 hectares, which is like 400 football fields! It's known as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) because it has rare plants, animals, and important habitats. It's also a National Nature Reserve, meaning it's protected for wildlife and for people to enjoy.
Holme Fen is a key part of the exciting Great Fen project. This project aims to create a huge wetland area of 3,700 hectares. It connects Holme Fen with other places like Woodwalton Fen. This helps wildlife spread and thrive.
You can find many different birds here, like the Eurasian siskin, Nightingale, and Lesser redpoll. It's also home to around 450 different kinds of fungi!
Experts at Natural England say Holme Fen has the best example of birch woodland in lowland Britain. Part of the fen used to be a lake called a mere. This lake was drained in the 1800s. Even so, some wetland plants that were there before still survive. These include plants like saw sedge and fen wood-rush. To help the wildlife, two new lakes have been dug.
Holme Fen, especially a spot called Holme Posts, is believed to be the lowest land point in Great Britain. It is about 2.75 meters (9 feet) below sea level!
History of Holme Fen
In October 2015, archaeologists did some important work at Holme Fen. They were looking for a Spitfire plane from World War II. This plane crashed into Holme Fen on November 22, 1940. It was flown by Pilot Officer Harold Penketh.
Teams led by Stephen Macauley from Oxford Archaeology East found parts of the crashed plane. A film about this dig was shown at the Great Fen's Countryside Centre in Ramsey Heights on September 27, 2019.
Visiting Holme Fen
Holme Fen is open to everyone all year round. There are several footpaths that cross the site. This allows visitors to explore and enjoy the natural beauty of the area.
Managing the Fen
Holme Fen is located at the edge of what used to be Whittlesey Mere. This large lake was drained a long time ago. The Great Fen Project is working to connect Holme Fen with Woodwalton Fen. Woodwalton Fen is another small piece of wild fenland nearby. The project aims to create a much larger area of natural habitat. Holme Fen marks the southwestern boundary for the second stage of this big project.
