Ely Base – St Ives and return

Ely to St Ives and return, canal boat holiday from Ely Base

Easy Short Break River Cruise

Ely 44 6 16 Suitable for Short Break or 1 Week holidays

Route tags:

3 Night CruiseCambridgeshireElyEngland Canal Boat RoutesShort Breaks

This is a 3-night canal boat holiday from Ely to St Ives and back. Your cruise begins at the Black Prince base in the lovely city of Ely, situated about 14 miles from Cambridge and renowned for its magnificent Norman cathedral.

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Relaxed narrowboating in Cambridgeshire

This is narrowboating at its most relaxed… Cruising gently down the beautiful River Ouse, immersed in nature, admiring the rolling farmland and witnessing wild life in all forms, this is a boating holiday that is guaranteed to enable you to relax!

Most of this cruise is scenic countryside with plenty of opportunities for bird watching and nature spotting, before chugging quietly into the beautiful old market town of St Ives, in Cambridgeshire.

Here you can moor up, close to quality restaurants and friendly pubs, for a relaxed evening out.

This cruise suits couples or families looking for a scenic and quiet getaway. There are no manual locks to manage and the river cruising is wide and open, with lots of space. Great for novices who are trying out self-drive narrowboating for the first time!

Your cruise starts from Ely

This narrowboat cruise starts at our hire base in Ely, Cambridgeshire, a lovely part of the world for river cruising. This area is next to the Norfolk broads, and offers a similar boating experience, with the fens and wetlands being a haven for wildlife.

Boating here is incredibly calming, cruising through open countryside, filled with cattle, horses and lots of wildlife.

Before you set off on your cruise, it’s worth popping into Ely to visit the impressive cathedral. This huge church was originally founded in the year 673 before being destroyed by invaders in 970. It was restored famously in the 19th century by the architect George Gilbert Scott, and contains the only pavement labyrinth in a UK cathedral.

Cruising the Old West River

You then cruise down the Old West River, which forms part of the old course of The Great Ouse, before arriving at Earith village, where you can enjoy some wonderful bird watching. Earith is also popular with anglers, with trout and coarse fishing available on the Earith lakes which stretch over 36 acres.

Whilst in Earith you can also see the remains of an English Civil War fort known as Earith Bulwark, which dates back to the mid-seventeenth century. Earith Bulwark remained an important strategic area three hundred years on from the Civil War, when a machine gun turret was built upon it during the Second World War. The whole site can be viewed from the Old Bedford bank (both sides) After visiting Earith, you move on to St Ives.

Arriving in St Ives on the Great Ouse

Your destination for this short break is St Ives, which is famed for its 15th century chapel bridge, one of only four in England. St Ives has also historically been the home of some of the biggest markets in the country, with its Monday market a feature that takes over the town centre.

After strolling through the market, you can go and see the Oliver Cromwell statue in the town square before relaxing in one of St Ives’ historic pubs, which include The Dolphin and The White Hart, with both boasting over four hundred years of history.

Finally, you can learn all about the town’s past at the Norris Museum and Library, which holds a wealth 16th century artefacts of the area and organises exhibitions to showcase its collections. One particularly exciting collection contains fossilised bones of giant reptiles that lived in the area well over one hundred million years ago.

Book our Ely to St Ives canal boat holiday by using our online Availability Search, or by calling Black Prince on 01527 575 115.