Peterborough

Peterborough's range of places to stay tells you something about the city itself: it's a proper working city with a compact centre, but it's ringed by genuine countryside, and both halves get their due. In town, hotels like the Delta Hotels Peterborough by Marriott and Dragonfly Hotel Peterborough sit alongside smaller, more traditional options such as the Falcon Hotel and Black Horse, while places like Aragon House and Highfields Holidays bed & breakfast offer a quieter, more personal base for a night or two.

Head out towards the Nene Valley and the picture changes. Croft Farm's collection of self-catering options - the Barn, the Farmhouse, the Granary - along with Jack's Cottage and Pasque Cottage, suit anyone wanting space, a kitchen of their own, and some distance from the city centre without leaving the area altogether. For those happy with a tent or a van, Ferry Meadows Caravan and Motorhome Club Campsite and Nene Outdoors Campsite put you right by the water and the park.

That park, Ferry Meadows Country Park, is the obvious pull for anyone staying nearby, with its trails, lakes, and the Ferry Meadows Railway running through it. It's also home to the Nene Park Winter Festival when the season turns. Elsewhere in the city, Central Park offers a more everyday green space, while Adventure Nene and Angle Axe Throwing Peterborough cater to visitors after something more active. Further afield, The Ark Market Deeping and Shaws of Maxey give a reason to explore beyond the city boundary.

Whether you're booking a city hotel for convenience, a farm cottage for space, or a pitch at Ferry Meadows for the outdoors, Peterborough works as a base precisely because it doesn't ask you to choose between city and country. Both are close enough to fit into the same short stay.