The Countryside - Cambridgeshire

Cambridgeshire is a county of landscape contrasts, particularly between its north and south, which is divided by the magnificent University city of Cambridge. To the north are the distinctive flat plains of the Fens, drained by artificial rivers leading to the Wash. This rich fertile land reclaimed by man over many centuries is unique with wide open skies and unforgettable sunsets. Criss-crossed by rivers and dykes, this is predominantly an area of agriculture and horticulture, offering visitors busy market towns, nature reserves and towering church spires which are landmarks for miles around. The villages of the Fens area include Whittlesey with its strange straw bear festival, Wicken home to one of the last remaining areas of undrained fen, Stretham with its famous beam drainage engine, Swaffham Prior with its two churches in one churchyard and not forgetting Thorney, Chatteris, Upwell and Outwell. In complete contrast, the southern half of the county is mostly chalk downland, including the Gog Magog Hills, which offer superb views over the spires of Cambridge, and are home to the famous Iron Age fort of Wandlebury. Nearby is the pretty riverside village of Grantchester, once the home of the poet Rupert Brooke, and the famous church clock which stood at ‘ten to three - and now its time for tea’.

To the north of the county is the Nene Valley where the quaint old cottages and houses are of the local Barnack stone such as Glatton, Wansford and Alwalton and the unspoilt estate villages of Abbots Ripon and Wennington. Here you will find the Nene Park, stretching from Wansford to Peterborough, with 2,000 acres of lakes, woodlands and watermeadows. Or follow the river south from Huntingdon, along the fertile meadow of the Ouse Valley, where you find peaceful riverside villages such as Houghton, Wyton, Hemingford Abbots, Hemingford Grey and Holywell. To the west of the county are villages with magnificent church spires such as Kimbolton, Spaldwick and Alconbury.