This is a 3-night canal boat holiday from Ely to St Ives and back. Your cruise begins at the Black Prince base in the lovely city of Ely, situated about 14 miles from Cambridge and renowned for its magnificent Norman cathedral. Ely Cathedral was originally founded in the year 673 before being destroyed by invaders in 970. It was restored famously in the 19th century by the architect George Gilbert Scott, and contains the only pavement labyrinth in a UK cathedral.

Ely Cathedral

Your final stop is St Ives, which is famed for its 15th century chapel bridge, one of only four in England. St Ives has also historically been the home of some of the biggest markets in the country, with its Monday market a feature that takes over the town centre.

After strolling through the market, you can go and see the Oliver Cromwell statue in the town square before relaxing in one of St Ives’ historic pubs, which include The Dolphin and The White Hart, with both boasting over four hundred years of history.

Finally, you can learn all about the town’s past at the Norris Museum and Library, which holds a wealth 16th century artefacts of the area and organises exhibitions to showcase its collections. One particularly exciting collection contains fossilised bones of giant reptiles that lived in the area well over one hundred million years ago.

Canal boat hire from Ely to St Ives

You then cruise down the Old West River, which forms part of the old course of The Great Ouse, before arriving at Earith village, where you can enjoy some wonderful bird watching. Earith is also popular with anglers, with trout and coarse fishing available on the Earith lakes which stretch over 36 acres.

Whilst in Earith you can also see the remains of an English Civil War fort known as Earith Bulwark, which dates back to the mid-seventeenth century. Earith Bulwark remained an important strategic area three hundred years on from the Civil War, when a machine gun turret was built upon it during the Second World War. The whole site can be viewed from the Old Bedford bank (both sides) After visiting Earith, you move on to St Ives.

All routes from this base