Local attractions

This is just a small taster of activities or places to visit close to the farm. You can find more at Visit Cambridge, Visit South Cambs and Visit Ely.

Punting - Park & Ride bus into Cambridge, about 45 mins

No visit to Cambridge would be complete without a punting trip down the Cam, or at least watching from a bridge and having a giggle at other people doing it! You can enjoy a guided tour of ‘The Backs’ (of the colleges) or hire a punt and have a go yourself. There are punt stations at Quayside (Bridge St) or Mill Lane. See www.scudamores.com for booking a ‘bat safari’ punting trip or to see the colleges May Ball fireworks by punt (June). You can also hire a canoe instead and paddle to Grantchester.

Milton Country Park - 15 mins drive from Fen End Farm

Good playgrounds, lakeside and woodland walks and cycle paths, feed the ducks & swans or go fishing. Also you can book sessions to  canoe or paddle board. Simple homemade lunches and lovely ice cream in the café or take a picnic.  Free entry but there is a small charge for the car park which goes towards the upkeep of the park.

Cambridge Aquapark & Hannam’s Wake Hub - 20 mins drive from Fen End Farm

Wake boarding, paddle boarding, open water swimming and inflatable fun. The Aquapark is an inflatable assault course on a lake for adults and children – they do junior sessions for 6-16’s, minimum age to participate is 6 years. 

Wicken Fen nature reserve - 30 mins drive

If you want to see what the fens used to be like before they were drained and converted to farmland, this is the place to come. Much of the National Trust reserve has a board walk so it’s great for walking and pushchairs in all weathers, and there are lots of bird hides. In summer take a boat trip to catch a glimpse of the Highland cattle and semi-feral Konik ponies. There’s a fascinating fen-dwellers cottage and dragonfly centre, plus café, shop and regular activities pond dipping to seasonal nature craft workshops. 

Anglesey Abbey – 25 mins drive

Jacobean style National Trust house with beautiful gardens and a working watermill. Restaurant and shop. Buggy and wheelchair friendly walks with a great adventure playground area in the woods.

Visit Ely - 30 mins drive

Ely Cathedral is the only UK building to be listed as one of the ‘Seven Wonders of the Medieval World’. The Almonry restaurant and tea room overlooks the Cathedral and gardens for lunch or afternoon tea. There are lots of other attractions well worth making a day trip to Ely for, including Oliver Cromwell’s house and Ely Museum, a lovely riverside walk perhaps popping in to Waterside Antiques - or take a river tour on the Liberty Belle. Our other favourite places to eat are Peacocks Tearoom and Sushi & Salad. And don’t miss Cherry Hill Chocolates proper chocolatiers if you need a gift for pet-sitters or just a treat for yourself!

Free museums

As you might expect, Cambridge punches above its weight culturally for a city of its size. There are lots of free museums, our top recommendation for families are the Zoology Museum with its huge whale and giant ground sloth skeletons, the old-fashioned Sedgwick Museum for dinosaurs and the Museum of Archeology & Anthropology with its totem pole and ancient hand-axes all located conveniently on one street. Keep an eye out for Cambridge’s iconic Dinky Doors while walking the streets! The Fitzwilliam Museum has extensive art and antiquities collections - usually it is much quieter than London museums and you can get a much better look at works by Monet, Picasso, Vincent van Gogh, Rembrandt and more . Kettles Yard is a contemporary art gallery which is always thought-provoking and also has a great little shop and cafe.

Experiences

Why not book a unique experience during your stay? We host foraging courses from Totally Wild UK right here on the farm, or there are a variety of bushcraft experiences on offer for adults and children by Wildly Curious 30 minutes drive away in Bourn. Also within half an hour are PAUS, a Scandi-style outdoor spa of hot-tubs, barrel saunas and plunge pools, and Highland Cow Cottage where you can pet and groom highland cattle followed by an afternoon tea!