As a member of CPRE, you’ll get discounted entry to around 175 attractions in England. To become a member click here https://www.cprecambs.org.uk/join-cpre.html. For more information about the attractions offering discounted membership to CPRE members, see here https://www.cpre.org.uk/resources/cpre-members-guide/
See below for some ideas for exploring Cambridgeshire and Peterborough’s countryside. Please check the websites listed for information on pricing, opening times, accessibility and restrictions.
We encourage visitors to the countryside to help keep it safe and enjoyable by observing the Countryside Code. A summary of the Code can be found here
To find your day out at any of the attractions in the Members’ Guide see the map https://www.cpre.org.uk/find-your-day-out/.
Ramsey Rural Museum is an independent museum set in a peaceful rural location on the edge of the market town of Ramsey in Cambridgeshire. Their main focus is the working and social history of Ramsey and the surrounding area of Cambridgeshire, concentrating on the period 1800 to 2000 AD. CPRE members can get 50% off one adult ticket.
There are many conservation programmes at the Zoo and they take many forms. In addition to the projects locally and globally that the Zoo supports and their efforts on Zoo grounds, they partner with many other organisations to make a difference.
As well as ex-situ conservation breeding, The Park has also been involved with many in-situ conservation projects. Examples include research on the River Shep with signal crayfish populations and post-release monitoring of rehabilitated hedgehogs. They host awareness days aimed at both raising funds for associated conservation projects and highlighting the plight of endangered species.
The Tithe Barn, Landbeach
The Landbeach Tithe Barn is one of very few buildings of its type remaining in Cambridgeshire. It has many historic features and may date to the medieval period. Tours can be arranged by appointment and events are held throughout the year. The Tithe Barn will also be open for Heritage Open Days – go to https://www.heritageopendays.org.uk/visiting/event/tithe-barn-in-landbeach.
The Fen Edge Trail takes you from the Lincolnshire border in the northwest of the county to the Suffolk border in the southeast, roughly following the ‘edge’ of the Fens. A series of Walk Guides with an average distance of about 5 miles each are gradually being published on the website.
Flag Fen is famous for its ancient Bronze Age archaeology, allowing visitors to explore the reconstructed prehistoric landscape and discover treasures from over 3000 years ago.
The Wisbech and Fenland Museum opened in 1847 and continues to collect, care for, and interpret the natural and cultural heritage of Wisbech and the surrounding Fens.
Railworld Wildlife Haven, Peterborough
A volunteer-run wildlife haven with ponds, waterfalls and varied wildlife habitats which has transformed the derelict Peterborough Power Station Coal storage yard. Within walking distance of Peterborough station and city centre.
Nene Valley Railway offers a wide range of events and experiences.
Close to St Ives and Huntingdon, Houghton Mill is the last surviving mill on the River Great Ouse able to produce stone ground flour from a water-powered wheel. Guided tours available.
The National Trust’s oldest nature reserve, Wicken Fen is one of Europe's most important wetlands, supporting an abundance of wildlife. There are more than 9000 species, including plants, birds and dragonflies.
Fens Falconry, Wisbech St Mary
Fens Falconry is an appointment only bird of prey centre delivering exciting experience days and vitally important education to promote ecology and conservation.
Peckover House and Garden, Wisbech
Peckover House is a classic Georgian merchant's town house with 2 acres of gardens including an orangery, summer-houses, croquet lawn and rose garden with a variety of species of rose.
Farmland Museum and Denny Abbey
https://www.dennyfarmlandmuseum.org.uk/
https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/denny-abbey-and-the-farmland-museum/
This independent museum, managed on behalf of English Heritage, tells the 850-year story of farming and life in the Cambridgeshire Fens, with hands-on and interactive exhibits, in addition to being the location of former Benedictine monastery Denny Abbey.
Located in the centre of St Ives town, Holt Island is an oasis of tranquillity providing a variety of habitats which attract a wide range of birds, mammals, plants and insects.
Wimpole Estate | National Trust
A working estate still guided by the seasons, with an impressive mansion, parkland, gardens and Home Farm. From Iron-age roundhouses to a sophisticated, modern estate, this site has been lived on and farmed for over 2,000 years.
Cambridge University Botanic Garden
Cambridge University Botanic Garden holds a collection of over 8,000 plant species from all over the world to facilitate teaching and research. The Garden is also a place of plant and landscape diversity for everybody to enjoy.
Nene Park is a large area of parkland to the west of Peterborough. It is made up of six different areas connected by the River Nene: Ferry Meadows, Orton Meadows, Orton Mere, Woodston Reach, Thorpe Meadows and The Rural Estate made up of parkland, meadows, woodlands and lakes.
Paxton Pits Nature Reserve is a rich mosaic of wildlife habitats, with beautiful lakes, riverside, meadow, reedbed, scrub and woodland. It is open for visitors all year round.
Hinchingbrooke Country Park in Huntingdon covers 150 acres of open grasslands, mature woodland and lakes. It has a mix of play areas, a cafe, hard-surfaced and muddy paths, secluded woodlands and wildflower meadows all within a short walk.
On the Gog Magog Hills, just south of Cambridge, this countryside estate offers miles of wonderful walks through woodland and wildflower meadows grazed by Highland Cattle.
Milton Country Park is located just a few miles north of Cambridge. Created from old gravel pits the park offers a varied natural habitat with woodland, lakes, and attractive pathways suitable for bicycles and wheelchairs.
Near Whittlesey, Lattersey nature reserve was formerly a quarry for brick clay and 'borrow' material used to build the local railway. The abandoned pits filled with water, providing a haven for the wildlife that was forced into the area as the surrounding fenland was drained and ploughed.
Fen Drayton Lakes began life as a flooded sand and gravel quarry next to riverside meadows. Now, a huge variety of wildlife is drawn to the area, including otters, dragonflies, ducks, swans and geese. There's something to see (and hear) all year round. Join a guided walk around the reserve’s lakes and trails on the 2nd Wednesday of every month, 10.45am – 12.15pm.
Fowlmere Nature Reserve (SSSI, 41ha) is a well-loved wildlife oasis set within farmland. Its former water-cress beds are now reedbed, fen, chalk grassland and scrub, while the area also holds a small but fine example of a chalk stream, one of the UK’s rarest habitats.
The Word Garden has created the new Scottish Soldiers History Trail in Welney Wetland Centre, in the heart of Fens. Try to visit the trail on the Summer Walk, set in a magical safe haven for wildlife and visitors before it closes for the winter months before reopening in the spring.
Opened in 1893, the J.H. Adams & Sons ironmongers in Littleport is a time capsule ironmongers' shop, a heritage centre and community space offering exhibitions, workshops and events.
Open Gardens Directory
Information about the Open Gardens Directory can be found here Open Gardens National Directory.
For information about Open Gardens in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough visit https://www.opengardens.co.uk/open_gardens_in_cambridgeshire.php
The Raptor Foundation, Woodhurst
The Raptor Foundation rescues, rehabilitates and returns injured birds of prey back to the wild, and protects and preserves them through education and conservation.
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