Abbots Ripton is connected to Huntingdon by the C115 minor road. At the southern end of the High Street this road joins the B1090 linking St Ives with the A1.
Abbots Ripton and Wennington are set within one of the few remaining areas of substantial woodland in Huntingdonshire. In1610 the surroundings were shown as one of six deerparks in the County. Travelling from the south of Abbots Ripton, Holland Wood and Wennington Wood give an immediate backcloth to the village whilst slightly more distant, Little Less Wood and Boulton’s Hatch Wood lie on the western side.The large amount of trees in the local landscape is unusual for Huntingdonshire and of particular importance and interest is the predominance of the dominant species of Elm which have survived the devastating Dutch Elm disease (today there are over a thousand living elms - something unique to this area in the country). Many new trees (including lime, ash, oak, horsechestnuts, cherries, yews and birches) have been planted over the past 20 years by both the Abbots Ripton Estate and Parish residents, with the consequence that from the air both Abbots Ripton and Wennington appear to be set within islands of trees.
The main line London to Edinburgh railway passes within a half mile of the village to the west. A station was constructed north of the main settlement but closed to passengers inSeptember 1958. In 1876 a rail disaster occurred at Abbots Ripton which was to have a fundamental effect on signalling procedures ever after. It is recorded as one of the 50 mostserious and important rail crashes to ever have occurred in Britain.
On the 21st January, in freezing conditions and blizzards at about 6pm, the ‘FlyingScotsman’- or more specifically the 10.30am Edinburgh to Kings Cross express - travelling south, crashed into a shunting coal train at Abbots Ripton. Three to four inches of ice clung to telegraph and signalling wires causing the signals to freeze in the ‘CLEAR’ position. Unfortunately 14 were killed and 58 injured.