Welney

Welney is a village and civil parish in the Fens of England, and the county of Norfolk. The village is situated immediately to the west of parallel Old Bedford River, River Delph and New Bedford River, which are here crossed by the A1101 road. The village is some 15 km (9.3 mi) south-west of the town of Downham Market, 30 km (19 mi) south of the town of King's Lynn and 70 km (43 mi) west of the city of Norwich. The county boundary with Cambridgeshire is adjacent, and the city of Cambridge lies 40 km (25 mi) to the south.

It covers an area of 20.73 km2 (8.00 sq mi) and had a population of 528 in 217 households as of the 2001 census. For the purposes of local government, it falls within the district of King's Lynn and West Norfolk.

In the 14th century, Welney was called Wellenhe, meaning "a river called Welle" (the old name of the Old Croft River). In the second half of the 19th century, Welney became famous for its skaters.

Welney is situated on the Ouse Washes, an internationally important area of wildlife conservation. WWT Welney is a nature reserve in the care of the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust. Nearby, there are also the RSPB Ouse Washes, a reserve managed by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.