2-day trip to Peterborough

"Why? Why would you go to Peterborough for the weekend?". That is what my friends in Bristol repeteadly asked me when I told them I would be off on a trip to Peterborough. "There is nothing to see there!". Most of them have never been there, and it might be a small city in the middle of nowhere between London and Leeds, but Peterborough has a lot to offer.

There are a couple of ways to get to Peterborough with public transport. You can get a bus return ticket (National Express) for approximately 50 pounds, though the fastest you will be able to get there is in 5h50min. Taking the train is another option and takes no longer than 4h (sometimes even 3h30min), but the cheapest you will get a return ticket for a weekend is 80 pounds. So, if you are a group of at least 4 people, I would suggest renting a car (Enterprise is a very cheap company) and share the costs of the rent and fuel, which will be way cheaper than travelling with the public transport.

It is very easy to get to Peterborough, you won't even need a SatNav. I suggest two different routes (avoid London in rush hour).

1. VIA LONDON: Follow the M4 until M25. Take the M25 North until you get to the M1. Take the M1 North too and continue until J17, where you go out from M1 to get to Peterborough (this route takes a little longer than 3h).
2. VIA BIRMINGHAM: Follow the M5 North and take the M42 East before you get to Birmingham. Take the 7A exit and follow M6 until it joins M1. Then follow the A14 East until J13, where you will take the A605 towards Peterborough (this route takes a little less than 3h)

We got there Friday night, and stayed in a friend's house (thank you!), so I cannot suggest any youth hostel, although I am pretty sure there will be very cheap youth hostels or B&B in the city centre.

Peterborough is a relatively small city in the East of England. Although being the largest city in Cambridgeshire (estimated population is 214.000), it is a very calm place to live in. In 1850, Lord Exeter had opposed the railway passing through Stamford, and it was decided that the train coming from London would stop in Peterborough. The opening of the Great Northern Railway brought a huge development to the city, which increasingly developed since.

The modern Peterborough is rooted and celebrates its past as a foundation for building a sustainable future and it has the aspiration to be the 21st century Environment Capital. 

Day 1: City Centre

Peterborough Cathedral is the first touristic attraction in Peterborough. It is one of the most important 12th century buildings in England and it is dedicated to St Peter, St Paul and St Andrew, who are looking down from the three high gables of the early English Gothic style West Front. The apprearence of the cathedral is asimetrical, as one of the two towers was never completed. 

Catalina de Aragón, Henry VII's former queen, had been buried there in 1536 and her grave, honoured with glowers and pomegranates (her symbol), can still be seen. In 1587, Mary - Queen of Scots, was also buried there after her execution but she was after trensferred to Westminster Abbey by King James I of England.

Next to the Peterborough Cathedral there is the Cathedral square, the heart of the city, and it is used for varied events during the year including Farmers Market, which is held every 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month. Guildhall house, located in the same square, is a magnificent 17th century building.

The weekend we were there there was an Italian Market, and they were selling traditional Italian food, as you can see in the picture.

We had lunch in a place called Asia, 5 Fitzwilliam Street (PE1 2RU), where they serve Halal Food. As we were a big group of people, they didn't have enough room for all of us downstairs and we were transferred upstairs, to the "family room", which was a very strange room in poor condition, with a big table in the middle and a scree where we could see the images from the security camera. The lunch was extremely cheap though; I paid around 5 pounds for a starter soup-of-the-day, a plate full of rice, a small salad and 4 big pieces of lamb, and two side dishes. I love the strong flavour of the lamb, but this time, the tast of the lamb disappointed me. I would just recommend this place if you are looking for something a low-budget lunch and you don't really mind the service.

After lunch we went to Central Park. It is situated on Park Crescend, I would say 15 minutes away from the city centre, and apparently it is the most prestigious park in the city. It won the national Green Flag award for the 4th year. It is a very beautiful park with big green areas, a sand-pit and a paddling pool for kids, bowling greens, tennis courts, croquet lawn and tea-rooms too. I specially liked the Sunken Garden (top left picture).

At night, we went to do some exercise. Travel Choice was organising a "Pedal Power Challenge" in Hampton Vale, a free outdoor cinema powered entirely by bikes, and we pedalled for a while, enjoying Life of Pi under the stars.

Day 2: Ferry Meadows

Ferry Meadows is another Green Flag award winning park in Peterborough, at the heart of Nene Park. If the weather is good, I suggest you grab some food and spend the day at Ferry Meadows. You can walk there, cycle, play, fly a kite, horse-ride, ride a train, go fisihing, exercise the dog, jog... and explore the endless meadows and lakes. Recently, the city council created the Peterborough Park Run, a 5K weekly run, which also take place in Ferry Meadows and apparently it is very popular. 

This following video will give you a flavour of what you will see in Ferry Meadows. I hope you like it!