Cambridgeshire drinks better than its reputation suggests. Away from the student bars, the county has a pub in Newton that has been in every edition of CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide, a brewery tap on a Fenland business park that won two branch awards this year, and a Woodston local in Peterborough named the city’s best pub by CAMRA members in 2026. Local brewers such as Milton, Papworth, Nene Valley, Tydd Steam and Elgood’s turn up on the handpumps all over the county.
This guide covers fifteen pubs, split between Cambridge and the south, Huntingdonshire and the Great Ouse, and Ely, the Fens and Peterborough. Pubs close more often than almost any other business, so every one here was checked against its CAMRA WhatPub listing and a second recent source in November 2026. We have left out anywhere we could not confirm.
Details were accurate at the time of research in November 2026. Pub hours change, often with the seasons, so check the pub’s own website or social media before you travel.
Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire
Cambridge has more good pubs per street than anywhere else in the county, and the best of them sit in the terraced streets east of the centre rather than on the tourist trail. South of the city, the chalk villages still have a few unaltered locals where the beer comes straight from the cask.
The Free Press, Cambridge
Indoor activity
- A small backstreet pub on Prospect Row, a few minutes’ walk from Parker’s Piece, first licensed in 1834 when Sarah Horne sold her own home brew from the cottage
- It takes its name from a temperance newspaper of the same name that only ever ran to one issue
- The snug is tiny, roughly six feet by five, and the pub says it has not changed since 59 Downing College students once squeezed into it
- The bow of a Cambridge boat wrecked in the 1984 Boat Race hangs in the main bar
- Regular cask beers are Greene King Abbot, Greene King IPA and Timothy Taylor Landlord, with changing guests that have included Milton and Buntingford beers
- The pub is closed on Mondays and opens from noon Tuesday to Sunday, with food at lunchtime and in the evening from Tuesday to Saturday and lunch only on Sunday
- Dogs are welcome and there is a courtyard garden at the back, which is non-smoking
- Access is step-free, but there is no accessible toilet
Address: 7 Prospect Row, Cambridge CB1 1DU
Website: freepresscambridge.com
How to book: Through the pub’s website or in person
The Free Press is the pub to take someone who thinks Cambridge is all colleges and chain bars. It sits on a quiet terrace in the old Kite area and was rebuilt after the 1970s redevelopment of the streets around it. Inside it is all dark wood, open fires and rowing memorabilia, with the snug barely big enough for a round of drinks. CAMRA gave it an award for an outstanding conversion or restoration, and it keeps a five out of five Cask Marque rating. Book ahead if you want to eat at the weekend.
The Cambridge Blue, Cambridge
Indoor and outdoor
- A single-bar side street pub on Gwydir Street, off Mill Road, known across the county for the length of its beer list
- The pub’s website lists up to 14 real ales, 12 keg beers and 7 real ciders at any one time, served by handpump or straight from the cask
- More than 70 single malt Scotch whiskies and three fridges of Belgian and European bottled beers back up the draught range
- The walls are covered in brewery memorabilia, pump clips and posters from past Cambridge Beer Festivals
- A long rear extension leads out to the garden, with a heated marquee in winter
- Wonky Kitchens has run the kitchen since July 2025, cooking from scratch with local suppliers, and the kitchen is closed on Mondays
- It was named Cambridge and District CAMRA Young Members’ Pub of the Year for 2026
- There is a small step at the front door and a deeper step to the rear bar, but a portable ramp is kept for the rear bar and the accessible toilet
Address: 85-87 Gwydir Street, Cambridge CB1 2LG
Website: cambridge.pub/the-blue
How to book: Sunday roasts by email through the pub’s website; no booking needed to drink
If you only have time for one pint in Cambridge and you care about the beer, this is where to go. The choice is huge without feeling like a beer exhibition, and the regulars are a mix of Mill Road locals and people who have travelled in specially. A monthly charity quiz runs on the first Tuesday, and the pub holds its own beer festival in summer. It belongs to the same small group as the Royal Standard and the Blue Moon, so you can make a crawl of it. Come in the afternoon if you want a seat in the garden at the weekend.
The Haymakers, Chesterton
Indoor and outdoor
- A pub on Chesterton High Street run by Individual Pubs, the company linked to Milton Brewery, and the closest thing Cambridge has to a Milton tap house
- Up to seven of the eight handpumps pour Milton beers, with Pegasus as the regular and at least one dark beer usually on
- At least one guest beer from another small brewery is kept on, alongside around three real ciders or perries
- It reopened in April 2013 after two years closed and has been in the Good Beer Guide since 2015
- Stone-baked pizzas are the food here, served at lunchtime and in the evening, and you can take them away
- The former car park is now a large cycle park, and there is a good-sized beer garden behind the pub
- It won Cambridge and District CAMRA’s Pub of the Year in 2021 and its Dark Beer Pub award in 2023
- There is ramp access at the back, but no accessible toilet; dogs are welcome
Address: 54 High Street, Chesterton, Cambridge CB4 1NG
Website: individualpubs.co.uk/haymakers
How to book: No booking needed for drinks; contact the pub through its website for groups
Milton Brewery started in the village of the same name just north of Cambridge, and its beers are named after figures from classical history, which is why you will be ordering a Pegasus or a Justinian. The Haymakers is where to try several side by side. It draws a mix of Chesterton locals and staff from the nearby science park, and the snug at the front is the cosiest corner on a cold night. A beer writer who visited in March 2026 found card schools at several tables, which tells you what sort of pub it is. Cycle in if you can, as CAMRA reckons its bike park is the largest at any pub in Cambridge.
Calverley’s Brewery Tap, Cambridge
Indoor and outdoor
- A brewery tap room in a former stable and garage on Hooper Street, in the terraced streets just off Mill Road
- The brewery has been here since September 2013, opened its tap to the public in late 2015 and moved into the larger unit next door in September 2020
- The beers are mostly unfiltered, unpasteurised keg beers; cask ale is only occasional, so this is the place for fresher modern styles rather than traditional bitter
- Calverley’s Porter won a silver medal in the winter round of the Champion Beer of Britain in 2019
- The tap is closed on Sundays and Mondays, opens from 5pm Tuesday to Friday and from noon on Saturday
- Sourdough pizzas from nearby Scott’s All Day can be ordered to your table
- Access is step-free and there is an accessible toilet; dogs are welcome
- Outdoor seating is available until 9pm Tuesday to Thursday and 10pm on Friday and Saturday
Address: 23A Hooper Street, Cambridge CB1 2NZ
Website: calverleys.com/taproom
How to book: No booking needed; check the website for events
Calverley’s is the taproom for people who like to see where the beer is made. The room still feels like part of a working brewery rather than a bar dressed up as one. It runs regular events, such as a chess and vinyl evening in March 2026 when board games and records took over the room. Pair it with the Cambridge Blue, which is a few streets away, for a cask and keg evening without needing a taxi. Note that the tap is closed on Sundays, which catches out a lot of weekend visitors.
The Queen’s Head, Newton
Indoor activity
- A village pub on Fowlmere Road in Newton, about six miles south of Cambridge, that has been a pub since at least 1729
- It is one of only a handful of pubs to appear in every edition of CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide
- CAMRA rates the historic interior as of national importance, with a quarry-tiled public bar, a high-backed settle, an upright piano and a 1960s saloon bar
- The beer is served straight from casks on a stillage behind the bar, with Adnams Southwold Bitter as the regular and two changing guests
- Food is simple and famous for it: soup made daily and sandwiches carved from joints of roast beef and ham, with a longer menu on Thursday to Saturday evenings
- A stuffed goose called Belinda keeps watch above the bar
- The games room has darts, shove ha’penny and Devil Among the Tailors, a table skittles game
- It is closed on Mondays and closes in the afternoon between lunch and evening sessions on most days, so check times before driving out
Address: Fowlmere Road, Newton CB22 7PG
Website: queensheadnewton.co.uk
How to book: No booking needed; contact the pub through its website for groups
The Queen’s Head is as close as Cambridgeshire gets to a pub that time forgot, and that is meant as praise. The soup is simply called brown soup, the ham is carved on the bar and the beer comes from the barrel. The New Statesman’s pub column visited in May 2026 and singled out the soup, the carved sandwiches and the toast with home-made dripping. Legend says the King and the Kaiser once stopped here for a pint before the First World War. Come at lunchtime on a weekday for the full effect, as the bars are small and fill up at weekends.
Huntingdonshire and the Great Ouse
Huntingdonshire has one of the most active CAMRA branches in the region, and its awards are a reliable guide to where the beer is kept well. The pubs here run along the Great Ouse between St Neots and Earith, with Huntingdon’s market square in the middle.
King of the Belgians, Hartford
Indoor and outdoor
- A 16th century pub on Main Street in Hartford, on the eastern edge of Huntingdon, with low oak beams and a copper-topped bar
- It was named Cambridgeshire Pub of the Year by CAMRA in May 2026, beating the other branch winners across the county
- The same year it also took Huntingdonshire’s urban pub and cider pub awards
- Four changing cask ales are usually on, often from Digfield, Nene Valley and St Austell, with local beers from Elgood’s and Papworth
- Up to ten local ciders are kept on as well
- Lunch is served daily and evening meals run Monday to Saturday, with a monthly themed food night
- Beer festivals run around the late May and August bank holidays, and there are quizzes, games nights and a free acoustic night on the first Monday of the month
- There are large steps at both entrances, narrow corridors and no accessible toilet, so it is not a good choice for wheelchair users
Address: 27 Main Street, Hartford, Huntingdon PE29 1XU
Website: No website; the pub posts news on Facebook
How to book: Contact the pub through its Facebook page
The name has changed with the politics of the day: the pub was once the King of the Prussians and has also been called the Traitors’ Arms, and it is now registered as an Asset of Community Value. It is a proper village local, with a separate dining area for people who come to eat. Dogs are welcome in the bar and the garden. The bank holiday beer festivals are the best time to visit if you want to try a dozen local beers in one afternoon. Parking is very limited, so walk or cycle from Huntingdon if you can.
The Crystal Ship, Earith
Indoor and outdoor
- The tap room of Papworth Brewery, in an industrial unit beside the brewery on Earith Business Park, about 14 miles from Cambridge
- It won Huntingdonshire CAMRA’s Rural Pub of the Year and LocAle Pub of the Year awards for 2026, and was the branch’s overall Pub of the Year in 2025
- Up to ten changing Papworth and guest ales are on, including beers such as Red Kite and Half Nelson
- The cider range runs to around eight, including real ciders from Cromwell and Potton Press
- Pizzas are made on site and served on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings
- It opens Wednesday to Saturday only, from the evening midweek and from 2pm on Saturday, and is closed Sunday to Tuesday apart from special events
- There is step-free access, an accessible toilet and parking, and dogs are welcome
- The Old Riverport Beer and Cider Festival used the tap room as one of its venues in April 2026
Address: 32 Earith Business Park, Earith PE28 3QF
Website: papworthbrewery.com
How to book: No booking needed; check the brewery’s Facebook page for events
A brewery tap on a business park does not sound promising, but the Crystal Ship has become one of the best places to drink in the county. It sits right where Huntingdonshire gives way to the Fens, and the drinking area spills outside in summer. The beer could not be fresher, since it only travels a few yards. Beer festivals, classic car meets, quizzes and tastings run through the year. The opening days are short, so this is a Friday evening or Saturday afternoon trip, and the Tiger 12 bus stops about 500 metres away.
The Ale Taster, St Neots
Indoor activity
- A small backstreet pub on Russell Street in St Neots, opened in 2017 and run in the style of a micropub
- There is no jukebox, no gaming machines and only quiet background music, so conversation is the entertainment
- Up to three changing cask beers are served from a stillage behind the bar
- Cider is the speciality, with up to nine real ciders and a perry, mainly from Cambridge Cider Co
- It was Huntingdonshire CAMRA’s Branch Pub of the Year in 2022 and the branch’s Urban Pub of the Year in 2025
- Bar skittles and other traditional games are kept behind the bar
- Hours are short early in the week, from 4pm to 8pm on Monday and Tuesday, and longer from Thursday to Saturday
- Accompanied children are allowed until 7pm, dogs are welcome and there is a covered outdoor drinking area
Address: 25 Russell Street, St Neots PE19 1BA
Website: No website; the pub posts news on Facebook
How to book: No booking needed
The building used to be the Lord John Russell, and later the Hog and Partridge, before reopening as the town’s first micropub. It is a one-room affair where you will probably end up chatting to whoever is on the next stool. Cider drinkers in particular should make the effort, as nine real ciders is a lot for a pub this size. Tebbutts Road car park is close by, and the station is about a 20 minute walk. Weekday visits need planning, as it closes at 8pm on Mondays and Tuesdays.
The Falcon, Huntingdon
Indoor and outdoor
- A 16th century former coaching inn on Market Hill, in the middle of Huntingdon
- Local tradition says it was Oliver Cromwell’s recruiting station, and its gates on the market square were once the entrance to the town prison
- Up to ten handpumps carry a changing range, many from local and regional brewers, with Potbelly Best as the regular
- Huntingdonshire CAMRA named it Mild and Dark Ale Pub of the Year in both 2025 and 2026
- It was Cambridgeshire CAMRA’s Pub of the Year in 2016
- Food is served on Friday and Saturday only
- The garden seats up to 200 and hosts live music at seasonal beer festivals
- There is level access to the bars from the main entrance, but the toilets are down a few steps and there is no accessible toilet
Address: Market Hill, Huntingdon PE29 3NR
Website: falconhuntingdon.co.uk
How to book: Contact the pub through its website
The Falcon is the oldest pub in Huntingdon and spent years closed before it came back, so it is good to see it winning awards again. It is a town centre pub with a lot of history in the timbers, and the Cromwell Museum is a couple of minutes’ walk away if you want to make a morning of it. The mild and dark beer awards mean it is one of the few places in the county where you can count on finding a dark beer on the bar. It opens from 10am every day. Weekend evenings are busy and loud, so lunchtime is better for a quiet pint.
Ely, the Fens and Peterborough
North and east of the Ouse the pubs get plainer, and some of the best real ale in the county is poured in Fenland towns that visitors rarely stop in. Peterborough has a lively scene of its own, with micropubs, award winners and Oakham’s Brewery Tap all within walking distance of each other.
West End House, Ely
Indoor activity
- A small drinkers’ pub on West End, a short walk from Ely Cathedral and Oliver Cromwell’s House
- It was Ely and District CAMRA’s Pub of the Year in 2024
- Low ceilings and four separate drinking areas make it feel bigger inside than it looks from the street
- Regular beers include Timothy Taylor Boltmaker, St Austell Proper Job and Lacons Encore, with one changing beer, and the cellar holds a five out of five Cask Marque rating
- There is an enclosed patio garden and a fire that is lit in midwinter
- Children are welcome until 8pm and dogs are allowed
- It opens daily from noon; local bands sometimes play in summer and bank holidays bring quiz nights
- The entrance and bar are step-free, but there is no accessible toilet
Address: 16 West End, Ely CB6 3AY
Website: westendhouseely.co.uk
How to book: No booking needed
The Westie, as locals call it, is the Ely pub for an evening rather than a quick stop between sights. It is a good all-rounder, busy with people from the newer homes on the west side of the city as well as long-standing regulars. Beer fans walking round the city can start here and finish at the Drayman’s Son micropub on Forehill, which pours Ely’s own Three Blind Mice beers and is covered in our food and drink guide. The cathedral is about five minutes away on foot, so it works well after evensong. Winter evenings by the fire are the best time to go.
The Ship Inn, March
Indoor and outdoor
- A thatched, Grade II listed riverside pub on Nene Parade in March, built in 1680
- It was named Town Pub of the Year for 2026 by Peterborough and District CAMRA
- The carved beams are said to have fallen off a barge carrying timber for Ely Cathedral
- Floors and walls lean at odd angles on the way through to the toilets and the small games room
- Timothy Taylor Landlord is the regular, with three changing beers often from Church End, Lacons and Tydd Steam and usually at least one local beer
- The pub has a large collection of pump clips, a real fire and a garden
- There are extensive moorings on the river, so it is a regular stop for boaters on the old course of the Nene
- Access is step-free and dogs are welcome; there is live music about once a month
Address: 1 Nene Parade, March PE15 8TD
Website: No website found; check CAMRA WhatPub for current details
How to book: No booking needed
The Ship reopened as a free house in 2010 after a major refit and has been in the Good Beer Guide every year since 2012. The thatched roof sits just above the river, and the building looks older than anything around it. Inside, the wonky floors and low beams mean you should mind your head on the way to the bar. In summer the moorings fill with narrowboats and the garden is the place to be. March station is about 15 minutes’ walk away, and buses stop close by.
The Letter B, Whittlesey
Indoor and outdoor
- A community pub about 200 years old on Church Street, close to Whittlesey town centre
- It was Peterborough and District CAMRA’s Town Pub of the Year for 2025 and has won branch cider awards in the past
- Five changing cask beers are kept, normally including two local beers such as Digfield, Nene Valley or Tydd Steam
- The pub was bought in 2021, after the council turned down plans to convert it into houses, and reopened in 2022
- Food is barbecue under the BBQs and Brews name, with house-smoked meats, brisket and burgers served year round
- A beer festival runs during the Whittlesey Straw Bear weekend in January
- There are rooms upstairs for overnight stays
- Access is step-free, but there is no adapted toilet; parking is on nearby streets only
Address: 53-57 Church Street, Whittlesey PE7 1DE
Website: theletterb.co.uk
How to book: Contact the pub through its website for tables and rooms
The Letter B came close to being lost, and its story is a good example of a Fenland town keeping its pub. The new owners kept the beer range and added a smokehouse menu, which has given the place a second life. The beers come mostly from small local breweries. The Straw Bear Festival in January, when a figure dressed in straw dances through the streets, is the busiest weekend of the year here. Whittlesey station is about 15 minutes’ walk away.
The Yard of Ale, Peterborough
Indoor and outdoor
- A pub on Oundle Road in Woodston, south of the River Nene, named Peterborough and District CAMRA’s overall Pub of the Year and City Pub of the Year for 2026
- The building is about 120 years old and was the New Inn before reopening as the Yard of Ale in 2017
- It has been run as a family business since 2017
- The house beer, Yard Ale, is brewed by Digfield, and Sharp’s Doom Bar is also a regular
- Four more changing beers usually include Roosters and Tydd Steam, with six changing real ciders
- An outdoor wood-fired pizza oven runs from April to October, and filled rolls are usually available the rest of the year
- Live music plays most Friday and Saturday nights, and Sky Sports and TNT are shown
- Step-free access is only through the garden, and the toilet is not adapted
Address: 72 Oundle Road, Peterborough PE2 9PA
Website: theyardofalepub.co.uk
How to book: No booking needed; contact the pub through its website for the function room
The Yard of Ale is a big, open-plan local that manages to be a sports pub, a music venue and a serious real ale house at the same time. It is the winner Peterborough CAMRA members chose in 2026, and that tells you the beer is kept well even on a busy match day. The bar is divided into four areas around a central pillar, so you can usually find a quieter corner. It is about a 15 minute walk from the city centre over the river. The Coalheavers Arms and the Palmerston Arms are close by if you want to make an evening of Woodston.
The Bumble Inn, Peterborough
Indoor activity
- Peterborough’s first micropub, opened in June 2016 in a former chemist’s shop on Westgate in the city centre
- Five handpumps serve changing ales from small regional and national brewers, and taster paddles of three thirds are offered
- Rare bottled and canned beers and two craft keg lines back up the cask range
- It was Peterborough and District CAMRA’s Branch Pub of the Year in 2018 and 2024, and received a branch Gold Award in 2026
- It is listed in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide 2026
- There is no kitchen, but food can be ordered from the Nepalese restaurant next door
- Hours run from noon every day, finishing at 7pm on Sunday and 8pm on Monday
- Access is step-free, but there is no adapted toilet; dogs are welcome
Address: 46 Westgate, Peterborough PE1 1RE
Website: thebumbleinn.wordpress.com
How to book: No booking needed
The Bumble Inn is a minimalist single room where the beer list is the whole point. It is about ten minutes’ walk from Peterborough station, which makes it a sensible first or last stop for anyone arriving by train. Oakham Ales’ Brewery Tap is on the same street, and we covered it in our food and drink guide, so you can try a micropub and a brewery tap within a few minutes of each other. Seats go quickly on Friday evenings.
The Blue Bell, Maxey
Indoor and outdoor
- A village pub on the High Street in Maxey, north of Peterborough near the Lincolnshire border, named Peterborough and District CAMRA’s Rural Pub of the Year for 2026
- The building started life as a limestone barn and keeps its dark beams and flagstone floors
- Eight handpumps pour real ale, with Abbeydale Absolution, Fuller’s ESB, Fuller’s London Pride and Oakham Bishops Farewell as regulars
- Changing beers often come from Grainstore, Ossett and Woodforde’s
- It received CAMRA Gold Awards in 2014 and December 2025
- It opens from 3pm on weekdays and earlier at weekends, with shorter hours in winter
- Children are welcome until 7:30pm and dogs are allowed, and there is a garden
- There is a low step at the entrance and no adapted toilet
Address: 39 High Street, Maxey PE6 9EE
Website: No website; the pub posts news on Facebook
How to book: No booking needed
The Blue Bell is the pub for a country pint after a walk, and it is popular with birdwatchers from the nearby lakes and with golfers. Eight handpumps is a lot for a village of this size, and the regular list leans towards stronger, fuller beers. The stone walls and flagstones keep it cool in summer, and the smaller side room is the spot on a winter evening. It does not serve much in the way of food, so eat before you go or plan a meal elsewhere. Check the Facebook page in winter, when opening hours are cut back.
Seasonal Highlights
Spring: The Old Riverport Beer and Cider Festival ran at the Crystal Ship in Earith and St Ives Corn Exchange in early April 2026, and Huntingdonshire CAMRA usually announces its pub awards in spring. The King of the Belgians in Hartford holds a beer festival around the late May bank holiday, and the Cambridge Beer Festival fills Jesus Green in May; in 2026 it ran from 18 to 23 May.
Summer: The Cambridge Blue holds its main beer festival in summer, the King of the Belgians has a second festival around the August bank holiday, and the Peterborough Beer Festival puts up its marquees on the Embankment in late August. The Yard of Ale lights its wood-fired pizza oven from April to October.
Autumn: Elgood’s Brewery in Wisbech has free live music in its Hop Rooms tap room on Thursday 19 November 2026 from 4pm, with food from 4pm and music from 6pm. Shorter days are a good excuse for a dark beer at the Falcon in Huntingdon, Huntingdonshire CAMRA’s mild and dark pub of the year for 2026.
Winter: The Free Press in Cambridge holds its annual carols on Sunday 20 December 2026 from 6pm, with free mince pies, hot chocolate and mulled wine. The Letter B in Whittlesey runs a beer festival during the Straw Bear weekend in January, and Ely CAMRA has set the Elysian Winter Beer Festival for 4 to 6 February 2027. The fire at West End House in Ely and the real fire at the Ship Inn in March are the places to warm up.
A Note From Inside Cambridge
Pubs are closing faster than almost any other kind of business, and a few of the places we wanted for this guide did not make it. The Champion of the Thames in Cambridge closed in spring 2026 after the death of its long-serving landlord, and others we checked had no recent sign of life. Every pub here was confirmed as trading in autumn 2026, but things can change quickly.
If your local should be in the next edition, or if something here has changed, please get in touch. We would especially like to hear about good real ale pubs in Wisbech, Chatteris, Soham and Ramsey, which are under-represented in this guide.
Before You Go
- Check opening hours before you set off: many pubs here close on Mondays or open only in the evening early in the week
- CAMRA’s WhatPub website lists current hours, beers and facilities for every pub in this guide and is often more up to date than the pubs’ own sites
- CAMRA members get money off at more than 3,600 pubs nationally through the CAMRA Discount Scheme, so carry your membership card and ask at the bar
- Several of the best pubs here have no website and post news only on Facebook, so look them up there for last minute changes
- Accessibility varies a lot: the King of the Belgians and the Blue Bell have steps at the entrance, while Calverley’s and the Crystal Ship have step-free access and accessible toilets
- Many of these pubs serve little or no food, so check before planning a meal around a visit
- Cambridge pubs are easiest reached on foot, by bike or from the park and ride; parking near Gwydir Street and Prospect Row is very limited
- In the Fens, check bus times before you rely on public transport home, as evening services are thin
- Children are welcome in most of these pubs only until early evening, usually 7pm or 8pm
