Grafham Water Centre

Individuals can learn activities such as sailing, windsurfing & canoeing on well structured courses in a safe RYA & BCU inspected centre.

Bird Watching & Nature Reserve

Visitors interested in wildlife will be particularly interested in the area surrounding Grafham Water, as it is designated as a site of special scientific interest. In the large nature reserve there are nature trails, information boards, a special dragonfly pond and a wildlife garden.

Grafham Water Cycle Hire

At Marlow car park on the east shore there is a cycling centre with bikes available for hire and a visitor centre with information, gift shop and cafeteria. The cycle track annually draws visitors from all over the country. Whether out for a gentle ride or a serious test of your mettle the hire fleet caters for families and enthusiasts alike. There is a huge range of bikes for sale and a comprehensive workshop facility.

Huntingdon (7 miles)

The town of Huntingdon is most famous as the birthplace of Oliver Cromwell. The town is joined by a 14th century bridge to Godmanchester across the river, but within the town most of the buildings are from the 17th and 18th centuries. In one of the latter the poet Cowper lived for a short time.

Nearby Hinchingbrooke House was the family home of the Cromwells. Built in the 11th century, the former nunnery came into the Cromwell's hands at the Dissolution of the monasteries. The house later passed to the Montagus, Earls of Sandwich, who added the terraced gardens.

http://www.huntingdon-town.info/

Bedford (16 miles)

The county town of Bedfordshire lazes in a pleasant riverside setting on the Great Ouse. The major attractions are tied to Bedford's asscociation with native son John Bunyan, author of Pilgrim's Progress.

A few miles down the road from Bedford lies Woburn Abbey. The seat of the Dukes of Bedford, Woburn is a Jacobean house remodelled by Flitcroft and Henry Holland into a treasure house of ceramics, furniture, and paintings.

Cambridge (25 miles)

Cambridge owes its continued popularity as a tourist destination primarily to the presence of the university which bears the city's name. The wonderful medieval architecture of the early colleges that make up the university provide a delightful glimpse of life long ago, and the history that is bound up in those colleges makes for fascinating exploring.

The oldest colleges face away from the River Cam, but share an expanse of lawn running down to the river known as The Backs. The Backs provide an excellent space for strolling and relaxing, and walkers along the river can view the often comical efforts of neophytes attempting to pole a punt along the water. It is much harder than it looks, and quite embarassing when your pole gets stuck in the river mud and your punt drifts away! No one should visit Cambridge without trying their hand at punting - the boats can be rented for quite a reasonable price.

Cambridge boasts superb museums and art galleries, and the University Botanical Gardens are world-reknown. Near the city are a whole range of attractions, from Duxford War Museum to the stately home of Wimpole Hall.

http://www.visitcambridge.org/

Peterborough (25 miles)

Most visitors come to Peterborough to see the 12th century cathedral, though modern Peterborough has become something of a shopping destination also.