Cambridgeshire ~ England

Cambridgeshire's history stretches back over 3,000 years. From the time of the Normans Cambridgeshire and the Isle of Ely have been deemed to be the Ancient County of Cambridgeshire. The Local Government reforms of 1974 took away the autonomy of Huntingdonshire and merged it with the Ancient County. The medieval university city of Cambridge is one of the greatest university towns in the world. Ely and Peterborough have glorious cathedrals, Wisbech is an elegant Georgian town, and Huntingdon and St Ives, with their ancient houses built of cream coloured stone, make Cambridgeshire an exceptional county.

Places of Interest

The county offers many and varied attractions, most of the universities are open to the public and have stunning architecture and grounds. There are museums offering everything from stained glass, to local artefacts to treasures from the ancient great civilizations of the world. There are art galleries housing both modern works and old masters. There are some glorious country houses, beautiful riverside walks, punting on the river Cam, ancient sites, historic churches, botanical gardens and a zoo.

Living in Cambridgeshire

Cambridge has a total of 253 schools, including nursery, infant, junior, primary, middle, secondary, special and pupil referral units. There are several sixth form and further education colleges, as well as the Anglia Polytechnic University and the University of Cambridge.

Cycling is a very popular way of getting around Cambridge, and the surrounding towns, villages and countryside are equally enjoyable for the cyclist.

There are 5 Park and ride sites in Cambridge, and the county has a good rail network. Cambridge city railway station is well served by frequent train services, to London, Stansted Airport, Ipswich, Peterborough, Kings Lynn and Birmingham. The station is about 1.5 miles from the main shopping areas, but a bus service runs between the bus and railway stations every 5 minutes.

There is a good countywide bus service.

Cambridgeshire also operates a community transport service to those who find other forms of transport inaccessible.

Cambridge City Airport is a regional airport with a business focus three miles from the city centre.

There are many beautiful areas of parkland, some with facilities for sports and swimming.

Cambridgeshire has a wide variety of sports and leisure clubs, community based and members' clubs, offering a full range of services from swimming, sports facilities and fitness classes.

The county has many cinemas, theatres and music venues.

There are some wonderful pubs, both traditional and modern, and the county has many fine restaurants and charming teashops.

University Library houses one of the world's largest collections of books and manuscripts.

There is a comprehensive range of big stores, markets and specialist shops in Cambridge, and the surrounding towns and villages also offer good shopping facilities.

There is locally produced wine from Chilford Hall Vineyard and traditionally brewed beer at Elgood's Brewery in Wisbech.

Local events include the Cambridge Folk Festival, Midsummer Festival and Strawberry Fair. 

Cities, towns and villages within Cambridgeshire