Every region has its ugly areas that everyone believes are soul-destroying to live in. But not all of them deserve the depressing reputation that they have been given.
The city of Peterborough was recently named one of the least happy places in the East of England region by the property company, Rightmove. Out of a list of 23 places ranked from happiest to least happy, Peterborough landed in the 19th spot.
Cambridgeshire is lucky to be a county filled with countless beauty spots from nature reserves to historic buildings. Peterborough did not have much of chance when competing against places like Cambridge and Ely, which are known for their rich histories and quaint side streets that you can explore for hours.
Just because the East of England has many other great places to visit doesn’t mean we should discredit Peterborough and the variety of activities on offer in the city. The city is bursting with restaurants and cafés to try out and equal amounts of historical and kid-friendly activities to suit anyone’s tastes.
Cambridge and Ely aren’t the only places with lovely riverside walks. As the River Nene cuts through Peterborough, the city is ideal for taking a slow stroll along the river and maybe even dropping into a bar or restaurant for a drink along the way.
Inside Charters bar in Peterborough
(Image: Tom Burnett/CambridgeshireLive)
Charters Bar offers visitors the chance to enjoy a beer on a boat, which is a little different from your usual local. There are also plenty of restaurants across the city including Katana Peterborough, which serves up Japanese Pan Asian cuisine, and the Cherry House at Werrington, which is led by the AA Rosette winning head chef, Andrew Corrick.
While the Queensgate Shopping Centre may not be the prettiest building, it is filled with different shops, which makes a nice change from the many modern high streets that are littered with empty buildings. The city has both big chains and quirkier independent shops meaning you have plenty of choice in terms of shopping.
(Image: Cambridge News)
If you like history, you can take a walk around Peterborough Cathedral and marvel at the gothic architecture, stained glass windows, and carved ceilings around the building. You can take a casual walk around the cathedral or book a guided tour to learn even more about the building’s extensive history.
The city is also home to a museum and art gallery with over 200,000 items to explore. From fossils of Jurassic sea monsters to going in a Victorian Operating Theatre to learn about the history of surgery, the museum and art gallery’s collections span thousands of years of history.
With this much on offer, it is hard to believe that people are unhappy living in this city. The grass may literally be greener in other areas of the East of England but it is most likely not metaphorically.
For a more industrial city in the region, Peterborough is still bursting with character and things to do. It may not be as quaint as the rest of Cambridgeshire but there definitely are a few advantages to living in this city.