ELY

Cathedral bells ring out across the largest wetland in England, where Oliver Cromwell once lived and the surrounding countryside stretches endlessly flat. Ely sits like a ship on the Fens, its magnificent Norman cathedral visible for miles around this ancient landscape of black soil and straight waterways. The city feels properly medieval in places, with narrow streets winding around the cathedral close, yet there's something timeless about the way morning mist rolls across the surrounding fields.

Ely Cathedral dominates everything here - and rightly so. This stunning Norman masterpiece took nearly 300 years to complete, and the famous octagonal lantern tower is an engineering marvel that still leaves architects scratching their heads. The surrounding countryside tells its own story though. Head out to Roswell Pits nature reserve for a proper walk among the old gravel workings, now transformed into wildlife havens where you might spot kingfishers if you're lucky.

The Fens themselves are an acquired taste. Some find the flat, treeless landscape monotonous, but there's something hypnotic about these endless skies and ruler-straight drainage channels. Redmoor Plantation and The Holt provide welcome patches of woodland for those craving a bit of vertical relief. Getting here is straightforward enough - Cambridge is just 15 miles south, and the A10 runs straight up from there.

Staying at one of the nearby parks makes perfect sense if you want to explore this corner of Cambridgeshire properly. Places like Willow Grove Farm Glamping or Long Island Lake give you easy access to both Ely's historic treasures and the unique fenland landscape, without the city centre hotel prices. Plus you're well placed for day trips to Cambridge or even a run up to Norfolk's coast.