Valentine’s Day 2027 falls on a Sunday, which changes the plan. Expect many restaurants to spread their Valentine’s menus across Friday 12 and Saturday 13 February, Sunday kitchens often close early, and the Saturday night is the one that books up first. In February the county is cold, often wet and sometimes flooded, so the best ideas here either keep you warm or make a virtue of the winter: snowdrops, wild swans, candlelight and a fire in a riverside pub.
This guide picks thirteen ideas across Cambridge and the south, Huntingdonshire and the Great Ouse, and Ely, the Fens and Peterborough. Where a venue has published its 2027 Valentine’s date or menu we give it, and where it has not we tell you what it did in 2026 so you know what to expect.
Details were accurate when we checked them on 5 November 2026. Valentine’s menus, prices and event dates for 2027 are often published in January, so please check each venue’s own website before you book.
Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire
The south of the county has the obvious Valentine’s picture, punts on the Backs and dinner opposite King’s, but it also has quieter options a few miles out of the city. Stow cum Quy and Lode sit side by side just off the A14, which makes a spa night and a snowdrop walk easy to pair.
Valentine’s Punting with the Traditional Punting Company
Outdoor activity
- A private, chauffeured punt tour for two along the Cambridge College Backs, run as a Valentine’s special by the Traditional Punting Company
- The Valentine’s tour is booked for a set time on 13 or 14 February
- The tour lasts about 50 minutes and passes seven colleges and nine bridges, with a guide telling the history as you go
- Blankets and a complimentary box of chocolates are included, which matters on the river in February
- The private Valentine’s tour is priced from £79 for up to two people
- A grazing picnic box for two from All On Boards can be added for £37.50, ordered at least 48 hours ahead
- Winter tours run shorter hours than summer, with the last departures in the afternoon, so an evening punt is not usually an option in February
- Booking ahead is strongly advised, as private slots on the Saturday before Valentine’s are limited
Address: Punting Landing Stage, Thompson’s Lane, Cambridge CB5 8AQ
Website: traditionalpuntingcompany.com
Phone: 01223 782306
How to book: Online through the Valentine’s Day Punting page, or by phone
Our romantic guide already covers private punting, so this is the Valentine’s version: a punt to yourselves, a blanket over your knees and a box of chocolates to share while someone else does the work with the pole. February light on the Backs is low and pale, and the willows are bare, which means you see the college buildings far better than in leafy June. The river is also much quieter, with none of the summer jams under Clare Bridge. Dress for a cold hour on the water, gloves included, and book the earliest slot that suits if you want the best of the daylight. Pair it with an early dinner in town and you have the whole day sorted without the car.
Cambridge Chop House, King’s Parade
Indoor activity
- A British restaurant at 1 King’s Parade, facing King’s College, run by the Cambridge group Cambscuisine
- The menu is built around steak and less common cuts, with real ale, a wine list, set and pre-theatre menus and Sunday roasts
- For Valentine’s 2026 it served specials alongside the usual menu on 14 February, including a sharing charcuterie board, a 21oz rib cutlet for two, monkfish tail and a sharing dessert
- Cambridge Edition reported that Valentine’s tables were almost fully booked by early February 2026, so book well ahead in 2027
- Booking times run from 11:30am every day, with the latest at 8:45pm Monday to Thursday, 9:30pm on Fridays and Saturdays and 8pm on Sundays
- That Sunday cut-off matters this year, because Valentine’s Day 2027 falls on a Sunday
- Sister venues include The Cock at Hemingford Grey, the Tickell Arms in Whittlesford and the Three Horseshoes at Madingley, if the city is full
Address: 1 King’s Parade, Cambridge CB2 1SJ
Website: cambridgechophouse.co.uk
Phone: 01223 359506
How to book: Online through the website, or by phone or email
The Chop House is the Valentine’s choice for couples who would rather share a big piece of beef than sit through seven small courses. It is a proper sit-down restaurant in the middle of the tourist city, with windows looking across to King’s, and its pre-theatre menu is useful if you are heading to the Arts Theatre around the corner. The sharing dishes on last year’s Valentine’s specials were the clue to the mood: generous rather than fussy. Because 14 February is a Sunday in 2027, consider the Saturday night or a long Sunday lunch instead of a late dinner.
Chocolat Chocolat Chocolate Making Workshop
Indoor activity
- A Cambridge chocolatier that makes its chocolates in a kitchen at St George’s Tower in Hatley St George, a village west of Cambridge
- It runs chocolate making and tasting courses, which are held in central Cambridge with dates bookable on the website
- The making workshop includes a guided tasting and a demonstration of artisan techniques, then you make a batch of truffles to take home with a certificate and the recipes
- Red Letter Days sells the making workshop as a voucher for one person, so a couple needs two places or two vouchers
- The company no longer has a shop in Cambridge, so buy online, use click and collect from Hatley St George on weekdays, or ask about its twice weekly hand delivery to central Cambridge
- Heart boxes are part of the range, and the website posts a Valentine’s order cut-off each February
- The website gives two different postcodes for the Hatley St George kitchen, so check the collection details carefully before you drive out
Address: St George’s Tower, Hatley St George (kitchen and click and collect); courses in central Cambridge
Website: chocolatchocolat.co.uk
How to book: Course dates online through the website; workshop vouchers also sold through Red Letter Days
A chocolate class makes a better Valentine’s present than a box of chocolates, because you get the afternoon as well as the truffles. Chocolat Chocolat has been part of Cambridge’s food scene for years, and although the city shop has gone, the courses still run in the centre of town. It suits couples who like doing something with their hands, and it is warm and dry whatever February throws at you. If a class is not your thing, order a heart box early and collect it from Hatley St George on a weekday. Watch the website in late January for the Valentine’s delivery deadline.
Quy Mill Hotel and Spa, Stow cum Quy
Indoor activity
- A hotel in a former watermill at Stow cum Quy, just east of Cambridge off the A14, with 51 en suite rooms
- The Waterwheel Restaurant holds two AA Rosettes for 2025 to 2026, and there is a separate bar and terrace
- The Riverside Spa offers treatments, a mud chamber and aromatherapy baths, which must be booked in advance with spa reception
- For Valentine’s 2026 the hotel ran a three-course Valentine’s dinner on Saturday 14 February, with two-for-one drinks from 6pm to 8pm
- Its 2026 Valentine’s Countryside Escape started from £350 for one night for two, with dinner, breakfast, Prosecco, spa access and late check-out on the Sunday
- February 2026 spa offers included a Spa Escape for Two at £210, with three hours in the spa and a 60 minute shared treatment
- Afternoon tea for two and a Sunday roast were offered as Sunday alternatives in 2026, which fits a Sunday Valentine’s in 2027
Address: Church Road, Stow-cum-Quy, Cambridge CB25 9AF
Website: cambridgequymill.co.uk
Phone: 01223 293383
How to book: Online through the hotel’s Valentine’s page, or by phone; spa extras through spa reception
Quy Mill is the easy answer for couples who want dinner, a room and a spa under one roof without going far from Cambridge. The mill building and the stream running past give it more character than a ring road hotel, and the restaurant is good enough to be the main event rather than an add-on. Last year it spread its Valentine’s offers across the whole of February, which takes the pressure off the single night. With Valentine’s Day on a Sunday in 2027, the Saturday night stay with a lazy Sunday check-out is the one to look for. Anglesey Abbey is a few minutes up the road if you want a walk before you leave.
Anglesey Abbey Winter Garden, Lode
Outdoor activity
- A National Trust house and garden at Lode, north east of Cambridge, with 114 acres of landscaped grounds and an 18th century watermill
- The Winter Garden is planted for scent and colour in the cold months, which makes it one of the few gardens in the county planned for a February visit
- The snowdrop collection is at its peak in late January and February, right across the Valentine’s weekend in most years
- Garden hours are 9:30am to 4pm, with last entry an hour before closing, and Lode Mill opens from 9:30am to 3:30pm
- The car park is free, with Blue Badge spaces about 50 yards from the visitor centre and 12 electric vehicle charging points for drivers with their own cables
- Only assistance dogs are allowed in the house and gardens, although dogs can join you outside Redwoods Restaurant and on a two mile trail from the car park
- National Trust members get in free; non-members pay garden admission, so check the website for the current price
Address: Quy Road, Lode, Cambridge CB25 9EJ
Website: nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/cambridgeshire/anglesey-abbey-gardens-and-lode-mill
How to book: Garden entry on arrival; check the website for any timed snowdrop events
The Winter Garden walk is the most romantic free hour in the county for National Trust members, and good value for everyone else. White-barked birches and scented winter shrubs line the path, and in February the woodland floor turns white with snowdrops. Go early on a frosty Saturday morning, when the light comes in low through the trees and the paths are quiet. Afterwards there is the café, or a drive back down the road to Quy Mill for lunch. It is a gentle, level walk, so it works for anyone who is not keen on muddy footpaths.
Huntingdonshire and the Great Ouse
West of Cambridge the Great Ouse slides through water meadows between Godmanchester, St Ives and Holywell. In February those meadows are often flooded, which makes for big wet views and very muddy boots, so pick your walks with care.
Sandpiper Pool and Spa, Somersham
Indoor activity
- A private day spa at Colnefields, Somersham, which you hire exclusively for your own group of two to eight people, so a couple can have the whole place to themselves
- Facilities include an indoor pool, a jacuzzi, a sauna, a menthol steam room, a rainfall shower and an ice room
- There is a snow room with real snow, which is rare in UK spas and well suited to a February date
- A relaxation room has heated waterbeds, and there is a chillout lounge and a spa garden
- Treatments can be booked in advance alongside your hire
- It opens 10am to 9pm on most days and 10am to 7pm on Sundays, so an evening session on Saturday 13 February is possible
- Bookings can be made up to 12 months ahead, and Valentine’s weekend dates are worth securing early
- The spa received a Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice award for 2026 and has held a five bubble rating from the Good Spa Guide for six years running
- Hire prices are listed on a separate page of the spa’s website, and groups of four to eight get 30 per cent off
Address: Colnefields, Somersham, Cambridgeshire PE28 3DL
Website: sandpiperpoolandspa.co.uk
Phone: 01487 740896
How to book: By contacting the spa through the website or by phone, up to 12 months ahead
Sandpiper is the spa in this guide that suits Valentine’s best, because there are no other couples, no hen parties and no strangers in the jacuzzi. You book a slot and the pool, the steam room and the snow room are yours. It sits out in the flat country outside Somersham, with nothing much around it, which is rather the point. We included it in our spas guide, but for two people on a cold February evening it makes more sense than almost anywhere else. Book early, as weekend slots go months in advance.
The Old Ferry Boat Inn, Holywell
Indoor and outdoor
- A thatched riverside inn on the Great Ouse at Holywell, east of St Ives, run by Greene King Inns with seven en suite bedrooms
- The inn claims origins in 560 AD and calls itself widely believed to be the oldest pub in England, a claim several English pubs make
- Its best known story is a sad one: local legend says Juliet Tewsley, a village girl, died in 1050 after her love for a local man, Tom Zaul, was not returned
- A stone slab inside the pub is dedicated to her, and staff and guests are traditionally advised not to walk on it
- Her ghost is said to rise every year on 17 March, the anniversary of her death, not on Valentine’s Day, so February is safe
- The building is Grade II listed, a 17th century structure with an earlier cross-wing
- Classic pub food is served, with evening meals until 9pm, and there is a car park
- The riverside meadows around Holywell flood in most winters, so the path into St Ives may be under water in February
Address: Back Lane, Holywell, St Ives PE27 4TG
Website: greenekinginns.co.uk (search Old Ferry Boat)
Phone: 01480 463227
How to book: Rooms and tables online through Greene King Inns or by phone
We have recommended the Ferry Boat before for dogs and for overnight stays, but at Valentine’s it has a story that no other pub in the county can match. The tale of Juliet and her unanswered love is pure legend, but it gives you something to talk about by the fire, and the slab in the floor is real enough. Holywell is a quiet dead end of a village, and in winter the river is wide and grey outside the windows. Come for the setting and the thatch rather than ambitious cooking. If you stay, a morning walk to the old holy well by the church is a short stroll from the door.
Godmanchester, the Chinese Bridge and Portholme
Outdoor activity
- The Chinese Bridge is a white timber footbridge over a mill stream of the Great Ouse at Godmanchester, first built in 1827
- The current span is a replica installed in February 2010, replacing a 1960 copy, and the bridge is Grade II listed
- Crossing the bridge leads onto Queen’s Walk, a riverside path that links with the Ouse Valley Way towards Huntingdon
- Island Hall, a mid 18th century mansion beside the bridge, has its own smaller Chinese-style bridge, which is thought to have inspired the public one
- Portholme, the meadow between Godmanchester and Huntingdon, covers about 106 hectares and is often described as the largest meadow in England
- Portholme floods in most winters and early springs, so the meadow path may be impassable in February and should not be walked when flooded
- The council publishes dry-weather alternatives in Godmanchester for when the meadow is under water
- Huntingdon station is about 20 minutes’ walk away, so you can arrive by train
Start point: The Chinese Bridge, Queen’s Walk, Godmanchester, or Bridge Place car park, off The Avenue, Godmanchester PE29 2AB
Distance: A short loop of Queen’s Walk and the bridge; about 2 to 3 miles round Portholme when it is dry
Maps: OS Explorer 225 (Huntingdon and St Ives)
Website: huntingdonshire.gov.uk (Godmanchester walks leaflet)
Flood note: Check the Environment Agency’s flood warnings for the Great Ouse at Godmanchester before setting out in winter
The Chinese Bridge is the most photographed spot in Huntingdonshire for good reason, and late afternoon in February, with the sun going down over the water meadows, is when it looks its best. The walk itself is short and gentle, which leaves time for tea or a drink in Huntingdon afterwards. If Portholme is flooded, and in February it often is, the view across the water is worth stopping for even if the path is not. Stick to Queen’s Walk and the streets around Post Street instead, where the old timber framed houses keep the walk interesting. Wear proper boots either way.
Ely, the Fens and Peterborough
North of Ely the county opens out into the flat black fields of the Fens, where February brings wild swans to the flooded washes. Peterborough, on the Nene at the north western edge, has the two firmest Valentine’s 2027 dates in this guide.
Harry Specters Chocolates, Ely
Indoor activity
- A chocolate company and social enterprise in Ely, set up in 2012 by Mona and Shaz Shah to create work for their autistic son, Ash, and other autistic people
- The business says it has supported more than 350 autistic people, and in the three years to April 2026 it provided 13,162 hours of paid work for 33 staff
- It made almost 239,000 chocolates in a single year and says 65 per cent of its profits go back into the business
- Harry Specters received the King’s Award for Enterprise in 2024, and Mona Shah was appointed MBE in 2025
- The chocolates have won a long list of Guild of Fine Food and Academy of Chocolate awards
- Chocolates are made at a production unit in Ely, but there is no visitor shop, so order online or buy through stockists
- Order early for Valentine’s, as the small core team is the one that also handles the big Christmas and Easter rushes
Address: Unit 8, St Thomas Place, Ely CB7 4EX (production unit, no visitor shop)
Website: harryspecters.com
How to order: Online through the website, including chocolate subscription boxes
If you are buying chocolates for Valentine’s, these are the ones to buy in Cambridgeshire. Every box helps pay for real jobs and training for autistic young people who often struggle to get started, and the chocolates themselves are good enough to stand up without the story. A subscription box turns a single Valentine’s present into a treat that turns up every month. Because there is nowhere to call in and buy, give yourself a week or more for delivery before 14 February. Check the website in January for any Valentine’s range.
Winter Swans at RSPB Ouse Washes, Manea
Outdoor activity
- A long, flat RSPB reserve on the washland between the Old and New Bedford rivers, reached from Welches Dam near Manea
- Thousands of ducks and whooper swans from Iceland spend the winter here when the fields flood, and they are still present in February
- Smaller numbers of Bewick’s swans also arrive, with the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust counting 50 Bewick’s among 2,460 whoopers on the washes at Welney, just over the Norfolk border, on 9 December 2025
- Swans have a reputation for pairing for life, which gives a Valentine’s weekend visit its own logic
- Hides look out over the washes, and the car park has 28 spaces including two Blue Badge spaces
- Toilets are in a block between the car park and the visitor centre, with no accessible toilet
- Dogs must be kept under close control because cattle graze the washes, and the RSPB suggests phoning ahead for advice
- Road causeways across the washes at Earith, Sutton Gault and Welney flood in wet winters; the Hundred Foot Washes were under a flood alert from 24 to 28 February 2026
Address: Ouse Washes, Welches Dam, Manea, March PE15 0NF
Website: rspb.org.uk (search Ouse Washes)
Phone: 01354 680212
How to book: No booking needed; check opening hours on the RSPB website and flood warnings on gov.uk before driving across the washes
This is the wild option, for couples who would rather share a flask in a bird hide than a bottle in a restaurant. The washes in February can look like an inland sea, with the calls of swans and wigeon carrying across the water and the light going pink late in the afternoon. It is remote, cold and exposed, so pack hats, gloves and something hot to drink. Go on a still, bright day and stay until the sun drops, then head into March or Ely for dinner. Check the floods first, because a closed causeway can add a long detour.
Candlelight Valentine’s Day Special, Peterborough Cathedral
Indoor activity
- A candlelit concert of love songs in Peterborough Cathedral on Saturday 13 February 2027 at 7pm, run by Fever under its Candlelight series
- Tickets start from £17.85 on Fever, including the booking fee, and the concert lasts about an hour with doors opening 45 minutes before
- The concert is billed as a tribute experience, so the music is played by the Candlelight musicians rather than the original artists
- A second Candlelight concert, The Best of Hans Zimmer, follows in the cathedral at 9pm the same night, priced separately
- The cathedral is in the city centre, a short walk from Peterborough station
- Seats in a large stone building get cold in February, so bring a warm layer
Address: Peterborough Cathedral, Peterborough city centre
Website: feverup.com (search Candlelight Peterborough)
How to book: Online through Fever, the official ticket seller
Candlelight concerts have become a reliable date night across the country, and Peterborough Cathedral is one of the best settings in the series. The Norman nave, lit by hundreds of flickering lights, does a lot of the work before a note is played. Because the concert falls on the Saturday, you can have dinner after and keep Sunday free. The 7pm start leaves time for a drink in the city first, or a table nearby afterwards. Book early if you want seats together near the front.
New Theatre, Peterborough, Valentine’s Week
Indoor activity
- The city’s largest theatre, on Broadway in the centre of Peterborough, run by Landmark Theatres
- On Valentine’s Day itself, Sunday 14 February 2027, the theatre lists Jive Talkin’, a music show, with tickets from £25
- The Rock Orchestra by Candlelight plays on Tuesday 16 February 2027, from £41
- Ukrainian National Opera performs Madama Butterfly on Thursday 18 February 2027, from £39, for anyone who likes their romance tragic
- Wet Wet Wet play on Monday 8 February 2027, celebrating 40 years of their album Popped In Souled Out, from £42
- The bars open an hour and a half before each show
Address: 46 Broadway, Peterborough city centre
Website: newtheatre-peterborough.com
Phone: 01733 852992 (box office)
How to book: Online, by phone, or by email to the box office
The New Theatre is where Peterborough goes for a big night out, and the week around Valentine’s has a better spread than usual. Madama Butterfly is the obvious romantic pick, though be ready for the ending. Jive Talkin’ on the Sunday is a lighter way to spend Valentine’s evening itself, and finishes early enough for a Monday morning. Broadway is lined with places to eat, so dinner before the show is easy to arrange. Check the listings carefully, as the programme changes almost every night.
The Bluebell, Helpston
Indoor and outdoor
- A 17th century stone pub on Woodgate in Helpston, north west of Peterborough, which was once the village blacksmith’s
- The poet John Clare worked here as a pot boy, and his cottage next door is now a museum
- The pub has published a Valentine’s Day menu for Sunday 14 February 2027: three romantic courses with a glass of fizz each
- On Sundays the kitchen normally serves from 12pm to 5pm, so expect a Valentine’s lunch rather than a late dinner, and confirm times when you book
- There are four boutique en suite rooms converted from the old farrier’s workshops and barns, with accessible and dog friendly rooms available
- The kitchen is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, although the bar opens every day
- Dog-friendly rooms are available
Address: 10 Woodgate, Helpston, Peterborough PE6 7ED
Website: bluebellhelpston.co.uk
Phone: 01733 252394
How to book: Tables online or by phone, up to 30 minutes before the kitchen closes; rooms through the Book a Room link
The Bluebell is one of the few venues in this guide to have put its 2027 Valentine’s menu on its website already, which tells you something about how it plans ahead. Helpston is John Clare’s village, and a poet who wrote so much about love and loss feels like good company for the day. A Sunday lunch with fizz, a walk round the village to his grave in the churchyard and an early night in one of the four rooms is a Valentine’s that does not need a city. Book a room early if you want to stay, as there are so few of them. Burghley House and Stamford are both about fifteen minutes away for the morning after.
Seasonal Highlights
Spring: Mother’s Day on 7 March 2027, the anniversary of the Juliet Tewsley legend at the Old Ferry Boat Inn on 17 March, and snake’s head fritillaries flowering on Portholme meadow at Godmanchester in April.
Summer: Evening punts on the Backs, with summer departures running until about 8:45pm, and riverside tables at the Old Ferry Boat Inn in Holywell once the meadows have dried out.
Autumn: Beaujolais Nouveau weekend at the Bluebell from 19 to 21 November 2026, and the Ouse Washes starting to flood and fill with wintering ducks and swans.
Winter: Snowdrops at Anglesey Abbey in late January and February, the Candlelight Valentine’s Day Special at Peterborough Cathedral on 13 February 2027, Valentine’s lunch at the Bluebell on 14 February 2027, and Madama Butterfly at the New Theatre on 18 February 2027.
A Note From Inside Cambridge
Valentine’s in Cambridgeshire does not have to mean a crowded restaurant on one night of the year. Some of the best ideas here are a cold walk, a warm drink and somewhere quiet, and the rest are worth booking for the Saturday when 14 February falls on a Sunday.
Most venues will publish their 2027 Valentine’s menus in January, and we will update this guide when they do. If you run a restaurant, spa or shop and have Valentine’s plans, or you spot something that has changed, please get in touch.
Before You Go
- Valentine’s Day 2027 is a Sunday, so many venues will run their Valentine’s menus on Friday 12 and Saturday 13 February, and some Sunday kitchens close in the afternoon
- Book early for anything private or limited, including punts, the Sandpiper spa and the four rooms at the Bluebell
- Prices marked as 2026 are last year’s; 2027 Valentine’s prices are usually released in January
- Riverside and washland paths at Godmanchester, Holywell and the Ouse Washes flood in most Februaries, so check the Environment Agency’s flood warnings before walking or driving
- Pack warm layers for punting, bird hides and cathedral concerts, as February evenings are cold
- National Trust membership covers garden entry at Anglesey Abbey for the snowdrops
- Order Valentine’s chocolates from Harry Specters and Chocolat Chocolat at least a week ahead, as neither has a shop you can walk into
- Cambridge city centre parking is limited, so use the park and ride or the train for punting and dinner on King’s Parade
