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Ely Base – Bedford and return

Ely to Bedford and return, one week self drive canal boat holiday

2022 Ely route D

102 Miles | 32 Locks | 1 Week Cruise | 5 hours per day

This return Ely to Bedford canal boat holiday take seven nights, cruising around five hours per day. You begin this active boat hire cruise at the Black Prince Ely base, which is located around 14 miles northeast of Cambridge.

Ely is famed for its Norman cathedral, which contains the only pavement labyrinth in a UK cathedral. Having originally been founded as an abbey in the year 673, it was destroyed by invaders in 970 before George Gilbert Scott restored it in the 19th century.

Ely Cathedral

The end base for this self drive boat trip is Bedford, once a small agricultural town but now offering a brilliant mix of the old and the new. You can visit Bedford castle mound, the remnant of the town’s Medieval Castle and Bedford park, which has original Victorian features. You can also enjoy a bustling town with a great range of modern facilities for all the family, including bars, restaurants, ten-pin bowling, cinemas and a swimming pool.

Canal boat hire from Ely to Bedford

Upon leaving Ely you cruise the Old West River to St Ives which has one of only four chapel bridges in England, dating from the 15th century. It has also long been known as a thriving market town and was home to some of the most prominent markets in the country. Even today, you can visit the bustling Monday market which takes over the entire town centre.

St Ives Chapel on the Bridge

After a visit to the centre, relax in The Dolphin or The White Hart, two pubs that boast over four hundred years of history, or take a walk to see the Oliver Cromwell statue in town.

The civil war history continues on city cruises at the Cromwell Museum in the ancient town of Huntingdon, which was originally charted in 1205. From Huntingdon, cruise on to Buckden, famous for the Great Tower where Catherine of Aragon was once imprisoned and the ancient St Mary’s Church.

You then head to St Neots, a rural market town on the Bedfordshire/Cambridgeshire border. St Neots was famous in the 18th and 19th centuries for its corn milling, brewing and railways.

St Neots church

After leaving St Neots, cruise on to your final hire boats stop, Bedford.

Book our Ely to Bedford canal boat holiday by using our online Availability Search, or by calling Black Prince on 01527 575 115.

Other routes from this base

Ely route A

Cambridge and return canal boat holiday

36 Miles
4 Locks
3 Night Cruise
4 hours per day
Ely route B

Ely to St Ives and return, canal boat holiday

44 Miles
6 Locks
3 Night Cruise
4 hours per day
Ely route C

Ely to St Neots and return, canal boat holiday

74 Miles
18 Locks
3 Night Cruise
8 hours per day
Ely route D

Ely to Bedford and return, one week canal boat holiday

102 Miles
32 Locks
1 Week Cruise
5 hours per day
Ely route E

Ely, Cambridge to Huntingdon and return canal boat holiday

54 Miles
10 Locks
1 Week Cruise
4 hours per day
ELY ROUTE F

Cambridge and Bedford and Return Canal Boat Holiday

186 Miles
40 Locks
2 Week Cruise
4.5 hours per day
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