Held to honour the memory of the Second World War’s RAF Pathfinder Force, the Pathfinder March is an annual 46-mile (74 km) hike in Cambridgeshire. It’s an evocative and challenging event; walkers have 20 hours to complete the full circuit.

The Pathfinder Long Distance Walk follows the route of the March. Of course, the main difference is that you can choose to walk it at any time or at a pace that suits you.

It loops around beautiful, flat Cambridgeshire countryside, following public rights of way through sleepy villages, picturesque waterside towns, gorgeous fenland and alongside the wildlife-rich River Great Ouse with its old watermills and windmills.

It’s a treat for history buffs and a poignant way to pay tribute to the brave pilots who risked their lives during wartime. The Walk takes in the historic Pathfinder stations at Wyton, Graveley, Oakington and Warboys, visiting numerous memorials and remnants of what was once a key component of the Allied resistance.

The Pathfinder Force led the vast majority of raids over Nazi-occupied Europe, marking targets for subsequent bombers to hit. Their missions were extremely treacherous. Despite many of the volunteer pilots being some of the most experienced in the RAF, no amount of skill would guarantee a safe return. Their valiant efforts transformed Allied Bomber Command into a force that could accurately hit targets throughout Western Europe, helping to bring about an end to the war.

In this Collection, I’ve split the Walk into four stages of between 8 and 15 miles (13 and 24 km), with each stage ending near somewhere to stay. I suggest specifics in the Tour descriptions where accommodation is scarce or when lodgings are a short journey on public transport away. Walkers usually complete the loop in an anti-clockwise direction, but there’s nothing to stop you going the other way.

A leisurely approach to the walk allows you to explore interesting sites, like the River Great Ouse’s nature reserves, or the brand spanking new town of Northstowe, without the pressure of time. Of course, if you want to challenge yourself and see if you can complete the whole thing in 20 hours, you can.

This being Cambridgeshire, the going is remarkably flat, so you can quickly eat up the miles if you put your best foot forward. The distances involved call for decent hiking shoes, while it’s always a good idea to have waterproofs stashed in your bag, just in case.

There are plenty of cafes, pubs and shops en route, so you shouldn’t have to carry too much food (unless you’re aiming for a speedy round without stops) but having a bottle of water to hand is always wise.

The hike starts and ends at RAF Wyton, just a short taxi ride from Huntingdon, which is only an hour from London St Pancras by train, or 15 minutes from Peterborough.

For more information or to sign up for the annual Pathfinder March, see: pathfindermarch.co.uk/index.html