Tucked into the east of England, Cambridgeshire is one of those counties that manages to feel ancient, flat and faintly intellectual all at once. The fields stretch out for miles, the skies go on forever, and in the middle of it all sits Cambridge itself, a city filled with spires, bicycles and people thinking very deep thoughts in very old buildings.
But beyond the famous university, Cambridgeshire offers a surprising amount of quiet countryside, medieval towns, and waterways where life drifts by at a gentle, unhurried pace.
Cambridge, colleges and cleverness by the river
Cambridge, of course, is the jewel in the county’s crown. Its university has been educating the great and the good (and occasionally the slightly eccentric) since 1209. The college buildings cluster along the River Cam, their ancient courtyards, chapels and libraries quietly watching generation after generation of students attempting to understand everything from black holes to Anglo-Saxon poetry.
Visitors stroll along The Backs, watch as students and tourists punt along the river – often with varying levels of skill – and peer up at the intricate fan vaulting of King’s College Chapel, which remains one of England’s most spectacular bits of architecture.
Market towns, cathedrals and cobbled corners
Beyond the city, Cambridgeshire’s smaller towns offer their own quiet appeal. Ely, with its enormous cathedral rising out of the surrounding fenland, looks like it was placed there as a helpful landmark for travellers. The cathedral is nicknamed ‘The Ship of the Fens’, and inside its octagonal lantern tower you find one of the great surprises of English ecclesiastical architecture.
Huntingdon, St Ives and St Neots provide handsome market squares, medieval bridges and a sense that life here has been ambling along at much the same pace for centuries.
Fens, drains and big, big skies
Much of Cambridgeshire is made up of the Fens – flat, low-lying land reclaimed from marshes and seas over the last several hundred years. The drainage channels and straight roads cross vast fields of vegetables and arable crops, creating a landscape that feels faintly Dutch in its practicality.
The flatness produces some of the biggest skies you will see anywhere in England, where sunsets and thunderstorms can be seen coming from remarkable distances, very helpful if you forgot your umbrella.
Inventors, scientists and the occasional bit of mischief
Cambridgeshire’s long history of scientific breakthroughs has left a mark well beyond the university. Isaac Newton, born just over the border in Lincolnshire, studied here and, as the story goes, watched apples fall with great significance.
The county remains a hub of modern science and technology, with the Cambridge Science Park attracting all manner of researchers, startups and very clever people who speak in acronyms. Yet somehow, for all its brainpower, Cambridge still finds time for the annual student tradition of May Balls, where champagne and fancy dress meet spectacular fireworks and slightly sore heads.
Villages, fields and England at its most quietly pretty
Away from the cities and science, Cambridgeshire’s countryside offers peaceful villages with thatched cottages, ancient churches and pubs where conversations have been carried on over the same oak beams for several hundred years.
The pace of life feels remarkably steady. Tractors plod through the flat fields, walkers follow footpaths that stretch to the horizon, and cyclists test themselves against the never-ending straight roads that tempt you into thinking the destination is closer than it looks.
Where England feels studious but never stuffy
Cambridgeshire manages to feel both deeply historic and quietly cutting-edge. It is a county of colleges and cloisters, science labs and waterways, medieval streets and modern research parks. And somehow, it all fits together rather effortlessly. After a few days here, you may find yourself reaching for a bicycle, a book and possibly a rather large afternoon tea.
Top 10 reasons to visit Cambridgeshire
1. Cambridge and its famous colleges
Wander through ancient courtyards where generations of great minds have studied, peer up at King’s College Chapel, and watch the world float past along the River Cam. The city is a heady mix of bicycles, books and beautiful architecture.
2. Punting on the River Cam
Few things say Cambridge quite like punting. Whether you glide smoothly or spin in circles, drifting along the water past bridges and spires is one of life’s more entertaining ways to travel.
3. Ely and its Ship of the Fens
Ely Cathedral rises out of the flat landscape like a giant ship sailing across the horizon. Inside, the octagonal lantern tower is a masterpiece of medieval design that still stops visitors in their tracks.
4. Market towns with real charm
Huntingdon, St Ives and St Neots offer cobbled squares, handsome old bridges and a sense of England ticking along at its own gentle pace. Perfect for browsing markets or lingering over a pint.
5. The big skies of the Fens
Cambridgeshire’s flat fenland means you can see weather coming from miles away. Sunsets here fill the horizon with pinks and oranges, and even a thunderstorm feels oddly majestic.
6. Scientific genius everywhere you look
From Isaac Newton to today’s cutting-edge research at the Cambridge Science Park, this is a county that has shaped ideas and inventions for centuries. Cleverness practically lingers in the air.
7. Cycling made simple
Flat landscapes are a cyclist’s dream. You can ride for miles without worrying about steep hills, although the long straight roads have a way of tricking you into thinking the village church is closer than it looks.
8. Villages that look lifted from a postcard
Thatched cottages, ancient pubs and churches with leaning towers make Cambridgeshire’s villages as inviting as anywhere in England. A quiet pint by a crackling fire never goes out of fashion.
9. Festivals and traditions with a twist
Cambridge May Balls turn the city into a whirl of fireworks, champagne and fancy dress. It is all very civilised, apart from the sore heads the morning after.
10. England at its most quietly pretty
Cambridgeshire is not dramatic or showy. Instead, it is fields and rivers, spires and cloisters, bicycles and teapots, all woven together into a county that charms in its own understated way.
