Places to Visit and Days Out in Cambridgeshire
Anglesey Abbey
A grand part medieval part Tudor house with 20th-c additions. Purchased by Lord Fairhaven in 1926, the son of a wealth American oil family. The house is open to the public and contains a collection of prints and drawings of Windsor Castle spanning 350 years, amongst other treasures. The gardens are famous for their extensive displays of snowdrops and spring bulbs in early spring, and majestic trees. Over 100 statues, collected by Lord Fairhaven, adorn the grounds.
Opening times: Gardens
all year, daily from 10am - House Mar to Oct
from 11am (closed Mon/Tue) - Admission Charge*
Location: Quy Rd, Lode, Cambridge CB25 9EJ
Tel: 01223 810080 - Run by the National
Trust
Website: nationaltrust.org.uk
Barnack Hills and Holes
Barnack is famous for its fine building stone used locally in houses, Churches and Abbeys; most notably in Ely and Peterborough Cathedrals. The quarries were worked from Roman times until they were exhausted in the 18th-c. The area is now a SSSI and NNR, supporting wild orchids, purple milk-vetch, common rock-rose and pasque flowers (for which this area is famous). The site is easily accessible from Barnack village and is criss-crossed with well marked pathways.
Opening times: any
reasonable time - Free Access - limited
parking on Wittering Road
Location: Peterborough, Stamford PE9
3EX
Website: fbhh.org.uk
Chilford Hall Vineyard
Visit one of the largest and oldest vineyards in Cambridgeshire, to taste and purchase some of our best British wines. View the 18 acre vineyard and take a tour of the winery to see how traditional English wines are made.
Opening times: Mon
to Fri, 9am till 4pm - Admission
Charge
Location: Balsham Rd, Cambridge CB21
4LE
Tel: 01223 895600
Website: chilfordhall.co.uk
Image Credit: LeniG (CC0)
Clare Cottage
The home of John Clare (1793-1864), widely regarded as one of the greatest the English poets. The gardens have been filled with plants that would have been seen in Clare's time.
Opening times: Friday, Saturday and Monday from 11am - Admission Charge
Location: 12 Woodgate,
Helpston, Peterborough, PE6 7ED
Tel: 01733 253330
Website: clarecottage.org
Denny Abbey and Farmland Museum
Located near Ely, this family friendly attraction provides a interesting overview of early monastic life in Britain. Discover how the beautiful 12th-c Denny Abbey developed with informative displays and activities. The Farmland Museum covers cambridgeshire's rural and agricultural history. Managed by English Heritage*.
Opening times: April
to Oct: Tue – Sun, 11am to 5pm (BH
Mondays, 11am – 5pm) - Admission
Charge*
Location: Ely Rd, Waterbeach, Cambridge
CB25 9PQ
Tel: 01223 860988
Website: dennyfarmlandmuseum.org.uk
Ely Cathedral
Ely Cathedral was initiated in 1083. Built on a small rise, it appears from a distance as if floating above the flat fenland, like a great ship. The central Norman tower collapsed in 1322 and was replaced by a much grander, octagonal tower that is unique in medieval English architecture.
Opening times: guided
tours and tower tours available see website for times
- Admission
Charge
Location: Ely CB7 4DL
Website: elycathedral.org
Flag Fen
Site of a Bronze Age settlement dated to around 1,000 years BC. The main exhibit (housed undercover in a Preservation Hall) is an excavated Bronze Age processional way, which ran for over a mile. The site also contains a small reconstructed Bronze Age settlement and Iron Age roundhouse. The small on-site museum displays many interesting artifacts discovered during site excavations, including one of the oldest wheels in Britain.
Opening times: Mar to Oct, daily,
10am to 5pm - Admission Charge
Location: The Droveway, Northey Rd, Peterborough,
PE6 7QJ
Tel: 01733 313414
Website: fensmuseums.org.uk
The Gog Magog Hills & Wandlebury Country Park
Gog Magog Hills (or downs) are a range of low chalk hills, extending for several miles to the south east of Cambridge. An Iron Age hill fort is located on the crest of the hills. Tradition has it that if a warrior enters this hill fort alone at dead of night, crying 'knight to knight, come forth!', a mounted warrior will appear and fight him. The nearby 110 acre Wandlebury Country Park and Nature Reserve provides a great destination for walkers or for a day out with the family.
Opening times: - Free Access
Location: Gog Magog Hills, Babraham, Cambridgeshire, CB22 3AE
Tel: 01223 243830
Image Credit: Peter
Church (CC2)
Houghton Mill
There has been a water mill on this site since at least AD 974, when it was used to grind grain by the Benedictine monks of Ramsey Abbey. The original building has long since vanished. The current five-storey, brick and tar boarded structure dates from the 19th-c and was a fully working mill up until 1930. The mill is now open to the public for milling demonstrations. Traditional ground flour is for sale in the site shop. Run by National Trust*
Opening times: March
to October (see website for details) - Admission
Charge*
Location: Mill St, Houghton PE28 2AZ
Tel: 01480 301494
Website: nationaltrust.org.uk
Nene Valley Railway
Trains have run on these tracks since 1845. The railway was closed due the Beeching act in 1966 but re-opened again in 1977 as a heritage line. British and European steam and diesel engines pull period rolling stock along the 7,5 miles between Peterborough and Yarwell Junction via Wansford - passing along by the River Nene and through Ferry Meadows Country Park. Regular themed events operate from February to December.
Opening times: trains
run all year (limited service in Winter). See website
for timetable - Ticket Charges Apply
Location: Wansford Station, Stibbington PE8 6LR
Tel: 01780 784444
Website: nvr.org.uk
Prickwillow Drainage Engine Museum
Learn about the challenging story of Fen Drainage, with this important collection of historic pumping engines and other engineering memorabilia.
Opening times: April
to October, Sat, Sun, Mon and Tues, 12.00 to 16pm - Admission
Charge
Location: Main St, Prickwillow, Ely
CB7 4UN
Tel: 01353 688360
Website: prickwillowmuseum.com
Ramsey Abbey Gatehouse
This impressive stone gatehouse and Lady Chapel are all that remains of one of England's richest abbeys. All other buildings were razed to the ground during the dissolution. Managed by National Trust.
Opening times: no public
access. However, the remains of the
gatehouse are easily visible from the road.
Location: Abbey School, Ramsey, Huntingdon PE26 1DH
Tel: 01480 301494
Website: nationaltrust.org.uk
Raptor Foundation
Wildlife sanctuary and hospital for birds of prey. The foundation provides a rescue service and promotes raptor health research. Demonstrations and lectures on the work of the trust are accompanied by a parliament of Owls, who are more than willing to provide flying displays. Onsite tea shop, craft village, woodland walks and campsite.
Opening times: daily
from 10am to 5pm - Admission
Charge
Location: The Heath, St Ives Rd, Woodhurst,
Huntingdon PE28 3BT
Tel: 01487 741140
Website: raptorfoundation.org.uk
Sacrewell Farm and Country Centre
Working farm and stables with an 18th-c working watermill. Visitors can enjoy tractor rides, friendly farm animals, farming displays and exhibitions, walking trails, mini maze, children's play area and a visitors centre. An ideal for venue for young families to relax and enjoy a pleasant rural setting and explore the workings of a modern farm. Includes camping and caravanning facilities.
Opening times: daily from 9.30am to 5pm - Admission
Charge
Location: Thornhaugh, Peterborough,
PE8 6HJ
Tel: 01780 782254
Website: sacrewell.org.uk
Wicken Fen
The Fens is a region of flat marshy land, lying mostly near the edge of the Wash. The area has been drained since the Roman occupation, by the digging of artificial rivers and long straight drains. Not all of the Fens have been successfully drained and some small parts have been preserved to form nature reserves, such as Wicken Fen - located just north of Cambridge. Run by the National Trust*
Opening times: all
year, daily from 10am - Admission
Charge*
Location: Lode Ln, Wicken, Ely CB7 5XP (3
miles west of Soham on the A1123)
Tel: 01353 720274
Website: wicken.org.uk
Wimpole Hall
This grand palatial mansion was built by Sir Thomas Chicheley in the 17th century. Previously the site contained a smaller moated manor house with a nearby village. Sir Thomas moved the tenants out, then demolished the cottages and farmsteads and cleared the whole site to make way for the current design in 1638. Such practices were a common occurrence among the landed gentry of the time. The ridges and earthworks of the old village are still visible in the estate grounds.
The estate covers around 3000 acres of landscaped grounds and farmland and has a wide variety of facilities to suit visitors of all ages, with public access to the working farm, manor house (Hall) and formal gardens. The estate also hosts a number of interesting events throughout the season, including hedge laying, wooden rake making, wood turning, nature talks and festivals. The landscaped parklands are Grade 1 listed and contain many classic features, including extensive pasture land with a ha-ha to keep livestock out, a large woodland area, a lake with wooden bridges and a crumbling castellated hill-top folly.
Wimpole Hall was bequeathed to the National Trust by the last owner, Mrs Elsie Bambridge (daughter of Rudyard Kipling) in 1976. The house and grounds have been open to the public since. Admission charges apply to the house, however, the estate grounds are free, which have several excellent walks. For details pick up a leaflet from the site shop in the old stables.
Opening times: all year, daily, from 11am - Admission
Charge
Location: Arrington SG8 0BW (8 miles south west of Cambridge on the A603)
Tel: 01223 206000
Website: nationaltrust.org.uk
Select Another Region To Visit
Towns and Villages in Cambs
Attractions in the City of Cambridge
Attractions in Peterborough
Please note that the above information was accurate at the time this page was last updated. This information is subject to change at any time (opening times in particular), therefore if you plan on visiting any of the above attractions, please check the owner's website first or phone them for the latest details.