The pretty Cambridgeshire walk that ends at one of the oldest pubs in England

It’s the perfect way to spend an autumn day out

As the air turns a little more crisp, there is nothing better than a walk through the beautfiul Cambridgeshire countryside. And it is not a proper English countryside walk unles it includes a trip to a pub.

In Cambridgeshire we have many options for pretty autumn walks, but this one takes you past some ancient history spots. The village of Holywell near Huntingdon is perfect for an autumn stroll.

If you park in Millfield car park between Needingworth and Holywell Walk you can begin your walk by following signs that direct you through fields, woodland, ancient willows and finally towards the village of Holywell where you can stop for a beer in what might be England’s oldest pub.

This walk takes you straight through the pretty riverside village and lets you amble through beautiful woodland. Hollywell is an Anglo-Saxon ring village, which is one of only three left in the county. This means the houses were built to form a circle.

Look out for green woodpeckers that a lot of visitors report hearing and seeing and pass by ancient willows and even a holy well which the village is named after. The holy water well is located in front of the church, as you exit the building with the River Great Ouse ahead of you. It is a religious site and is a stone structure built over a natural spring underneath it.

If you enjoy a walk with a few stops, you can picnic in an English woodland garden beside the church near where the holy well is.Inside the village right on the water edge, you can finish your walk at The Old Ferry Boat Inn which is considered to be one of the oldest if not the oldest pub in England.

The outdoor beer garden overlooks the banks of the River Great Ouse, and owners Greene King claim there are records of drinks being sold at the site as early as the year 560 – with the Kingdom of East Anglia only believed to have been formed around 571.

Enjoying a drink there in the beer garden overlooking the river and watching the boats pass by is definitely the perfect way to end your walk surrounded by the stories of history. Though you should beware the ghost that is believed to also reside there. There is a stone slab inside the pub dedicated to the resident ghost and her spooky story.