Black Cat Roundabout

The Black Cat Roundabout sits just outside St. Neots, a stretch of the A1 that's been a proper focal point for travellers since the 1920s. The original roadhouse - a wild combination of restaurant, petrol station and entertainment venue - was where people actually stopped on cross-country drives, back when the journey north meant something.

What you're really looking at now is a slice of motoring history wrapped up in a busy modern junction. The iconic black cat sign still presides over the roundabout, though the old roadhouse itself has largely vanished into the bones of newer development. It's not somewhere you'll spend hours - you can't exactly pop in for a lengthy wander - but if you're driving through Cambridgeshire or staying at one of the excellent nearby parks like St. Neots Camping and Caravanning Club Site, it's worth clocking the landmark. The road heritage enthusiasts and anyone with a soft spot for 1920s motor culture will find it genuinely interesting, even if it's more about understanding what was than seeing grand remains.

You'll drive past rather than visit in the traditional sense. The roundabout itself is accessible enough from the road, though stopping for a proper look requires some care and planning around traffic. If you're based at Cambridgeshire Lakes or the St. Neots site for a caravan holiday, it's a straightforward detour that takes minutes but adds a layer of context to the area's past.