The Cambridge Belfry Out and About
The university city of Cambridge offers a unique mix of cosmopolitan life and historic ancestry, which continues to draw visitors from near and far. From the wonders of Kings College and the University, to the buzz of activity in the city centre shops, Cambridge has something for everyone. Take a relaxed stroll along the Backs, while away the hours in the Fitzwilliam Museum, or even splash out in a punt along the River Cam.
The area also boasts a variety of cultural and modern tourist attractions. The splendour of Wimpole Hall and Home Farm, the excitement of Newmarket and Huntingdon Races, the tranquil American Cemetery and the wonders of the Imperial War Museum at Duxford offer lots to choose from whilst staying at The Cambridge Belfry.
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Top Attractions
King's College, Cambridge. 15 mins from the hotel. Tel: 01223 331212
The Chapel
King's College Chapel took over a century to build and was completed in 1547, although the history of its construction is the subject of continuing research. You can view a gallery of images of the Chapel, view the list of services which take place daily during term or visit the Chapel Shop
The Choir
The daily services remain the raison d'être of the Choir including the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols broadcast live across the world on Christmas Eve. The Choir performs regular concerts and tours and there are many recordings available from the Chapel Shop. Services on Mondays are sung by King's Voices, a mixed voice choir which also performs in concerts and other events during the year.
Cambridge & County Folk Museum. Tel: 01223 355159
One of the oldest private dwellings in Cambridge, The Museum is housed in a superb late 15th century timber-framed building near the River Cam.
The Museum's collections are unique and wide-ranging, reflecting the history of the city and county of Cambridge.
Linton Zoo, Linton, 10 miles from Cambridge. Tel: 01223 891308
Cambridgeshire's Wildlife Breeding Centre has lots to offer for the whole family, with animals including: Tigers, Lions, Snow Leopards, Lynx, Porcupines, Giant Tortoises, Eagle Owls, Tarantula Spiders and many others.
The Zoo is set in 16 acres of beautifully landscaped grounds and is the perfect place to bring a picnic and spend the day.
St. John's College, Cambridge. Tel: 01223 338600
Incorporating the famous and beautiful Bridge of Sighs spanning the River Cam, St. John's College was built in 1511 and has many historical Chapels and Courts to visit.
Former members included Ben Johnson, Palmerston and Wordsworth.
Imperial War Museum, Duxford. Tel: 01223 835000
Duxford is a world-renowned heritage complex with over fifty historic working aircraft based there, such as Concorde, Lancaster, Vulcan and even an elegant 1930's biplane airliner which takes visitors to the air over Duxford.
Also on site is The American Air Museum, a memorial to the 30,000 Americans who died flying from the UK in the Second World War.
Land Warfare is also covered with a collection of nearly 100 tanks and military vehicles in authentic battlefield scenes.
Cambridge University Botanic Garden. Tel: 01223 336265
Situated less than a mile to the south of the City centre, this tranquil 40-acre garden offers year round interest to visitors who can relax in the pleasant surroundings.
Over 10,000 labelled plant species are available to view in beautiful landscaped settings, including Rock Garden, Lake, Glasshouses, Winter Garden, Woodland Walk and nine National Collections.
Farmland Museum & Denny Abbey, Waterbeach, Cambridge.Tel: 01223 860988
Discover farming through the ages at the Farmland Museum and learn about the rural history of Cambridgeshire with visits to a village shop and pub, kitchen and dairy. Other features include a stunning 17th century stone barn and the workshops, which include a wheelwright and cooper. The Museum also has specially designed activities for children.
Denny Abbey is a lovely abbey still featuring superb Norman interiors and displays of its history through the ages.
Cambridge American Cemetery & Memorial – 10 mins from hotel
The World War II Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial is located three miles west of the university city of Cambridge on the A1303.
The site, thirty and a half acres in extent, was donated by the University of Cambridge. There are 3,812 American military Dead buried there. On the wall running from the entrance to the chapel are inscribed the names of 5,126 Americans who gave their lives in the service of their country, but whose remains were never recovered or identified. Most of these died in the Battle of the Atlantic or in the strategic air bombardment of Northwest Europe during World War II
Hinchingbrooke House & Country Park – 20 mins from hotel
Hinchingbrooke House is on the outskirts of Huntingdon. The first known building on the site was a Norman church dated to about the year 1100. By about the year 1200 it had been converted to a Benedictine Nunnery and remains of the nunnery still exist in the present building.
However it is as a Country House that Hinchingbrooke is best known.
Grafham Water – 25 mins from hotel
Grafham Water is a haven for wildlife and a popular leisure area. The team of qualified and experienced instructors and superb facilities ensure the provision of a range of excellent courses.
Punting in Cambridge – 15 mins from hotel
A punt is a flat-bottomed boat which does not have a keel, and is propelled by means of a long pole. Punts were introduced as pleasure craft in Edwardian times, since then punting has become one of the most popular ways to see the famous bridges and colleges along the River Cam.
Racing at Newmarket – 30 mins from hotel
Nestling on the Suffolk-Cambridgeshire border at the gateway to the East of England, Newmarket is both the historical home and the current powerhouse of British horseracing.
The town has a unique environment consisting of the world's most extensive training grounds, over 2500 racehorses, some 70 licensed trainers and more than 60 stud farms. Rowley Mile Racecourse, the true "Course of Champions", boasts world class racing and facilities and the stunningly picturesque July Course offering its own unique brand of entertainment over the summer months.
Racing at Huntingdon - 20 mins from hotel
Huntingdon Racecourse is a flat, right-handed circuit of approximately 1 mile 3 furlongs which provides excellent viewing. There are nine fences to a circuit, the open ditch in front of the grandstand providing a real spectacle.
Wimpole Hall & Home Farm – 15 mins from hotel
The 2500 acre (1012ha) Wimpole Estate, situated eight miles south west of Cambridge, offers visitors the chance to visit: a house built mainly in the 18th Century; landscaped park; gardens and Home Farm.
Audley End – 40 mins from hotel
Once the extensive cultivated estate of an Abbey during the Middle Ages the landscape of Audley End has seen many changes reflecting the various tastes of its owners and the fashion of their time. After being converted into a private home the Abbey was replaced by a vast mansion of which the present house is only a part. Audley End offers:
City Sightseeing, Cambridge. Tel: 01223 362444
Circular tours of central Cambridge (also taking in the American Cemetery) operate every 20 minutes all day during the summer months, half-hourly in spring, autumn and winter.
Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge. Tel: 01223 332900
Founded in 1816, the Fitzwilliam Museum has outstanding collections of paintings, drawings, sculpture, decorative arts and antiquities. Important artists represented include Titian, Poussin, William Blake, Turner, Ingres and many French Impressionists and Post-Impressionists.
Flag Fen Britain's Bronze Age Centre, Peterborough.Tel: 01733 313414
Flag Fen includes a Museum of the Bronze age and Bronze Age landscape with reconstructed Iron Age & furnished Bronze Age roundhouses, as well as primitive breeds of sheep, a mock archaeological sand dig and a real Roman road with original surface. Enjoy lakeside walks, with an abundance of wildlife, picnic areas and a superb visitors centre, with souvenir and coffee shop.
Hamerton Zoo Park, Nr Sawtry, Cambridgeshire. Tel: 01832 293362
Opened as a conservation sanctuary in 1990, and set in a lovely, open rolling area of countryside known as the "Huntingdonshire Wolds", Hamerton's 15 acres of parkland provide a safe home for a fascinating array of beautiful creatures from around the world. The park specialises in rare, endangered and unusual animals, with over a hundred different species.
Longthorpe Tower, Peterborough. Tel: 01223 582700
The three storey tower was added in 1310 to a manor house fortified in 1263. The walls inside still have some of the original decorative paintings, the best in the country, which survived after being preserved under whitewash. Open summer and weekends.
Nene Valley Railway, Wansford, Cambridgeshire. Tel: 01780 784444
There's so much to see along the Nene Valley Railway, including the village of Wansford, Ferry Meadows and Orton Mere, and you're just 10 minutes' walk from the bustling city of Peterborugh, with its shops and imposing cathedral - a perfect day out! Children will also love meeting 'Thomas', the world-famous engine who now lives out his retirement here.
Oliver Cromwell's House, Ely, Cambridgeshire. Tel: 01353 662062
The house where Oliver Cromwell and his family lived from 1636-1647 is an attractive half-timbered building that once served as the vicarage for nearby St. Mary's Church.The building is refurbished in Stuart style, and audio-visual displays provide insight into the career and times of Cromwell. Downstairs in Cromwell's House is the Ely Tourist Information Centre, who provide a Ghost Walk of Ely in addition to the usual leaflets and travel help.
Railword, Peterborough. Tel: 01733 344240
Railworld highlights modern trains and the need for sustainable transport. A superb model railway with hands on displayer and films to delight children. There are also ‘Steam Age’ exhibits, large locomotives and ‘trains without wheels’. Visitors have all day free parking close to the city centre.
Sacrewell Farm & Country Centre, Peterborough. Tel: 01780 782254
There is something for everyone at Sacrewell, from friendly farm animals and play areas to the working watermill and farm bygones. With the visitor centre spread over 35 acres you can always enjoy the feeling of space and rural tranquillity, whether you have come to visit for the day or are staying on the attractive campsite.
The Manor, Huntingdon, 01480 463134
Built in the 1130s The Manor is one of the oldest continuously inhabited houses in Britain and much of the original house remains virtually intact in spite of various changes over nine hundred years.This moated house is surrounded by four acres of garden renowned for its collection of over 200 old roses and a collection of irises containing many famous Dykes medal winners, most of them dating from the 1950s. The Garden is open daily, appointments are required for visiting the House.
The Raptor Foundation, Woodhurst, Cambridgeshire. Tel: 01487 741140
The Raptor Foundation is a Bird of Prey Sanctuary and Hospital and is a unique and exciting place to meet and learn more about owls and hawks and see them fly. Guided tours are available at the Centre and we have a tearoom that will serve cream teas and giftshop with a good range of goodies to round off your visit.
Wildlife & Wetlands Trust, Nr Wisbech, Cambridgeshire. Tel: 01353 860711
This important wetland nature reserve at Welney (nr. Wisbech) in Cambridgeshire has undergone a series of £3.5 million improvements for 2006. Clad in sustainable Siberian larch, the impressive new visitor centre contains interactive learning and display areas, a modern restaurant and shop. A new footbridge leads from the centre to the wetland observatories. The centre is famous for its floodlit swan feeds in the Winter.
