Reach Fair

The Reach Fair site sits just outside the village of Reach, a short drive northeast of Cambridge, and marks the location of one of East Anglia's most significant medieval trading events. What you're looking at now is essentially a large open field - the fairground itself - but the history here is genuinely impressive. From the 12th century onwards, Reach Fair drew merchants from across the region, making it a major commercial hub before markets became centralised in towns.

Today there's not much physical infrastructure to speak of, which means this is really for history enthusiasts and walkers rather than families wanting attractions and facilities. You can walk the site, get a sense of the scale of the fair, and understand why this particular spot mattered. The Fens landscape around it tells its own story - flat, open, windswept in a way that feels authentically medieval.

It's free to visit, obviously, and worth combining with a walk around Reach village itself, which has genuine character. If you're based at Chittering Park nearby - a solid family campsite just five miles away - this makes a reasonable afternoon excursion, though I'd be honest that standing in a field reading historical plaques won't keep most kids entertained for long. History buffs and anyone interested in medieval commerce will find it worthwhile. Allow 45 minutes to an hour unless you're doing serious walking in the surrounding Fens. Best on a clear day when the open landscape doesn't feel quite so bleak.