Things to do and see
There is plenty to interest, amuse, educate, exercise and entertain you on a visit
to Peterborough.
You could start by wandering around the shops – from chain
stores to craft shops and small boutiques, Peterborough has it all.
If you want more than shopping, though, Peterborough can offer: (Click the links
below)
History.
Sport.
Parks, walks and open spaces.
Theatres and cinemas.
Pubs, clubs and restaurants.
Festivals and events.
Environmental and wildlife sites.
Hobbies, clubs and societies.
Cathedral
History
If you are interested in Peterborough’s history you should
visit Peterborough
Cathedral towering majestically above the city centre. The Norman building
– constructed on the site of a Saxon abbey – is famous for its stunning west front
and its painted nave ceiling and contains the tomb of Katharine of Aragon, the first
wife of Henry VIII.
Flag Fen is the most important
Bronze Age archaeological site in Europe and includes a modern visitor centre and
museum.
Peterborough Museum
and Art Gallery is a treasure house of the area's heritage with exhibits
charting developments from Jurassic pre-history, through Roman and medieval eras
to the 20th century, together with a new multi-media art gallery.
For attractions nearby try visiting
Burghley House at Stamford, the finest Elizabethan stately home in England;
Elton Hall, the ancestral home of the Proby family for over 350 years; Thorney Abbey
and Heritage Museum; or the birthplace of 'country poet' John Clare at Helpston.
Other attractions worth visiting include the medieval Prebendal Manor at Nassington and Rockingham Castle just north of Corby.
Tallington Lakes
Sport
If sport is your thing, there is plenty to do – from golf to adrenalin-fuelled activities
such as skydiving.
We have an athletics stadium, sports centres, a parachute centre at nearby Chatteris and a dry ski slope
and water sports centre at Tallington
Lakes. Peterborough
City Rowing Club is one of the UK's leading centres for rowing. The
selection of public and private golf courses includes Orton Meadows and Thorpe Wood.
We have clubs
for participants in sports and activities from aerobics to yoga and from archery
to windsurfing.
If your idea of sport is to spectate rather than participate, you could watch football
league club Peterborough United (The Posh) who play at the London Road
ground in the city centre, the
Peterborough Phantoms ice hockey team who play at Planet Ice and the Peterborough Panthers speedway team, who race at the
East of England showground.
If you fancy a little betting along with your racing – and maybe a drink and a meal
as well – why not try the
greyhound stadium?
The annual Great
Eastern Run provides opportunities for everyone from serious road race enthusiasts
to charity-sponsored fun runners.
Ferry Meadows Country Park
Parks, walks and open spaces
You can enjoy more leisurely activities such as walking or cycling in one of the
city’s parks or on specially
designated routes that run from the city centre to rural villages and countryside.
Peterborough’s Central
Park in the city centre has been awarded Green Flag status for quality.
The 500-acre Ferry Meadows country park within the 2,000 acre Nene Park is a popular
centre for an array of outdoor pursuits, including walking, cycling, sailing, fishing,
bird watching, horse riding, camping and family picnics. The Nene Valley Railway is a major attraction for steam preservation
enthusiasts.
The Peterborough Millennium Green Wheel is a continuous network of cycleways, footpaths
and bridleways that provide safe, continuous routes around the city built by Peterborough Environment City Trust.
Work is now in hand to create new parks and a ‘green grid’ linking the city’s open spaces.
The Key Theatre
Theatres and cinemas
If you prefer more passive entertainment it is readily available in Peterborough
at the theatre or cinema.
The Key Theatre
is situated near to the city centre in the idyllic surroundings of the embankment
of the River Nene. The theatre's aim is to provide a wide and imaginative programme
of events and productions throughout the year.
The 1,100 seat Broadway
entertainment and arts centre in the middle of the city and The Cresset at nearby Bretton maintain exciting programmes
of stage performances from the classics to contemporary productions and from pantomime
to stand-up comedy, together with a wide range of music concerts.
Tolethorpe Hall is host to performances by the Stamford Shakespeare Company in the outdoor amphitheatre
during the summer months.
The multi-screen Showcase
Cinema offers all the latest movie releases while the small John Clare Theatre
at Peterborough Central Library stages a range of live and filmed entertainment.
The Lady Lodge Arts Centre hosts cultural workshops and a range of stage productions.
City centre pub
Pubs, clubs and restaurants
The city’s selection of pubs and nightclubs offers high-octane music and dance entertainment
into the early hours – as well as more relaxed environments with quality local ales.
There are also plenty of quiet restaurants providing peaceful, intimate dining – and many
country pubs in the surrounding villages.
East of England Showground
Festivals and events
The East of England Showground
is the eastern region's premier outdoor events centre and hosts a number of events
throughout the year including Truckfest, The East of England Country Show, the British
Motorcycle Federation (BMF) Show and the National Adventure Sports Show.
During the summer months, the city hosts the annual Peterborough Festival of art, music and drama, featuring
a wide range of cultural activities for residents and visitors, and the Peterborough Beer Festival which is the second largest event
of its kind in the country.
There is a list of current and future events here.
Environmental and wildlife sites:
Horse Riding Clubs
Hobbies clubs and societies
Peterborough has a vast range of clubs and societies for enthusiasts for all types
of hobbies and pastimes.
Peterborough City Council keeps a list of most of them.