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“Lythe and listin, gentilmen,
That be of frebore blode;
I shall you tel of a gode yeman,
His name was Robyn Hode.”

From “A Lytell Gest of Robyn Hode”, the oldest surviving ballad of Robin Hood, printed in 1489,
but dating from much earlier.

For more on the Robin Hood legend click here . . .

Cambridge to York via Peterborough and

Lincoln

[Return to the Heart of England Index]

On this route you’ll pass through Fenstanton, which was the home of famous landscape architect
Capability Brown from 1767 to his death in 1793. If you visit some of the great houses of Britain
you will almost certainly see his work.

You’ll pass by Godmanchester, which was a Roman settlement on Ermine St, one of the major
Roman roads, that ran from London to Lincoln and York. There is evidence that it was the site of a
Celtic village and even earlier occupation. It was given its first charter by King John in 1212. All of
which means is has been continuously inhabited for at least 2000 years. The Chinese Bridge over
the River Great Ouse was believed to have been constructed without nails. A subsequent
deconstruction proved this to be an urban myth. A replica of the bridge was installed in 2010.

Huntingdon. Best known as the birthplace of Oliver Cromwell, the local MP and leader of the
Parliamentarians, aka the Roundheads, in the English Civil War between 1642 and 1651. He was
one of the signatories to the death warrant of King Charles I. A feature of the city is the medieval
Old Bridge across the Great Ouse. Its construction was started from each bank and as a result it
doesn’t quite align at the midpoint.

The George Hotel on the corner of George and High Sts was originally a coach posting house.
Notorious highwayman Dick Turpin was a frequent visitor to the inn.

The George is also well known as the “theatre” at which Shakespearean plays are performed each
year. They use the balcony and courtyard to present the bard’s works in much the same way as
they would have been staged in his lifetime. To get the present play list click here.

Stilton. No, it is not the home town of the famous Stilton blue cheese, though this is contested
these days by the good folk of Stilton. In fact, cheese made in Stilton can not, by law, be called
“Stilton”! The cheese actually hails from Melton Mowbray and villages nearby, though they are
named after this town. It was here, at the Bell Inn, that cheeses from Leicestershire and
Nottinghamshire were loaded on to coaches bound for London and the north. The Bell Inn is still
there – you can stay there if you like.