CAMBRIDGE & EAST ANGLIA - England 2012 and the Best of Wales - page 503

houses—all fronted with dark-yellow local bricks. Though not as well appointed as
the University Arms or the Felix (see above), it competes successfully with the Gon-
ville (see below) and has very good food. Rooms overlooking the river and green cost
more, as do those on lower floors (there's no elevator).
53 Chesterton Rd., Cambridge CB4 3AN. www.arundelhousehotels.co.uk. & 01223/367701. Fax
01223/367721. 103 units. £95-£150 double; £135-£160 family room. Rates include continental breakfast.
AE, MC, V. Free parking. Amenities: Restaurant; bar. In room: A/C, TV, hair dryer, Wi-Fi (free).
Best Western Gonville Hotel Just a few minutes' walk from town and with a
view over Parker's Piece, the city's large expanse of open parkland, this modern hotel
is a perfectly acceptable choice, if a little uninspiring. The hotel has a bar, Chancel-
lors restaurant, and the Atrium brasserie. Prices are very competitive.
Gonville Place, Cambridge CB1 1LY. www.gonvillehotel.co.uk. & 800/780-7234 in the U.S. and Canada,
or 01223/366611. Fax [phone] units. £95-£159 double. AE, MC, V. Free parking. Amenities:
Restaurant; bar; room service. In room: TV, hair dryer, Wi-Fi (free).
INEXPENSIVE
Regent Hotel This is another hotel overlooking Parker's Piece, and very conve-
nient for the sights. It's one of the most desirable of Cambridge's reasonably priced
small hotels. The building, a lovely Regency mansion, dates from the 1840s and was
Newnham College until it outgrew the site. Rooms are pale and comfortable, and
there is a small bar.
41 Regent St., Cambridge CB2 1AB. www.regenthotel.co.uk. & 01223/351470. Fax [phone]
units. £114-£145 double. Rates include continental breakfast. AE, MC, V. Amenities: Bar. In room: A/C,
TV, hair dryer, Wi-Fi (£2 per day).

13

ELY & THE FENS
70 miles NE of London; 16 miles N of Cambridge
You can see Ely's magnificent cathedral miles before you reach England's second
smallest city. The ship of the Fens, as the cathedral is known, was built in the 11th
century when Ely was an island surrounded by freshwater marshes. Pilgrims traveled
to Ely for centuries to visit the shrine of Saint Etheldreda, until it was destroyed in
the Reformation in the mid-1500s. Ten centuries after it was built, the cathedral is
still attracting a quarter of a million visitors every year. Most people visit Ely to see
the cathedral, and rightly so. It's an extraordinary building with a powerful history to
match, and well worth the trip across the Fens, so once you're here this small place—
more a market town in feel than a city—on the River Ouse is a lovely place to spend
a few hours. Get to know the city properly by taking the Eel Trail from Oliver
Cromwell's House, which now doubles as a tourist office, and follow it through the
city and down to the river where The Maltings has a restaurant and bar overlooking
the river. The circular walk then heads back to town through delightful Cherry Hill
park up to Ely Cathedral and the rest of the city's tourist attractions, its indepen-
dent shops, colorful pubs, and good range of cafes and restaurants.
Essentials
GETTING THERE There are First Capital Connect trains from London's Kings
Cross (some direct, some involve a change at Cambridge onto an INEA service),
costing about £24 one-way. If you're driving from Cambridge, take the A10 north.