St Neots (not to be confused with the village of St Neot in Cornwall) is a riverside market town just north of the border between Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire. Despite some pretty parks and a few historic buildings, St Neots offers relatively little to entice the traveller, but is a pleasant enough stopover or base for touring the region.
Get in
By train
St Neots station 📍 is served by the East Coast Main line. Regular FirstCapitalConnect trains from London King's Cross stop at St Neots; express trains pass straight through.
By bus
The X5 bus between Oxford and Cambridge calls at St Neots every half an hour or so between roughly 7AM and midnight. On the way from Oxford it calls in at Milton Keynes and Bedford.
By car
St Neots sits at the junction of the A1 and A428. Both are major cross country routes. The journey between Cambridge and St Neots is best avoided at the beginning and end of the working day.
By boat
St Neots is on an attractive, peaceful stretch of the River Great Ouse. Mooring and marina facilities are available.
Get around
The centre of St Neots is small and easily traversed on foot. Drivers may find the one way system in parts of the centre slightly confusing
By taxi
Taxis in St Neots are expensive. Steve's Taxis have a small office on the market square
See
- St Neots Museum, The Old Court, 8 New Street, St Neots (follow New Street from the north-east corner of the Market Square, the museum is on the right after 50 m), 52.2284°, -0.26913°, +44 1480 214163. Tu-Sa 11AM-4PM. See a range of local history exhibits including the old police cells. One of the prized exhibits is a hoard of Iron Age gold coins found a few miles from the town. £2, concessions £1, local inhabitants free
- Bushmead Priory, Off Top End Road, Staploe, MK44 2LD (6 miles west of St Neots), 52.2336°, -0.3675°. adults £5.70, children £3.40, concessions £5.10
Do
- Paxton Pits Nature Reserve, High Street, Little Paxton, St Neots, Cambridgeshire PE19 6ET (Five miles to the east of the A1, or two miles from St Neots railway station.), 52.2516°, -0.2508°, +44 1480 406795. All day, every day. Visitor centre open most days 10AM-4:30PM. A rich mosaic of wildlife habitats covering 78 hectares of lakes, riverside, meadow, reedbed, scrub and woodland. It is in the Great Ouse valley between St Neots and Huntingdon, and is famous for its nightingales and cormorants - and host to a wide variety of other birds, insects, mammals and flora. The visitor centre is open most days for refreshments, books, maps, leaflets and expertise from the voluntary wardens. It also hosts a wide range of events and activities organised by the Friends of Paxton Pits, throughout the year. The reserve is also home to the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire's environmental education centre. The Trust run events for children and families, giving them a chance to get involved with wildlife. Free 2018-07-15
- Canoe, Riverside Park, St Neots (from kiosk next to car park opposite town bridge). paddle around in the sedate waters of the Riverside Park... perhaps not offering quite the same appeal to tourists as punting in nearby Cambridge
- Golf. The nearby villages of Abbotsley and Wyboston offer excellent parkland golf courses.
- Pocket parkrun, Pocket park, St Neots (PE19 2SA), 52.214789°, -0.275214°. 9AM Saturday. Free 2019-11-19
Buy
St Neots' large market square is host to markets every Thursday. The high street in the town centre is home to a fairly limited range of chain stores.
Eat
- Bridge House. A smart pub/restaurant set in a historic inn with terrace overlooking the river. It has one of the best locations in the town.
- Hong Kong Restaurant, 16 Market Square, PE19 2AF (on corner of market square), +44 1480 474016. Family-run restaurant serving Cantonese, Peking and Szechuan food
- Il Girasole, 13 South Street, PE19 2BW (Just a few metres beyond the Market Square's south-east corner), +44 1480 211211. M-Sa 11:30AM till late, Su noon-10:30PM. Family-run Italian restaurant, just like eating in Italy.
Drink
St Neots has a particularly large number of pubs, dating back to the time when it was a stopover for travellers heading along the Great North Road.
Sleep
- Nags Head Hotel, Berkely Street, Eynesbury, PE19 2NA, 52.223813°, -0.26761°, +44 1480 476812. A small four star hotel.