Local Interest

www.hatley.info will give you maps and directions for local walks and links to a wide variety of nearby places to eat. It also provides you up to date information about Gamlingay, our nearest village.

There is a Post Office and Village Shop in Hatley St George which is useful for milk, butter and some tinned goods. It’s generally open in the mornings and then later again in the afternoons. Details of its opening times can be found on the Hatley website.

Gamlingay is 3 miles away and has a Co-op as well as sandwich bar, Indian restaurant, 2 pubs, a chemist, post office and newsagent.

Potton, 3 miles further on, is a market town boasting a skate park and several tasty places to eat or enjoy a cup of coffee, including good fish and chips and The Coach House. Potton has a number of independent shops and there is a street stall that sells Dim Sum on Thursday lunchtimes – that’s how wild it gets round here!

From the garden you can see the church of St Denis, a Grade II listed building and now looked after by the Friends of Friendless Churches. There is lots of historic information on www.hatley.info and if you’d like to look around we can arrange access and possibly even a guided tour if you are interested. Just ask Mark or Margot.

6.7 miles away is the National Trust property Wimpole Hall, a country estate with parkland and walled gardens, a family-friendly farm, tea rooms and a grand mansion. It’s free to walk in the grounds and you pay to go into the house and gardens. It’s possible to walk from here without having to spend too much time on the roads. Please ask us for more details.  www.nationaltrust.org.uk/wimpole-estate

Visit Paus, a local outdoor spa. Relax in open-air, wood-fired, red cedar hot tubs. Unwind and recharge in authentic Finnish barrel saunas.  The Hilltop Bistro is open for drinks and meals. Check the website for their opening hours. They are located in the village of Bourn, about 9 miles away and their website is www.Paus.life

The historic city of Cambridge is 14 miles away; enjoy punting on the river Cam with Scudamores:  https://www.scudamores.com/ , Lets Go Punting:  https://letsgopunting.co.uk/  or Cambridge Chauffeur Punts:  https://punting-in-cambridge.co.uk/    You can hire punts yourselves or book a guided tour and enjoy the full tourist experience. There is the choice of looking at the college grounds and buildings from your punt or exploring Grantchester and the meadows.

You can also explore Cambridge on foot, there is plenty to do; visit the colleges, climb St Mary’s Tower or go for a drink on the roof of The Varsity Hotel to enjoy the panoramic views. There are museums, art galleries, a market, shops and restaurants – hopefully something for everyone. We suggest leaving your car at Madingley Park and Ride to avoid the traffic. From there it’s a 10 minute ride into town. Information about the Park and Ride service can be found on the County Council’s website:  https://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/  Or you can explore the city via the Hop on/Hop off bus; it runs on Saturdays, Sundays and bank holiday Mondays and more details can be found at  https://www.stagecoachbus.com/promos-and-offers/east/city-sightseeing-cambridge

Cambridge University Botanical Gardens:  Explore these beautiful gardens and see what’s in flower https://www.botanic.cam.ac.uk/  We advise boking in advance.

Grantchester:  It’s a 45 min stroll along the river from the city centre to Grantchester, over the meadows.  When there you can enjoy the calm of the Orchard Tea Garden https://www.theorchardteagarden.co.uk/walks/ or there is limited parking at the tea rooms from where you can walk further upstream to Byrons pool.

Duxford Imperial War Museum:  Visit Europe’s largest air museum and see aircraft take to the skies from the airfield where Spitfires first flew https://www.iwm.org.uk/visits/iwm-duxford

Shepreth Wildlife Park: lemurs, otters, red pandas – a wide variety of wildlife  https://sheprethwildlifepark.co.uk/

The Manor at Hemingford Grey: One of the oldest continually-inhabited houses in Britain and the inspiration for the Green Knowe series of children’s novels written by Lucy Boston who lived there from the late 1930s until her death in 1990. As well as writing, Lucy was a keen needlewoman and there is a collection of her patchwork quilts to marvel over as well as a beautiful garden https://www.greenknowe.co.uk

Swiss Garden and Shuttleworth collection: A beautiful Regency and Victorian garden, a woodland sculpture trail as well as a unique collection of vintage aircraft. https://www.shuttleworth.org/explore/swiss-garden

Angelsey Abbey:  There are stunning gardens to look around and at specific times the mill is open and working. Check the website for more details https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/anglesey-abbey-gardens-and-lode-mill

American Cemetery: Dedicated to U.S Army Forces who died overseas. If you visit at the weekend the Hop on/Hop off sightseeing bus makes a scheduled stop here https://www.abmc.gov/Cambridge

Wicken Fen: One of Europe’s most important wetlands and home to 9000 species of plants and animals https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/wicken-fen-nature-reserve

RSPB nature reserve, Sandy. The Lodge:  A local nature reserve with lots of opportunities for interesting walks https://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves-and-events/reserves-a-z/the-lodge/

Grafham Water: Walk, bike, windsurf or sail, the choice is yours.  And it’s possible to hire equipment here too https://anglianwaterparks.co.uk/grafham-water

Houghton Mill:  Impressive working 18^th century watermill https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/houghton-mill-and-waterclose-meadows

The Raptor Foundation: 35 min drive. A close experience with birds of prey. https://raptorfoundation.org.uk/

Audley End House and gardens: 35 min drive. One of England’s grandest mansions.
https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/audley-end-house-and-gardens

Jordans Mill:  Home of Jordans cereals.  https://jordansmill.com/