RIVER VENUES – Pubs, hotels and other venues
River-based Venues – Pubs, Hotels and other Venues
We are pleased to be able to suggest a range of locations along the river to complement your cruise. Either as a convenient stopover before, during or after your trip, or integrated into more of an event day.
The Plough Green End, Fen Ditton, Cambridge. CB5 8SX 01223 293264
The Plough is a premium pub and restaurant with a large patio and picturesque riverside beer garden. With stunning riverside views and fine array of cask ales, wines and delicious food, The Plough is a stylish Cambridgeshire local bursting with character and charm. Set in the quaint village of Fen Ditton, it is housed within a former paper mill and coaching inn and you can feel its rich history within the walls. It does, however, have an ultra-stylish contemporary twist – making it the perfect spot to socialise, indulge, and dine in a restaurant with striking surroundings. An excellent spot to watch ‘the bumps’ rowing races.
The Plough at Fen Ditton has been Camboats home base for nearly 20 years.
Cambridge Museum of Technology, The Old Pumping Station, Cheddars Lane, Cambridge. CB5 8LD 01223 500652
The museum stands high above Cambridge the chimney being the tallest building structure for miles around. Beside the river between Stourbridge Common and Midsummer Common, the museum shows the progression of power technology through steam, internal combustion, to electricity. The exhibits in the museum include working engines, telephone exchanges, printing presses and many wonderful and interesting contraptions. The museum has just undergone a Lottery Grant funded upgrade with a new visitor education room. In association with museum staff Camboats offer a unique joint cruise – Museum Afloat
Fort St George Midsummer Common, Cambridge. CB4 1HA 01223 354327
Traditional pub with Inglenook fireplaces, oak beams and views over the River Cam on one side and on the other by the beautiful Midsummer Common. Fort St George enjoys a curious kind of rural peace that fools one into thinking that the bustle of the town is miles rather than minutes’ walk away.
It is a beautiful grade II listed timber framed building, the oldest pub on the river, dating back to the 16th century. A notable feature is the ‘snug’ to the right of the main entrance, which has some wonderful ancient panelling and a beautiful tiled floor.
Arundel House Hotel, Chesterton Road, Cambridge. CB4 3AN. 01223 367701 Overlooking the Cam and opposite Jesus Lock at Jesus Green, the Arundel House Hotel was formed from a terrace of fine late nineteenth century Victorian houses. The hotel offers a selection of unique rooms that are full of character. Facilities include bar, restaurant and conservatory as well as well equipped conference rooms for medium sized meetings.
The Bridge, Clayhithe, Waterbeach. CB25 9HZ 01223 860622 Situated at the tail end of the towpath that runs out from Cambridge to Waterbeach, The Bridge has a large riverside garden and serves traditional pub food, tasty Sunday roasts and a wide range of wines and cask ales. This can be a stopover point for extended trips that start in Cambridge, or we can use this as a base to explore further downstream towards Ely.
The Boathouse, Chesterton Road, Cambridge. CB4 3AX 01223 460905 Being close to Jesus Lock this pub has a terraced riverside garden and serves traditional pub food and tasty Sunday roasts. This is a popular destination for a meal before or after a river trip. It has it own car park for patrons and is only a short stroll across Jesus Green to the city centre.
The Varsity Hotel and Spa, Thompsons Lane, Cambridge. CB5 8AQ 01223 306030 The hotel has a unique city centre location, being the closest Cambridge hotel to St John’s, Trinity, Jesus and Magdalene Colleges. Other city centre colleges are just a leisurely walk away. Guests have access to a gym, spa pool and treatments, plus the iconic Roof Terrace, Panoramic Bar and Brasserie, and the Riverside Steakhouse.
The Plough and Fleece, Horningsea
The Crown and Punchbowl, Horningsea
Other river-based locactions:
Green Dragon, Water Lane, Chesterton, Cambridge. CB4 1NZ 01223 505035 Probably the oldest coaching house pub in Cambridge located in the heart of Chesterton, with riverside views, across the road it has a picturesque beer garden that leads down to the river edge. Oliver Cromwell reportedly sat in the pub with friends practicing their knife throwing skills into the fire lintel that can still be seen today. J.R.R. Tolkien often visited the pub for inspiration whilst writing The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings.
Five Miles From Anywhere – No Hurry Inn, Upware. CB7 5ZR 01353 721654 Upware had its own public house to serve river traffic from 1760s. The present building opened as a pub in 1995 largely serving passing leisure boats. In the 1850s the pub was the meeting place of the Upware Republic, a society of up to 300 undergraduates from Cambridge who would meet to fish, boat, shoot and skate. Close to Wicken Fen Nature Reserve, the pub is situated in large grounds with a live music event stage.
