Five things to do in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire

For anyone who doesn’t know, Peterborough is the city at the heart of rural East England, bridging the Cambridgeshire, Rutland, Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire borders.

I discovered it in 2011, while I was looking for places to spend a Bank Holiday weekend on the internet. I received their brochure in the post and was completely amazed. Can you fall in love with a city just by looking at a catalogue? Apparently you can, because that’s what happened to me.

When I finally spent my mini-break there, it was everything I imagined it would be, and more. All my expectations were met and exceeded, and had a fantastic time despite the rainy weather. And what do you know, the following year I left London and moved here! There are literally a million things you can do when you’re here, Peterborough has many, many events (big and small) throughout the year: festivals, theatre shows, exhibitions, country fairs, and a lot more. However, I can’t list them all here, so I picked a few that you surely don’t want to miss if you ever decide to visit this city.

Peterborough Heritage Festival

The Peterborough Heritage Festival is a unique chance to experience 3,500 years of history in the UK’s only city centre multi-period living history festival. It’s free to attend (unless you decide to go to Fringe events, which are priced) and what I’m mostly excited about for this year (my third going to this festival) is the Joust of St. Peter. What is it, you wonder? Visitors will be able to see plate-armoured knights tilt at each other in a specially constructed arena, experiencing all the excitement of a medieval tournament. Isn’t it fantastic?

Peterborough Ghost Walks/Tours

They happen every third Tuesday of the month and every Tuesday in July & August. The walk starts from the museum (which is said to be the most haunted building of the city) and heads around the city centre, stopping at sites reputed to be haunted. The walk is with a costumed guide, lasts about one and a half to two hours and tells over a dozen stories of the ghoulish and supernatural. However, the walks are not the most exciting part. On Halloween night, you can even experience a Midnight Ghost Hunt! You will attend a candlelit tour of the building, followed by a chance to spend the entire night on a real, live ghost hunt. I’m too chicken for this, but I would definitely recommend trying it out!

Key Theatre

Situated in Peterborough’s city centre overlooking the river Nene, the Key Theatre brings an abundance of entertainment and culture to the heart of the city. There are plenty of shows to go and see: from concerts to musicals, comedy shows to plays. Something worth omention, is the KYT (Key Theatre’s resident Youth Theatre). It has a strong reputation for producing excellent work and a large number of its members go on to forge successful careers in the entertainment industries.

Flag Fen

Travel back 3,500 years to discover what life was like for our prehistoric ancestors at the finest Bronze Age archaeological site in Northern Europe.

Ferry Meadows

Ferry Meadows is the 500 acre Country Park at the heart of Nene Park. You can walk, cycle, play, horse-ride, ride a train, go fishing, exercise the dog, jog, push the buggy and explore endless meadows, lakes and woodland in beautiful, safe and unspoilt surroundings – all less than three miles from Peterborough’s busy city centre. Look at this gorgeous view… I think my summer will be packed with days at the park!