Charlotte Griffiths ventures off the beaten track to highlight hidden gems of our county that should be top of your list to visit this year
It’s true what they (should) say: when one is tired of Cambridgeshire, one is tired of life. Our county is laden with tucked-away gardens, tiny museums and off-the-beaten-track exhibitions to surprise and delight even lifelong Fenland-dwellers.
Here, we’re spotlighting a selection of lesser-known sights and experiences around Cambridgeshire that are
well worth visiting. While the doors may not always be open, planning or booking your visit in advance will leave you both thrilled and smug in the knowledge that you’ve seen something not everyone has encountered.
We bet there’s at least one place in this list that you won’t have visited – or maybe even heard of! The perfect excuse for a day trip during the warmer months ahead.
Hidden houses
Our region has some spectacular historic homes to explore, and we’re not just talking about Wimpole Hall or Anglesey Abbey. First up in this list of hidden gems is Quy Hall, just five miles from the centre of Cambridge – a private residence owned by the Francis family who took ownership of the estate back in 1855.
If you’re curious about the building, you can book a special tour to see the extraordinary walls and ceilings, painted with sprawling roses and ornate floral designs. Quy Park is open to visitors throughout the year for a beautiful view of the property overlooking one of our region’s unique chalk streams, as well as an elegant cast-iron bridge that used to be owned by St John’s College.
You can follow Quy Hall on Instagram for a glimpse into the challenges of modern estate management as the family and their small herd of Devon Red cattle attempt to moo-ve with the times (sorry).
Across the county lies The Manor at Hemingford Grey, a medieval home said to be one of the oldest continually occupied buildings in the country. In 1935 the property was bought by author Lucy Boston, who restored the Norman interiors and created the gardens that draw so many visitors in the summer months, when the perfumed borders are heavy with nodding old roses and steeples of irises.
The gardens can be visited year-round, though viewing the inside of the property is by appointment only so requires planning. It’s well worth the effort, particularly if you’re a fan of Lucy Boston’s beloved children’s series Green Knowe, set in a loosely fictionalised version of The Manor. You can even recreate her main character Tolly’s arrival by boat from nearby St Ives.
Meanwhile, in Shepreth you’ll find Docwra’s Manor, the historic house and gardens owned by Faith Raven, mother of Sarah Raven, the legendary plantswoman and purveyor of tantalising horticultural accessories. I’m powerless to resist her swoony catalogues, which repeatedly
land on my doormat throughout the growing season, and I suspect many other Cambridgeshire residents are also (very happily!) under her spell!
Sarah grew up in the property, surrounded by her parents’ approach to planting, which helped shape her own unique style, making this an absolute must-visit for any fans of her work.
These gardens are open to visitors on selected days throughout the year, and they encourage you to sketch or paint the seasonal planting. Do check the website for the latest information before you set out.
Special spaces
Prefer wilder spaces over tended gardens? Start at Woodwalton Fen, one of four remaining pieces of the ancient fens. Bought in 1910 by financier and naturalist Charles Rothschild, it’s one of our country’s first-ever nature reserves.
Charles also built a bungalow to use as a base for his own entomological expeditions throughout the wetlands: this, again, is only open to visitors on selected dates, but the rest of the Fen can be visited year-round (though dogs must be left at home to protect the extremely rare species found on the reserve).
Closer to Ely lies Kingfishers Bridge, a plot of 250 acres of farmland transformed into a wetland wilderness that’s now home to an extraordinary variety of native birds, plants and even a small herd of water buffalo. Follow the loop walk from the car park and you might spot them grazing in the reed beds.
Back in the centre of Cambridge, at the corner of Brooklands Avenue and Trumpington Road is the Empty Common Community Garden, a permaculture-led, organic growing space that provides horticultural experiences to people of all ages and abilities. Run by a dedicated group of volunteers, this is a tiny but extremely magical site that’s open to all, and might just inspire you to have a go at growing this summer.
Enigmatic exhibits
We’re lucky enough to have some of the finest permanent exhibitions in the country right here in Cambridge (the Polar Museum and the University Museum of Zoology are my personal favourites), but outside the city there are even more to explore.
Why not start with the Bottisham Airfield Museum, which opened in 2009 to commemorate the role this village and its forgotten airfield played in World War II. The museum collects and conserves objects associated with the airfield and the squadrons that flew there, and regularly hosts historical-themed events. At the end of June, the museum will be putting on a two-day extravaganza with living history reenactments, vintage traders and singing groups. Book your tickets quickly to avoid missing out.
Similarly, the Norris Museum in St Ives holds a whopping 33,000 exhibits associated with domestic life in Huntingdonshire, dating from prehistoric times right up to the present day. Named for its founder, Herbert Norris, who died in 1931 and bequeathed his collections to start the museum, today’s historians can explore the permanent exhibits with the aid of activity bags to boost accessibility, and regular special events take place throughout the year. There’s even a small but perfectly formed gift shop.
A special mention should also go to the Adams Heritage Centre in Littleport: a preserved ironmongers from 1893, which specialised in Norwegian racing skates for those gliding across the frozen Fens. The property was given Listed status in summer 2025, and has been described as a ‘remarkable surviving example of a Victorian commercial building’. The Heritage Centre is managed by volunteers and only open on certain days, so drop by when there’s an event on and explore.
On your way back into Cambridge, don’t miss the Women’s Art Collection: a free museum at Murray Edwards College showing selected pieces from its growing collection of artworks created by women artists. Set up in the 1990s, its noble aim is to challenge the underrepresentation of women artists in other museums and galleries. Keep a lookout for upcoming tours and events to get extra insight into the current exhibitions.
