Spectacular West Front of Norman Peterborough Cathedral
Flag Fen Bronze Age Centre nr Peterborough
Cambridge Punting Tours on the River Cam with views of The Backs of the Cambridge Colleges
West Tower views of the Norman Ely Cathedral
Wicken Fen National Nature Reserve nr Cambridge & Ely
King's College Chapel Cambridge
AirSpace Gallery, Imperial War Museum Duxford nr CambridgeCambridgeshire contains one of Britain's most popular cultural city breaks Cambridge with its spectacular Cambridge University Colleges and premier museums and galleries linked to the university. Popular tours in Cambridge include the Cambridge punting tours along the River Cam which afford spectacular views of The Backs of the riverside colleges. Northwest and west of Cambridge is Huntingdonshire with historic market towns Huntingdon, St Ives and St Neots. All three are great riverside gateways onto the East Anglian waterways and the Huntingdonshire towns and villages great craft shops, riverside real ale inns and beautiful rural country cottages and touring parks. Huntingdon is famously the birthplace of Oliver Cromwell and Cromwell's former school in the town is now the Cromwell Museum. » Find Cambridgeshire Accommodation
Cambridgeshire contains two iconic Norman cathedrals, Ely Cathedral and Peterborough Cathedral. Both are landmark historic buildings in Britain which regularly feature in top ten lists of 'must visit' buildings. The unique flat landscape of The Fens which pushes up from Peterborough to King's Lynn and The Wash across March and Wisbech and north of Cambridge taking in Wicken and Ely is a magical memorable landscape. There are no hills here, the drama is in the great expanse of flatness dotted with boating waterways and spectacular Fen wetlands sites like Flag Fen, Wicken Fen and Welney Wetlands Centre. The Fens are popular for narrowboat holidays and birdwatching and feature a choice of fun family farm parks, traditional real ale inns, nature reserves, award winning tearooms, character country hotels and numerous camping and caravan sites.
Historic Cambridge with its stunning architecture and historic Cambridge colleges is one of the UK's most visited cities. Attractions in Cambridge are extensive from tours of the historic Cambridge colleges including famous King's College Chapel to taking Cambridge punting boat trips on the River Cam and visit the outstanding choice of Cambridge museums and galleries which boast internationally acclaimed collections particularly for science and technology.
Cambridge city centre contains a wide choice of stylish boutique hotels and B&B guest houses, alongside a huge choice of fine tearooms, cafes and restaurants. Cambridge city centre is easily toured on foot and you can choose from a range of Cambridge tours including open top bus tours, walking tours, ghost tours and the famous Cambridge punting tours. Best theatre, festivals and concerts in Cambridge include the Cambridge International Concert Series and the popular annual Cambridge Folk Festival.
Historic Ely alongside the River Great Ouse is most famous for the spectacular Norman Ely Cathedral, nicknamed 'Ship of the Fens' as this great Fenland ship is visible from miles around across the flat Fen landscape. Historic buildings from medieval Monastic buildings and a rare surviving Oliver Cromwell home to the 13th century old gaol are numerous. Many of the exquisite 4 star Ely B&B guesthouses and charming hotels are housed within character historic buildings.
Fine retaurants and superb real ale inns in Ely are many and you will also find award winning tearooms in Ely. Britain's smallest city Ely also boasts a spectacular waterfront on the River Great Ouse which forms part of the extensive Cambridgeshire Waterways network.
Charming Huntingdon centre contains historic coach house hotels like The George Hotel and a fine choice of quality restaurants, real ale pubs and a range of local and high street shops. Offering fast rail links to London and within easy reach of Cambridge, Huntingdon and the wider Huntingdonshire villages are perfectly situated for touring Cambridgeshire. Huntingdonshire is home to some beautiful historic churches including All Saints 15th century church in Huntingdon centre.
Oliver Cromwell was born in Huntingdon in 1599 and his former old school in Huntingdon is now the definitive Cromwell Museum. Hartford Marina near Huntingdon is a major gateway onto the River Great Ouse and a hotspot for boat hire and boat trips. Attractions around Huntingdon feature historic houses, spectacular nature reserves like Grafham Water and Houghton Meadows and Ramsey Abbey Gatehouse, all that remains of the former Benedictine Ramsey Abbey.
The wide choice of attractions and things to do near Cambridge include stunning Fenland sites like Wicken Fen and family fun wildlife parks and zoos like Linton Zoo and Shepreth Wildlife Park. Visitors based in the idyllic medieval village of Saffron Walden or in the countryside around Cambridge benefit from both a beautiful rural holiday base and easy access to Cambridge city centre attractions.
The beautiful Cambridgeshire Fenlands have strong links to the city of Cambridge and the university. Charles Darwin is throught to have visited wildlife haven Wicken Fen and the war poet Rupert Brooke, who attended King's College Cambridge, lived for a time in the Old Vicarage at Grantchester. The stunning parish church in Saffron Walden was designed by John Wastell who also designed King's College Chapel.
Essential visiting near Cambridge is the superb Imperial War Museum Duxford south of Cambridge located on the historic Duxford Airfield, one of around 120 airfields situated in the east and southeast of England by the end of World War II. Duxford Airfield played a major role in the Second World War and is where the legendary Spitfire plane first went into service.
Attractions near Peterborough feature a host of countryside attractions including the captivating Fenland landscapes at Flag Fen and Holme Fen and great fun family farm parks like Sacrewell Farm and Pigeons Farm. Accommodation around Peterborough includes ample choice of idyllically situated caravan and camping parks plus luxury historic manor house hotels and country cottages.
The East of England Show takes place annually at the East of England Showground near Peterborough. The showground is a real hub for East Anglia agricultural events and festivals where you can purchase unique locally made craft gifts and locally reared and farmed produce including organic foods. Enjoy great fun family days out on the picturesque Nene Valley Railway, a standard gauge line running for just over 7 miles between Peterborough and Wansford. The Nene Valley Railway hosts numerous themed year round events including 1940s weekends and Thomas and Santa Specials.
Peterborough Cathedral is another spectacular Norman cathedral in Cambridgeshire. Peterborough city centre is a historic gem with numerous historic buildings and a pretty riverside along the River Nene. A wealth of attractions await in this top cathedral city gateway to the Fens and Fenland Waterways including the outstanding Peterborough Museum and Art Gallery, home to a range of precious Bronze and Iron Age, Roman and Saxon finds as well as an internationally acclaimed fossil collection and watercolours of Peterborough Cathedral by Turner. Peterborough Museum organises numerous special events and Peterborough historic tours throughout the year.
Attractions in Peterborough include the city's superb shopping scene, one of the best in East Anglia. Peterborough Lido, a Grade listed 1930s lido with three outdoor pools opens during the summer months. Take boat trips on the River Nene from Peterborough or dine on one of the city's floating restaurants. Essential visiting is the Flag Fen Bronze Age Centre, home to remains of a Celtic Bronze Age ritual monument and the oldest wheel found in England.
Stunning riverside market town St Ives in Huntingdonshire is conveniently close to Cambridge and sits just east of Huntingdon. Boat trips on the River Great Ouse are available from the idyllic St Ives Quayside and stunning riverside walks are via a footpath following the route of the Great Ouse from St Ives. St Ives Marina is a popular gateway into the Cambridgeshire Waterways network and boating holidays. Local attractions include the Raptor Foundation, a rescue bird of prey centre open to the public and featuring interactive flight demonstrations.
Accommodation in St Ives Huntingdonshire includes character historic hotels and traditional B&B inns serving fine pub food and real ales. Visitors keen on fishing will want to visit the St Ives Lakes, a prime fishing hotspot in Cambridgeshire situated near St Ives centre.
St Neots is an idyllic historic market town, Cambridgeshire's largest town, situated alongside the River Great Ouse. Easy access to Cambridge is from St Neots which contains a choice of character hotels and self catering cottages. St Neots Station offers fast train links direct to London Kings Cross.
Discover the local history of the St Neots area at St Neots Museum including details on the now lost St Neots Priory. Around St Neots are top nature reserves and bird watching hotspots like Paxton Pits Nature Reserve. Ample marina mooring space is available along the Great Ouse near St Neots. This area is popular as a gateway for boating holidays on the Cambridgeshire Waterways. Exquisite riverside real ale pubs, specialist shops and art galleries and ancient historic churches all feature in and around the St Neots area.
Wisbech, Capital of the Fens, is ideally situated for exploring the Fens and is within easy reach of both King's Lynn and Peterborough, as well as conveniently close to historic Ely and Cambridge. The Fenland around Wisbech and March with its unique landscape and network of waterways is wonderfully peaceful and leisurely featuring outstanding real ale traditional pubs, villages with craft shops and tearooms and a host of beautiful fenland sites, wetlands visitor centres and nature reserves. The area is ideal for avid birdwatchers, lovers of narrowboat holidays and keen nature lovers.
Historic attractions in Wisbech include the Georgian former townhouse of a Quaker banking family, Peckover House and Garden. Visit the Georgian Elgoods Brewery in Wisbech which has been brewing fine ales here for over 200 years. The birthplace home of Octavia Hill, one of the founders of the National Trust and key Victorian figure involved in the development of social housing and social work is also situated in Wisbech. The Grade listed house is now a museum exploring the history of this influential woman. March Marina is a hotspot for narrowboat hire and boating holidays on the Fenland Waterways.
