Outdoors & Nature

Ideal for a sunny day. And for a cold rainy day: "There's no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothing".

King's Cross: Cambridge, Ely and York by train

Cambridge in under an hour, Ely's cathedral in the fens in a little over, and York in two.

Day trips by trainCountryside

King's College Chapel's pinnacled west end and the long white classical range beside it, seen across a broad lawn from the Backs, with people on the path in front. — King's College from the Backs. Cambridge is under an hour. Photo by Richard Humphrey, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Ely Cathedral standing above trees on the flat fen, its west tower and octagonal lantern against a clear sky, with a field of pink flowers in front. — Ely, the cathedral over the fens. Photo by Verbcatcher, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

A narrow street of old brick shops and houses in low winter sun, a hairdresser's fascia on the right and a pub sign on the left, nobody about. — King's Lynn, on the Wash at the end of the line. Photo by Hugh Venables, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

King's Lynn's quayside across the river: old brick warehouses, a pilot boat at the wall, and the white Custom House with its lantern tower, under a big sky. — The Custom House at King's Lynn, from across the Great Ouse. Photo by Colin Park, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Peterborough Cathedral's west front: three huge pointed arches between spired turrets, a small porch set in the middle one, with visitors on the lawn below. — Peterborough, the west front. Photo by Miyagi165, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Rows of purple lavender running up a gentle slope to the sky, with people walking among them and a green field beyond. — Hitchin Lavender, in July. Photo by David Yap, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The East Coast line runs north through Hertfordshire into the flat country of the fens: Cambridge's colleges and the Backs in under an hour, Ely's cathedral standing over the fens in a little over, King's Lynn on the Wash at the end of that line, and Peterborough for the Nene. The fast trains reach York, its walls and its minster, in two hours, which is a long day out but a good one. Closer in are the garden cities, Letchworth and Welwyn, and Hitchin for the lavender fields in July. Cubitt's station of 1852 is the plain one beside St Pancras's Gothic; the concourse roof of 2012 is the reason to look up.

Where: Euston Road, N1C 4AP

Google Maps visitcambridge.org

Trains from early morning until after midnight

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Data is compiled from public sources including OpenStreetMap, under the ODbL. Hours change often, so check before making a journey.