Wisbech St Mary

Wisbech St Mary itself has little in the way of formal hotel accommodation, which is typical of a working Fenland village of its size, so most visitors choose to stay in nearby Wisbech, only a few miles away, where there is a better spread of options. The town's Georgian heritage means a handful of characterful pubs with rooms and small independent hotels sit alongside more straightforward budget accommodation, giving visitors a base with easy access to both the town's own attractions, such as Peckover House and the Wisbech and Fenland Museum, and the surrounding countryside.

Booking a hotel in or near Wisbech puts you within easy striking distance of the Nene Washes, the wider Fen waterways, and market towns such as March and King's Lynn, while still being close enough to Wisbech St Mary itself for a quiet countryside outing. Because the whole area is so flat and well connected by a network of straight roads, even accommodation a few miles from the village rarely means more than a ten or fifteen minute drive. For those touring the Fens more widely, Wisbech makes a sensible, well-placed hub, with a reasonable choice of places to eat and drink on your return each evening. As with any small-town destination, it is worth booking ahead during the busier summer months and around local events, when the limited stock of rooms can go quickly.

The village itself is small, so most days out mean a short drive or cycle into Wisbech or out onto the Washes. Here is a realistic spread of what is worth your time.

• St Mary's Church — The Grade II listed parish church that gives the village its name, standing prominently in the centre and worth a look for its Fenland brick-and-stone architecture.
• Nene Washes RSPB reserve — A vast expanse of seasonally flooded grassland a short drive away, and one of the most important breeding sites in Britain for black-tailed godwits, with common cranes present year-round. Footpaths follow the flood banks with far-reaching views across the washes.
• Peckover House and Garden — A Georgian townhouse on Wisbech's North Brink, given to the National Trust in 1948, with elegant period interiors and a two-acre Victorian garden of clipped topiary, an orangery and specimen trees.
• Elgood's Brewery and Gardens — A family-run Georgian brewery on the edge of Wisbech, still brewing since 1795, offering tours and tastings alongside four acres of gardens with a lake and herb garden.
• Wisbech and Fenland Museum — One of the oldest purpose-built museums in the country, opened in 1847, with a collection that includes an original manuscript of Charles Dickens's Great Expectations alongside local and Fenland history displays.
• Wisbech town centre and the Brinks — Georgian merchants' houses line North Brink and South Brink either side of the River Nene, a legacy of Wisbech's days as a busy inland port; a gentle stroll along the river takes in some of the finest Georgian streetscapes in the region.
• Cycling and walking the drove roads — The flat, quiet lanes and droves around the village are ideal for cycling, with long straight routes out towards the Nene and Ouse washes suited to anyone who prefers pedalling to climbing.

The village has traditionally been served by a couple of local pubs, the kind of unpretentious spots where farmers and locals meet after a day's work; opening hours and offerings can vary, so it is worth checking ahead. For a wider choice, Wisbech town is close by and has a growing food scene including cafés, bakeries and restaurants around the historic town centre, plus Elgood's Brewery on the edge of town, where you can sample cask ales brewed on site. Given the surrounding farmland, look out for genuinely local produce on menus in the area, from Fenland-grown vegetables to seasonal fruit.

The flat, open expanse around Wisbech St Mary is classic Fenland camping country: big skies, dead-straight droves and a horizon that barely dips, with the Nene Washes close by for early-morning birdwatching from your tent flap. As everywhere in England, wild camping is not permitted without the landowner's explicit permission, so plan on a proper site rather than pitching on the verge of a drove or the bank of a wash, however tempting the space looks. The reward for booking ahead is a genuinely peaceful stay; this is one of the quietest, darkest corners of Cambridgeshire, well away from major towns and light pollution, which makes for excellent stargazing on a clear night.

Because the land is almost perfectly flat and largely arable, campsites in the immediate area tend to be small, family-run affairs on working farms rather than large commercial parks, and pitches are usually well drained even after wet weather thanks to the Fens' extensive drainage network. Facilities can be simple, so it is worth checking what is included, whether that is electric hook-up, showers or a farm shop, before you book. The lack of hills also makes the area ideal for those touring by bike or towing a caravan, since routes in and out of most sites are level and straightforward.

Late spring through to early autumn is the most comfortable season, when the surrounding arable land is at its most colourful and the long Fenland evenings make the most of the flat horizon at sunset. Outside those months, the exposed landscape means wind rather than cold is usually the main consideration, so a sheltered pitch or a site with windbreaks is worth seeking out. For those who prefer a roof over their head without leaving the landscape behind, glamping options such as shepherd's huts, pods and static caravans have sprung up on farms across the wider Fenland area, offering an easier way to experience the same wide-open scenery and dark skies without the packing and unpacking of a full camping kit.