East Anglia - Peterborough, the Fens, Crowland, Wisbech
Phil Taylor

This time we're going to another area of the UK which is not very well known for tourism, but which contains a rich selection of historical towns, pretty villages, magnificent cathedrals and unique landscapes. There's not a special name for this area, but most of it falls into the region called East Anglia, and covers parts of five counties: Cambridgeshire, Rutland, Huntingdonshire, Lincolnshire and Norfolk.

The first stop is Peterborough, a small city as little as 45 minutes by train from London's King's Cross station and just off the A1 - one of England's primary north-south road links. If you are planning to rent a car to explore on your own, Peterborough is an ideal place to start. The city in general is quite nondescript; however the old part, centred on the 13th century cathedral and its surrounding precincts, is worth seeing.

There is also a coffee shop and a gift shop within the cathedral precincts. Just outside the west gate of the cathedral is Cathedral Square, with the Guildhall (where the city used to be run from) standing in its centre. There are often markets and fairs held in this square, especially around Christmas. Nearby is Harriets, which although quite newly opened, is a great example of an old-fashioned English tearoom, featuring waitresses in black and white uniforms, cakes in stands on the counter and great afternoon-teas.

There are not many well preserved old pubs in Peterborough, but a lot serve very good real ale, especially the well-known Brewery Tap (just outside the Westgate shopping centre) which has its own microbrewery where many award winning beers are made. Happily, the beer is quite cheap in this area of England!

You only have to drive out of Peterborough for a few minutes to be in the Fens, a large area of very, very flat land, divided by arrow-straight man-made drainage canals and protected from flooding by dykes (earth banks). These are necessary as a lot of the area is below sea-level!

This area used to be wet and marshy, but was drained to provide more farmland, creating a unique and sometimes quite haunting landscape where the flatness of the land means the sky looks huge. To see what the fens used to be like, visit Flag Fen, just outside Peterborough, where you can see how English people lived 3000 years ago.

To the north of Peterborough is the small town of Crowland, called the "gateway to the Fens". The town is small, but dates back to the 7th century when it was just an island in the watery Fens. There are several fascinating features here, including Crowland Abbey (sometimes spelled "Croyland") which looks a little like something from a gothic horror film. The whole right-hand side of the building is in ruins - the ceiling of this ancient building fell in around 400 years ago and was never rebuilt. The left-hand side is still intact and used as church.

Not far from the abbey is the very old Trinity Bridge. It is triangular, with 3 arches, because it was originally built to span three small rivers. It now stands incongruously in the middle of the street! The present stone bridge was built in the 14th century, but you are free to walk over it.

Driving north east from Peterborough, you will come to "the capital of the Fens", Wisbech, the main feature of which is The Brinks - two rows of beautiful 18th century townhouses facing each other across the river. These streets have been used as locations for various BBC historical dramas. Around the town there are many other beautiful Georgian buildings, a good museum and some fine churches.

As well as the places we've been to, there are many beautiful towns and villages all around this area, as well as lots of stately homes and great places for walking. Stamford is also only 30 minutes drive from Peterborough.

More information:
Flag Fen: http://www.flagfen.com/
Crowland Abbey: http://croylandabbey.co.uk/index.html
Peterborough Cathedral: http://www.peterborough-cathedral.org.uk/
Wisbech: http://www.wisbech-town.co.uk/http://www.visitthefens.co.uk/