Cambridge

The punt-pushers and tourists stick to the city centre, but venture just beyond Cambridge's ring road and you'll find proper Fen country. This is where the academic bubble meets ancient wetlands, where centuries-old drainage channels cut geometric lines through vast, flat fields that stretch to impossible horizons.

Denny Abbey & The Farmland Museum tells the story of this landscape brilliantly - a 12th-century abbey that became a farmhouse, now showcasing how generations have wrestled with this waterlogged terrain. Just down the road, Stretham Old Engine demonstrates Victorian ingenuity at its finest, a massive steam pump that once kept the fens dry.

Wicken Fen is the real draw though. The National Trust's Wicken Fen Nature Reserve protects one of the last undrained areas, where rare butterflies dance above sedge beds and bitterns boom in the reeds. It's a 20-minute cycle from the city but feels utterly removed from urban life.

Boating enthusiasts have several options. Lazy Otter Marina and Twenty Pence Marina provide access to the River Great Ouse, while Stretham Ferry Marina sits perfectly for exploring upstream towards Ely. The waterways here are proper working rivers, not manicured tourist routes.

Getting here couldn't be easier - the A10 connects directly to Cambridge centre in 15 minutes by car. Ely, with its magnificent cathedral, lies just eight miles north. The train from London reaches Cambridge in an hour, making this surprisingly accessible countryside.

Staying at one of the local holiday parks puts you right in the thick of it. No fighting city traffic to reach the countryside - you're already there, with cycle paths leading straight into Cambridge when you fancy some urban culture.