Destination Guide
Whether you’re planning a weekend away or looking for a great day out, First Capital Connect’s Experience guide is packed full of great places to explore and visit by train. And this guide features attractions with fantastic entry offers to provide even better value for money. Leave the car at home, sit back and relax, and enjoy the array of attractions and events without the hassle of traffic jams and parking. Catch the train and continue your journey by bus, on foot, or by taxi. Relax and enjoy your day with friends, family or just with a special loved one. There is something for everyone, from historical and cultural discoveries, fun and fascination, to shopping and dining. Fast, convenient and connected trains combined with regular bus services make getting around easy, and it’s a ‘greener’ way to travel too. Enjoy a great day out today!
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Bedford
Just what is it about Bedford?
A place where you can go out, have fun and experience lots of activities, but also a town full of character, history-rich and amazingly diverse. The River Great Ouse is its main artery, once for trading up and out through King’s Lynn, nowadays for the pleasure of leafy walks and exciting rowing regattas.
Katherine of Aragon allegedly brought the lace-making tradition to the town whilst imprisoned at Ampthill. John Bunyan, author of The Pilgrims’ Progress, put it on a different map from the 17th Century.
Today the town still pays homage to its heroes including Glenn Miller, the famous big band leader of the 1940s, who was stationed here during World War II, and celebrates its love of life through a lively leisure, arts and entertainment scene.
Top tip
For an action packed day out, take a trip to the watersports venue, Box End Park, and receive a 10% discount off activities when you travel by train.
Shopping time
Bedford’s known as ‘The Town of Markets’ and for good reason. As well as a vibrant 90 stall offering on Wednesdays and Saturdays, there’s a fresh and tempting Gourmet Food Market on Thursdays, and Home and Garden Market on Fridays. The pedestrianised shopping centre has more than 300 high street and independent stores.
Why not head out of town and explore some of the area’s pretty limestone villages such as Harrold or Turvey. Look out for farm shops and antiques.
Things to do
Turbo-charged or needing to recharge with the gang or going solo? Fear not – north Bedfordshire has got what it takes for really memorable fun-filled days.
Motor sports, paintballing, monster trucks, quad bikes and off-roading - the choice is endless.
Wannabe wake boarders and water skiers will be over the moon on the cable tow at Box End Park, and who can resist the 140mph rush of simulated freefalling at Bodyflight Bedford?
Got butterflies? So too has Wild Britain, a showcase for native species of flora and fauna. Like the Oasis Beach Pool Leisure Centre, this is a place the little ones will especially enjoy with acres of wildlife meadows and really colourful collections.
Back in central Bedford, it’s hard to beat a walk in one of the town’s parks with their floral displays, bandstand and tree-lined walks.
The museums and galleries are near the Castle Mound. Put the past in context at the Bedford Museum with its interactive displays or find out about John Bunyan at the Meeting House.
Don’t miss the Bedford Creative Arts Gallery on the High Street for inspiring exhibitions and hands-on workshops.
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Flitwick
The commercial life of this busy town got up to steam with the arrival of the railway in the 19th Century. The smart Georgian Flitwick Manor (now a hotel) is a classic reminder of times past, and its central location paves the way for wonders waiting to be discovered nearby.
It’s hard not to fall in love with Woburn - so finely Georgian, so quintessentially English. Once home to a three day market, on both drovers’ and coaching routes, you just get the feeling that this place knows its business. Woburn holds its head up high, lovingly mindful of its heritage and thriving with gentler pleasures like restaurants and antique centres.
Top tip
Stop for afternoon tea, at its birthplace, Woburn Abbey
Shopping time
You’ll find all the shopping essentials in Flitwick, but you can’t beat Woburn for browse-ability. Lose yourself at the Goat Inn, the village’s oldest hostelry, now a specialist bookshop.
Amateurs and collectors will adore the splendid antique centres both at Woburn Abbey, and here in the former Town Hall. Woburn once boasted twenty seven inns - a handful survive like the thatched Royal Oak or impressive historic Inn at Woburn.
Things to do
Fancy spotting a damselfly or grey heron, or listening out for a Sedgewarbler? Flitwick Moor, Bedfordshire’s largest area of wetland, is a hidden gem. So to is Wrest Park in nearby Silsoe, though here the natural world has been disciplined by 19th Century folly into formal gardens of Versailles-esque proportions. Canals, vistas and pavilions combine with wooded walks and croquet lawns. John Bunyan, writer of Pilgrims Progress, is history’s famous local. Reputedly inspired at Jacobean Houghton House near Ampthill. Alas today the once fine mansion is but a shell.
Visit Woburn Abbey to experience history going fromstrength to strength: this monastic site, home to the Dukes of Bedford, is now one of England’s true treasure houses. How must it feel to have 21 Canalettos and walls thick with Gainsboroughs and Van Dyck paintings.
Pick up the free activity guide and let the children explore with you to share the wonder. Outside, beyond the gardens and deer park, there’s even more to make the eyes widen. Lions, tigers, bears, elephants, monkeys and many more are only a windscreen’s width away at Woburn Safari Park.
Don’t miss the five kids’ play areas, or the Wild Watch leisure area with its keeper demonstrations, birds of prey displays and penguin pool. Come nose to nose with squirrel monkeys at Rainbow Landing, the walk-in aviary where you can feed nectar to the colourful Lorikeets. Could you ask for a more memorable day out? Walk with the elephants through the wooded parkland, get your hands dirty in the rhino enclosure, head out with a ranger on an off-road patrol or get closer to the carnivores. Ask the team at this award winning park about their fantastic experience packages.
> View special offers in and around Flitwick
Luton
Luton’s vibrancy lasts all year round, and is textured by hints of heritage. Check out the shopping, the nightlife and the arts scene; visit the Victorian gardens of Wardown Park, the colourful gipsy caravan at Stockwood Craft Museum or the pure white marble halls of Luton Hoo, an exciting five star hotel. Find out why the arts centre is called ‘The Hat Factory’, what wealth gave historic St Mary’s its impressive size and stunning chequerboard façade and how the transport exhibits and horse-drawn carriages of the Mossman Collection are a link with the town’s more recent industrial past.
Top tip
Wardown Park Gallery has some excellent art exhibits. The Hat Factory is full of arts offerings – alternative film, children’s productions, dynamic dance and cutting edge theatre.
Shopping time
You’ll find indoor markets, the twice weekly Purley Market, regular farmers’ markets plus a good crop of shops around the streets of Luton, but shopaholics just can’t resist the pull of The Mall Arndale.
The recently refurbished time-honored shoppers’ paradise, is home to big name stores who sit alongside specialist shops in abundance. The town-based multiplex and entertainment hub, the Galaxy Centre, is just around the corner too.
Things to do
Did they really test amphibious Bedford trucks in Wardown Park’s picturesque boatinglake during the war? Today the Victorian Gardens make a peaceful spot by the River Lea to let the kids run off some energy.
The Wardown Park Museum and Stockwood Craft Museum describes Luton’s millinery, lace making, trades and rural history. But it’s the live bees exhibit here that steals the whole how.
The adjacent Mossman Collection of horse-drawn vehicles is the most comprehensive of its kind in the country. Outside, period settings lead you down the garden paths of history. There’s a Dutch garden too, a sculpture garden with works by the famed Hamilton Finlay and national plant collections.
For collections of a wilder kind nearby ZSL Whipsnade Zoo is a firm family favourite. Watch the chimpanzees smile back, admire the lions, and let the lemurs run rings around you. Sign up to be a keeper for the day for some real hands-on fun. (Must be booked in advance).
New for 2008, Cheetah Rock will knock your spots off and there’s a new pool-filled rhino enclosure too. Don’t forget the special travel by train offer!
> View special offers in and around Luton
Biggleswade & Sandy
These towns in the heart of market garden country have delicious fresh treats in store. It’s traditional here to provide excellent produce for all to enjoy, Biggleswade’s market days go back to 1227 and by 1631 it boasted five annual fairs.
When the River Ivel became navigable in 1758 maltings abounded and in 1850 the railway allowed local market gardeners to feed London.
Head off for some fresh air on the riverside Kingfisher Way, or a circular walk to build up an appetite. The countryside is green and pleasant, the churches and inns historic, and the ale is refreshingly real, of course.
Top tip
Travel by train and you’ll get in free at the RSPB Lodge Nature Reserve in Sandy.
Shopping time
The Saturday market and the monthly farmers’ market are a must in Biggleswade. You’ll find everything you need around the old market square with specialist shops trading alongside traditional producers. Sandy has a nice clutch of shops too and a splendid artisan bakers.
A good range of shops, cafés and restaurants are now sporting the ‘Tastes of Bedfordshire’ mark - the sure sign of great quality local produce being sold and served.
Things to do
Sandy’s RSPB Reserve invites you to walk on wood and heathland trails, peer out from the observation hides and enjoy organically managed formal gardens. There are Woodpeckers to be spotted, Nuthatches to watch climbing and maybe even a Natterjack Toad or two.
Nearby Potton Wood is also a site of special scientific interest. Moggerhanger Park is an ocean of bluebells in Garden Wood during early February and the acres around this fine Georgian house were moulded by Humphry Repton’s designs. Let the garden path lead you into a world of Victorian whimsy in Old Warden.
The Swiss Garden charms with follies and ponds, mountains and valleys of planting; nature is being played with here and seems to be enjoying it! Best take relations with the natural world more seriously next door at the Birds of Prey Centre.
Learning to handle an owl will leave you wide-eyed, then there’s the thrill of a hawk walk, and the top prize of a session with a Golden Eagle.
Still in Old Warden the Shuttleworth Collection is all about winged flight, but without the feathers, you will find a Tiger Moth, Flying Flea and Electric Wren. Enjoy a real celebration of the first one hundred years of flight.
> View special offers in and around Biggleswade and Sandy
St. Albans
You might be forgiven for thinking that St Albans is full of parks. At the heart of the city amidst playgrounds, lake and leafy walks, you’ll find Roman Verulamium with its stunning mosaic and only Roman theatre visible in Britain.
Enjoy 100 acres of parkland sunshine, feed the ducks, then turn the corner - there’s one truly amazing cathedral looking down from above.
St Albans and history are one. Cromwell stayed at Ye Olde Fighting Cocks Inn, a quaint, octagonal place said to be the oldest alehouse in England. The Campaign for Real Ale calls this city home.
The opening battle of the Wars of the Roses happened here; today the Royal National Rose Society Gardens colour the edge of town. Lose yourself in the medieval cobbled alleys of the Cathedral Quarter.
Top tip
Climb the Clock Tower’s 93 steps for superb views of the Roman and medieval town
Shopping time
If shopping is your thing, then St Albans lets you do it in style. The Maltings and Christopher Place put a modern spin on things with all the big name stores, then there are the half-timbered houses hiding shopping secrets - designer clothes, antiques, books, gifts. Wednesday and Saturday, don’t forget to check out the 170 market stalls in St Peter’s Street. St Michaels and Fishpool Street are great places to relax after your treasure trail.
Things to do
There’s so much English history here you might not know where to start. The Cathedral and Abbey Church of St Alban is top of the must-see list. Trace for yourself the evolution and influences and wonder at the Shrine of St Alban, Britain’s first Christian martyr.
Explore hands-on history at the award-winning Verulamium Museum and catch more city tales at the Museum of St Albans. Mechanical music is on the menu at the St Albans Organ Theatre, great offerings too at The Maltings Arts Centre and theatre, not to mention regular national shows at the superb Alban Arena.
Out of town, the kids will love the wildlife treats at Willows Farm Village and budding Biggles of all ages just can’t resist the Moths and Mosquitos at the De Havilland Aircraft Heritage Centre at London Colney.
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Hatfield
Hatfield’s historic coaching inns and Georgian houses contrast with the post war new town and the bright new cosmopolitan seat of learning: the University of Hertfordshire’s main campus.
The 400 hundred year old Hatfield House is the most amazing treasure house, a royal Palace, and a Great Park. Allow the kids to let off steam in the 1,000 acres of history and see where Elizabeth I learnt of her ascension to the throne. Head for one of the park’s major events showground, Queen Elizabeth Oak field.
Top tip
Take to two wheels, armed with the Romans and Royalty Cycling Discovery Map, to ride the North Way, available to download for free at www. visiteastofengland.com
Shopping time
Don’t miss Hatfield’s great shopping bridge! Straddling the motorway yet close to the town itself, The Galleria boasts 60 stores over two floors with designer goods at great discount prices.
Once you’ve had your fill of bargains, the town promises more treats with various shops, Wednesday and Saturday markets and selection of restaurants. Take a relaxing break at one of Old Hatfield’s historic pubs for a refreshing reward – the Eight Bells perhaps, all beams and good ale.
Things to do
At Hatfield House the surviving redbrick wing of the Royal Palace might be dwarfed by Robert Cecil’s fine Jacobean house, but you can’t help feeling that Elizabeth I might step out of her childhood home at anytime for a stroll around the knot garden.
Though the Old Palace is reserved for celebrations these days, the Jacobean house has plenty of rooms to peer into and over 400 years of Cecil family history to explore. Take in the gardens, the pride and joy of the current green-fingered Marchioness of Salisbury.
There are 42 acres of plants originally sourced back in the17th Century by the famed John Trandescant the Elder. Take a trip out of town for more refreshing delights - head to the River Lea and the Mill Green Museum, the centre for Hatfield’s history. A visit to a remarkable 200 year old wooden watermill where milling has taken place for over a thousand years is a fascinating experience. Now fully restored it offers a full programme of family activities making an enjoyable day out.
> View special offers in and around Hatfield
Welwyn Garden City
lend serenity to the more unnatural trappings of modern life. This 1920s idyll, England’s second of Sir Ebenezer Howard’s garden cities, is the heritage of tomorrow.
With healthy values at heart, it’s hardly surprising that parks and lakes, sports centres and golf courses abound. Welwyn takes its leisure seriously and apparently always has - check out the Roman baths, the last remaining evidence of a third Century villa.
Top tip
Don’t miss the sun-chasing garden hut at Shaw’s Corner. It’s where the great writer penned his best known works, even though it is only six feet square.
Shopping Time
Enjoy a leisurely pace and refreshing retail therapy here. Howard’s original plans set the shops around a fountain and lawns, giving it a comfortable Neo-georgian feel.
These days, it’s the Howard Centre that steals the show. This two storey boulevard of big name shops is spacious and light, opening out to the station, bus station and further major department stores.
Things to do
If you’re a budding Nick Faldo, go tee-off on the courses where the great player learnt his trade. Not so crazy about golf? Whisk the kids away to Stanborough Park for some fun with the game’s more light-hearted version. 126 acres of parkland makes for some great family time out, plenty of watersport splash and nature trails. Have an active day down the ski slope at Gosling Sports Park where there really is sport for all.
There’s secret Roman history to hunt out at Welwyn Roman Baths on the outskirts of town - the precious ancient baths are the only surviving part of a third Century villa.
Shaw’s Corner in nearby Ayot St Lawrence has more priceless treasures. In this shrine to George Bernard Shaw, see the 1938 Oscar he received for Pygmalion and his collection of hats in the hall. It’s all just as he left it. The gardens are inspirational too, with frightfully English flower meadows and herbaceous borders. Don’t miss the special events here for a real treat.
> View special offers in and around Welwyn Garden City
Stevenage & Knebworth
Busy Stevenage is more than just a thriving town with modern trappings. England’s first post-war New Town still holds on proudly to its past. Nestling alongside hotels and leisure centres, multi-screen cinema and retail park, you’ll discover an Old Town with characterful coaching inns, independent restaurants, specialist stores and stories of highway men on the Great North Way.
Nearby Old Knebworth has similar historic tales to tell at the Victorian Lytton Arms pub. But not even these can prepare you for what lies hidden in the town’s Great Park: the magnificent redbrick Tudor stately home, embellished by Victorian gothic fantasy, the 500 year old family seat of the Lytton family – Knebworth House.
Top tip
Let the kids run riot on the dinosaur trail, action-packed adventure playground and miniature railway at Knebworth House and Gardens.
Shopping time
If you’re after a bargain or fresh local produce, Stevenage markets are a great place to start. From Wednesday through Saturday there’s an indoor market to explore in the town centre, plus outdoor market stalls by the leisure centre on Wednesdays and Saturdays. There are specialist shops in the Old Town’s High Street and big name stores in the New Town centre.
For special gifts look out for the themed events in Knebworth Park throughout the year, such as country shows, garden shows and craft markets.
The kids won’t want to leave the adventure playground and Tarzan trail at Fort Knebworth. They’ll love the miniature railway and bouncy castle. To the 21st Century eye, there is something spooky-looking about the house with its gothic turrets, griffins and gargoyles.
The inside boasts a ghost or two, and a library where bookshelves hide the door. Be sure to drink in the view of the Banqueting Hall from the fine minstrels’ gallery. Back outside, the house is surrounded by pretty pockets of gardens designed by Gertrude Jekyll. And don’t forget to take a look at St Mary’s Church with its 12th Century nave and medieval tower.
Things to do
Explore the story of Stevenage from the Stone Age at the excellent Stevenage Museum. Once you have discovered the history of the town visit the Stevenage Arts and Leisure Centre.
Situated right by the station and boasting a range of sporting and leisure pursuits alongside the Gordon Craig Theatre which has been entertaining audiences for more than 30 years and presents a wide variety of entertaining shows.
Knebworth Park is a perfect place to start for a great day out. Picnic, play or come for a special event like open-air theatre, jousting or classic car shows.
> View special offers in and around Stevenage and Knebworth
Hertford
Colourful narrowboats alongside flower-filled gardens. 17th Century facades dripping with decoration. Massive flint curtain walls from a castle graced by royalty throughout the ages. Halftimbered hideaways rich with antiques and shining silver.
Hertford busies itself in a frame of beautiful rolling countryside where once kings went hunting and fierce battles raged, the place where four rivers become one and the River Lea heads the short way down to the Thames.
Top Tip
Nip to nearby Ware, home to the eccentric Scott’s Grotto, and head on out to historic villages. Pick up a Malt and Forge Cycling Discovery Map for a picturesque tour on two wheels, available to download FREE at www.visiteastofengland.com
Shopping time
Whether you choose to shop for something special or brood over 180 years of flavour in a McMullens pint, this place is sure to be rewarding. Even non-shoppers can’t resist what is on offer here. In St Andrews Street, you won’t know whether to look at the outside or inside of the antique emporium.
And there are plenty more independent stores lining the narrow streets framed by Georgian shop-fronts near Bull Plain.
Birchley Green provides the big name retail fix in more modern surroundings, but everywhere shops are punctuated with the next excellent excuse for a latte or a swift half. Saturday is market day here and there are regular farmers’ markets too.
Things to do
This is definitely a place to potter. Pick up a map from the Tourist Information Centre on Market Place and off you go. Let history unfurl: the Norman motte, the world’s oldest recorded Quaker meeting house, the 15th Century castle gatehouse, the fine Shire Hall and Victorian brewery buildings and the pargeted Salisbury Arms where Cromwell and Fairfax stayed, complete with its Jacobean staircase.
Stop off at the museum to complete the picture. Be sure to listen out for the band concerts by the waterside in the Castle Gardens. There are some great family fun events throughout the year here too.
> View special offers in and around Hertford
Letchworth & Hitchin
Both very different, yet both English in the extreme. Letchworth Garden City has a unique art deco feel, idealistic yet part of England’s heritage.
Enjoy the world’s first Garden City as Ebenezer Howard intended it: shop in tree-lined streets and pause in the park, for here everything has its space, and is respectfully given a wide green berth.
Minutes away, Hitchin is steeped in history. Wander medieval streets and share the excitement of market day like countless generations before you. Feel history oozing from the walls of St Mary’s, or find a 17th Century coaching inn to sip a local pint.
Top tip
On foot or by bike, the Garden City Greenway (13.6 miles/21.8km) is great for exploring Letchworth - a refreshing fusion of town and country. Call the Tourist Information Centre for expert advice on 01462 487 868 or visit www.letchworthgc.com
Shopping time
At Letchworth Garden City hunt down the retail giants in Garden Square Shopping Centre, but don’t miss the 1922 art deco Arcade, or The Wynd and The Gallery shopping areas, unique and original in their 1920s feel.
The Tuesday market at Hitchin has been here since the 13th Century, but these days you’ll find the friendly stall holders trading on Saturdays too and overrun with antiques and bric-a-brac on a Friday.
The surrounding historic streets have an array of specialist shops.
Things to do
At Letchworth Garden City, the First Garden City Heritage Museum is a must, whilst the luxurious art deco Broadway Cinema, the Arts Centre and the Art Gallery and Museum all have lively programmes to offer.
Leave the Garden City for St Paul’s Walden Bury for garden delights with recent royal connections, or sniff out the lavender fields of Cadwell Farm.
Half-timbered houses and riverside walks are in order in Hitchin, and who can resist hunting for the Thompson Mouse carved inside Hertfordshire’s largest parish church, St. Mary’s. Step back to Victorian schooldays at the British Schools Museum, snoop around the headmaster’s house, or learn dip-pen techniques in the Victorian galleried classroom.
> View special offers in and around Letchworth and Hitchin
Royston
Who carved those medieval images in the mysterious chalk cave? Scratch the surface and Royston reveals an unexpected history.
Hertfordshire’s most northerly town owes its origins to the crossroads of Icknield Way and Ermine Street, and its name to Lady Roisia, wife of William the Conqueror’s steward who erected a stone cross there. James I popped in to the onetime priory on his journey from Scotland, then later placed a palace here, to enjoy excellent hunting on London’s doorstep.
Top tip
Check out the servants’ quarters at Wimpole Hall and learn about yesteryear’s domestic team behind every stately house.
Shopping time
Traditional little shops and high street stores - you’ll find Royston holding onto its market town charm. Don’t miss the bustling markets on Saturday and Wednesday for a great bargain and delicious local goodies.
Things to do
Fill in on the facts at Royston Museum, then head off to see the evidence of Lady Roisia’s cross. You’ll find the Royston cave here too, but best to come at the weekend if you fancy exploring this possible meeting place of the Knights Templar.
Discovered in 1742, the cave itself and the religious carvings are still a real mystery. Take yourself up to Therfield Heath Nature Reserve for some great views and countryside walks, or pedal out on the Roisia’s Path cycle trail through colourful leafy woods and rolling fields to half timbered villages.
Only 6 miles from Royston, into the border of Cambridgeshire, the whole family will fall in love with Wimpole Hall. Enjoy one fantastic National Trust day out - explore the elegant 17th Century house, gardens and parklands, take the Shire horse wagon down to Home Farm.
There’s a mini-tractor run for the little ones and an awesome adventure playground plus animals to love, rural ways to learn about - and a walled garden with 50 varieties of tomatoes!
> View special offers in and around Royston
Cambridge
A gentle punt along the Backs on the River Cam gives a feeling of tranquillity as you admire the iconic building of King’s College Chapel, founded by King Henry VI in 1446, plus other famous landmarks of the city. On return to dry land there is plenty of vibrancy and activity which gives you a buzz and a taste of the unique atmosphere.
With fine art at ‘the Fitz’, open top bus tours, contemporary culture at Kettle’s Yard and even icy exploits at the Scott Polar Institute Research Museum there is plenty to see. Fens and fields where cows safely graze are only a pedal push away from beautiful college gardens and neatly manicured courtyards, as well as 31 colleges to peer into.
Whatever the time of year, the nightlife is just excellent with bistros and bars, taverns and clubs and top quality concerts and productions to suit every taste.
Top tip
Take advantage of the 2 for 1 offer at Imperial War Museum Duxford or discover the famous Cambridge colleges, with a guided tour. It will open doors to you that are normally firmly shut to all but students.
Shopping time
If you can tear yourself away from the many cavernous bookshops, you’ll be quick to discover fantastic new shopping adventures in central Cambridge. First, the Christ’s Lane shopping arcade brings new High Street names to town, but it’s the Grand Arcade with fifty top retail stores and the new flagship John Lewis Partnership store, that steals the show.
Cambridge won’t disappoint for big name shops and original independent outlets. Don’t forget to browse the bright market stalls in the city centre or head to King’s Parade, for a range of gift shops, but do look out for the regular craft markets enclosed in a courtyard garden opposite St John’s College.
Things to do
Hire a bike, take a guided walking tour or have a go at punting. Let the soft sounds of evensong at King’s College Chapel lift your soul right up to the heavenly fan vaulting. Make culture come alive and win some Brownie points with the kids by grabbing the ‘Fitz Kits’ at the Fitzwilliam Museum or try out the Live the City treasure hunt.
The University Botanic Garden is a 40-acre oasis of wonderful gardens and glasshouses, with a year round appeal.
Just north east of Cambridge, the National Trusts’ Anglesey Abbey has the greenest of parklands, avenues of fine trees, charming vistas with amazing statuary fused with floral delights for all seasons. 12th Century gargoyles betray the origins of the Jacobean-style house. Be prepared for a surprising treasure trove here of fine art.
Cambridge is renowned for its fenland. Wicken Fen is an ambitious restoration project and one of Britain’s oldest nature reserves too. 7,000 wildlife species make this unique habitat their home. Follow boardwalk trails to endless discoveries: water voles, tree sparrows, kestrels and Highland cattle. Fingers-crossed you might even spot a rare Konik pony.
As for the Imperial War Museum at Duxford - a day here is rarely enough, with six hectares of activities, excitement and nostalgia, and its free for kids.
Let the rarest aircraft, Spitfires, B-52, even Concorde take you under their wing, hear the stories behind the planes and pilots and see restoration in action. The phenomenal AirSpace exhibition opened its hangar doors only last year, but there’s a massive Land Warfare Hall and American Air Museum too.
All the air shows, military vehicle event show and other events are really special here and well worth another visit.
> View special offers in and around Cambridge
Peterborough
Historic treasures sit comfortably alongside contemporary culture in this vibrant city. It’s an invigorating fusion of places to relax and re-energise or to exhaust yourself having fun.
From central Cathedral Square, go in search of Jurassic sea monsters at the museum or check out the latest new media offering at the art gallery Posing in front of the riplearched portico at the Cathedral has to be a send-to-a-friend picture, but head inside for even more memorable moments - fan-vaulting that takes your breath away and the frisson of history that surrounds Katharine of Aragon’s impressive tomb. Venture a little further and there’s more fun - ice-skating, floating restaurants, bowling, theatres and cinemas, plus plenty of golf, the fantastic Green Wheel cycle trail and ancient Flag Fen, a 3,000 year old Bronze Age site.
Top tip
Go on, be brave! Sign up for a candlelit visit around Peterborough’s most haunted house - the Museum at Priestgate.
Shopping time
The shopping combination in Peterborough works a treat. Browse the boutiques in the elegantly colonnaded Westgate Arcade, then step into the spacious Queensgate mall to hit the shops - all ninety of them.
A day here hardly seems long enough, yet the Rivergate shopping arcades beckon with additional combinations of big name stores and specialist shops. Be enthralled with the street entertainers’ festival and look out for farmers’ and continental markets as well as the more traditional covered market from Tuesday to Saturday.
Things to do
Lazing the day away in the award-winning Victorian Central Park has a certain appeal. So too a refreshing countryside walk, spot of sculpture culture or even adrenaline-loaded watersports at Ferry Meadows.
The Nene Valley Railway, home to the famous little tank engine, Thomas, enthrals little ones and steam engine buffs alike, and there’s plenty of farmyard fun at the Sacrewell Farm and Country Centre.
Take in the heritage at gothic Elton Hall, at Thorney or Crowland Abbey. The Bronze Age timber causeway at Flag Fen is a real rarity, so too the cathedral itself which escaped the ravages of the Reformation. Why not take things to a higher level with a tour of the upper floors and tower?
> View special offers in and around Peterborough
Huntingdon
Imagine an evening of Shakespeare performed in the historic galleried courtyard of The George or Oliver Cromwell’s birthplace. A refreshing local pint in a town recommended by Samuel Pepys for the excellence of its ale. Or tales of highwaymen and ghostly travellers. This place just couldn’t be more English if it tried. Neighbours Godmanchester, St Ives and The Hemingfords are all part of the package, linked by the mellow meanders of the River Great Ouse and excellent opportunities for messing about in boats or feeding the ducks. Huntingdon Nine hundred years of English history is a unique feeling at The Manor, Britain’s oldest continuously inhabited house. Make time for waterside musings at the English eccentricity of a Chinese Bridge, or the Old River Bridge of 1332 built from both sides by two different authorities, meeting in the middle. Just enjoy!
Top Tip
Take an alternative view of Huntingdon – from the Old Bailey at Castle Hills, or on a boat trip on the River Great Ouse.
Shopping time
There’s a good selection of independent shops to browse here, interesting finds and little galleries, plus regular farmers’ markets and a market place busy with stalls twice a week. You’ll quickly get a taste for great Fenland produce and local brew from Elgoods at Wisbech.
Book a table and make a start at The Cock (Hemingford Grey), voted Cambridgeshire’s Dining Pub of the Year 2006/07 by the Good Pub Guide.
Things to do
Love him or loathe him, Cromwell steals the show around here. Though a 19th Century house now adorns his birthplace, there’s a fascinating museum of memorabilia at his Old Grammar School.
Follow the trail to his Falcon Inn headquarters, or head for St Ives to secure the photo opportunity by his statue. Only two out of Huntingdon’s sixteen medieval churches survived the Civil War, but they’re well worth a visit.
Whisk the kids off to the Lord Protector’s family seat at Hinchingbrooke Country Park for wild fun. 180 acres of woodland, meadows, rivers, lakes and ponds plus great family activities organised by the local rangers - perfect for a day out in the fresh air!
> View special offers in and around Huntingdon
Ely
You won’t want to overlook this little city which sits proudly in the flatlands of the Fens - unless it’s from the top of the cathedral, of course. Ely has more sides to it than its 14th Century octagon tower.
Enjoy a real feast of culture and heritage in a place so wonderfully compact that you seem to meet history at every turn. Little shop-laden streets weave cloister and college, cathedral and craft market, gallery and greenery together like a medieval tapestry.
Take a tour of the waterside with Ely’s eel art trail - a great walk celebrating the city’s proud connection with eels.
Top tip
Try on a civil war helmet or two at Oliver Cromwell’s House and perhaps do a spot of ghost hunting whilst you’re there.
Shopping time
The historic streets close to the cathedral green are a great place to browse for gifts, with the unique independent shops rubbing shoulders with big name stores.
The Fens is an enormous market garden, so reap the rewards of market days here on Thursdays, or pick up the freshest of produce at the farmers’ markets every other Saturday. Craft markets take centre-stage on Saturdays, but don’t miss the antiques centre down by the narrow-boats, or forget to sniff out the scones in the vaulted Almonry tearooms.
Things to do
You won’t be able to take your eyes off Ely’s ‘Ship of the Fens’, so it’s best to view the cathedral from all angles. Climb the towers, walk the cloisters, check out the enormous modern Madonna in the Lady Chapel and stare longingly at the amazing lantern roof. And just when you think you’re done, you’ll find the only national stained glass museum in the country.
At the old gaol house, the City Museum has plenty to tell about the Isle of Eel’s slippery past but don’t miss Oliver Cromwell’s House with its new audio tour which really brings the whole story of the Lord Protector’s time in Ely to life. Look out for the special activities on offer this year to commemorate the 350th anniversary of his death. If you’re into contemporary art, the riverside Babylon Gallery is worth hunting out.
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St Neots
Dragon boat racing, coarse fishing, marinas bobbing with boats, large colonies of cormorants, this busy market town on the River Ouse is full of surprises. Its days of battles and priories are gone, but the impressive 15th Century church, the Cathedral of Huntingdonshire, still stands sentinel over the market square.
Call by the old police station and you’ll find more evidence - the St Neots Museum is full of well-interpreted displays about the trades and old ways which gave the place such purpose. With plenty of tee-off opportunities, flumes to shoot down, riverside walks to follow and dragonflies to chase, you too have every reason to stop off and enjoy what Cambridgeshire’s largest town is very happy to share.
Top Tip
Meander through the Market Square, one of the largest and most ancient of its kind, where a market has been held every Thursday since its foundation in the 12th Century.
Shopping time
Thursday is market day, but it’s fun to indulge in a spot of al fresco dining on the Market Square any day of the week. Tuck into a traditional all-day breakfast or nibble at something from the noodle bar as you watch St Neots go about its business.
Back on the shopping trail, high street names are interspersed with traditional family-run retailers, some notching up a hundred years of personal service.
The regular farmers’ markets are a great place to get local produce and the special market events bring added continental flavour.
Things to do
Give the kids a taste of the Victorian school room at the St Neots Museum, or head out of town to Paxton Pits Nature Reserve for fresh air and wilder experiences. A site of special scientific interest, there’s brilliant birdwatching to be had, or check out the watersports zone for activities with a bit more splash. The Ouse Valley Way offers relaxing walking or cycling alongside the river banks.
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King's Lynn
Lynn’s a port with 900 years of maritime heritage, situated on the River Great Ouse. Henry VIII made Bishop’s Lynn his own in the 16th Century and these days nearby Sandringham is the Queen’s royal retreat.
King’s Lynn is simply at home with history: impressive churches become great concert venues, fisherman’s cottages and a gem of a museum. A funky arts centre and theatre fit perfectly in England’s largest 15th Century Guildhall of St George.
Follow history down the cobbled streets to the quayside once bustling with sailors and merchants, and explorers: Vancouver and Nelson amongst them.
Top Tip
Pick up a copy of Discover King’s Lynn, from the Tourist Information Centre, to help explore the cobbled streets, hidden courtyards and wealth of historic buildings which make King’s Lynn such a treasure trove of history.
Shopping time
With not one, but two market places, there are great local bargains to be had on Tuesdays and Saturdays. The High Street and new Vancouver Quarter offer specialist shops and national retailers, but hunts down the artisan shops too, like the jewellers selling pieces inspired by local myths and legends.
There’s local flavour waiting on the menu in the pubs, restaurants and cafés to sit and sip at history.
Things to do
A myriad of options await you in this glorious area of Norfolk but make sure you don’t forget noble King’s Lynn first. Visit the Town House Museum, Gaol House, Custom House, Green Quay, Guidhall of St George - all great buildings with fascinating displays. Head out to the beach at Hunstanton, take in the scents at Norfolk Lavender or nose around the Queen’s drawing room at Royal Sandringham.
Birdwatchers will be all of a twitter by the wildlife wonderland of the Wash and Norfolk coast. Bringing back 4,000 years of history, Lynn Museum’s new Seahenge Gallery gives the chance to discover the mysteries of the extraordinary timber circle and the people who created it. For a quick castle fix, spooky Castle Rising just up the coast will do.
The rarest of finds awaits at Castle Acre near Swaffham. With a unique chance to visit a Norman settlement just as the barons intended it, complete with castle, priory ruins, village earthworks, and ancient streets, you can almost hear the footfall of past pilgrims walking the Peddars Way to Walsingham. Travel south by train to the traditional market town of Downham Market, locally known as the ‘gingerbread town’ due to its delightful carrstone cottages. This intimate town and surrounding countryside is a real tonic, great to explore independent shops, bustling markets and friendly cafés and pubs.
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Brighton
Brighton is an invigorating place to be. It’s formula is simple: city and seaside with lashings of unique style. So, where to start?
The winding Lanes perhaps where fishermen’s cottages spill over with local artisan offerings and pavement cafés? George IV’s Royal Pavilion oozing Regency elegance or the slick modernity of the chic Marina complex?
There are ninety-eight gardens, various galleries, more than 400 restaurants and one fantastic beachfront. Having fun here is just a breeze, from the Victorian pier to the stylish bars, surf shops and the hottest clubs to the coolest cafés.
Top Tip
Jazz at the Joogleberry Playhouse, West End shows at the Theatre Royal, the Krater Comedy Club at the Komedia, the Marina’s cinema and Bowlplex, and concerts at the Brighton Dome – best save some energy for the evening!
Shopping time
Seven days a week, Churchill Square tempts its shoppers with top stores all under one roof. Bargain hunters prefer the Marina outlet centre for discounted designer goods, or go foraging for antiques through the ‘twittens’ of old Brighthelmstone.
Head down to The Lanes, to discover hidden squares, elegant arcades, winding passageways and unique little shops - smart, chic, Bohemian and brimful of jewellery, clothes, antiques and designer goodies.
Things to do
You’ll naturally gravitate towards the arresting domes of the exotic Royal Pavilion. It’s a fairytale palace, filled with drapes and glittering with gold. Don’t miss the Brighton Museum and Art Gallery next door, ready to woo with more fine art treasures like Dali’s Mae West’s Lips sofa, or the nearby Fabrica Gallery with its thought-provoking exhibitions.
It pays to pick up an audio walking tour, download a podcast or join a Blue Badge Guide to discover all the city’s gems. The kids will love the ‘wizards attic’ toy gallery in the Hove Museum, Preston Park, and Queens’ Park with its refreshing lake.
The beach though is never more than a pebble’s throw away, but why not hire a bike and cycle the seafront, or try the undercliff walk from Black Rock to Saltdean?
Cycling the South Down’s Way, striding up to Devil’s Dyke or enjoying fantastic woodland walks at Stanmer Park are great green escapes, so too Rottingdean’s delightful Kipling Gardens.
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Haywards Heath
The heart of Mid-Sussex Gaze upon the backdrop of the South Downs from Beech Hurst Gardens. Catch sight of a deer on a misty morning up on the plateau of Victoria Park. Sit, ponder and gaze at autumnal colours and treelined lawns of Muster Green with its cluster of Victorian and Edwardian houses.
As its name suggests, Haywards Heath has always been a town in the country. The early railway brought the residents here to breathe easy in the Mid-Sussex air between Ashdown Forest and the High Weald, and this tradition is still behind the bustling community today.
Top Tip
Kids will love the miniature railway in Beech Hurst Gardens, but don’t miss an excursion to the nearby Bluebell Railway, England’s oldest preserved steam line.
Shopping time
Individual and specialist shops and a good range of big name stores line the main streets and the Orchards shopping centre. Head up to The Broadway for café culture where you’ll find tabled pavements under shady trees and colourful hanging baskets invite you to sip and watch the world go by. Bistros, restaurants, wine-bars and family eateries are all here, many with live music and theme nights on offer too. Nearby villages like Cuckfield or Balcombe boast some delightful country pubs and the warmest of West Sussex welcomes.
Thing to do
Take a self-guided walking tour around town and you’ll learn about the Roman Road and the town’s former fame as home to the biggest livestock market in the South East, but what sticks is the Victorian legacy.
St Wilfrid’s Church dates to 1861 and Victoria Park needs no historical introduction. Here the playgrounds still delight the little ones and at Beech Hurst Gardens you’ll find putting and mini-golf, tennis and boules to distract the older siblings.
Even Kew Gardens has found its country seat here, at Wakehurst Place near Ardingly village - a great spot for a jaunt through rocky valleys and home to the Millennium Seed Collection.