The Willow Guest House

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Reviews about The Willow Guest House

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  Lorne Clarke Review added: 2018.07.02

  ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
  We loved the Willow Guest House, we loved Hemingford Grey, and we loved the River Great Ouse, a pretty, pretty stream. We only wish we had booked for a longer stay. Our room at The Willow was very comfortable, and Kate and Nick were friendly, gracious hosts. It should be mentioned that their homemade breakfasts were wonderful, a great way to start each day!
  
  For other meals there is the Hemingford Garden Room at the St. James Parish Centre, where two friendly ladies served us delicious sandwiches, and a very fine restaurant and pub, The Cock, literally next door to The Willow. A ten minute walk upstream along the River Great Ouse brings you to another pub, The Axe & Compass, in Hemingford Abbots. Lorne and I enjoyed our meals at both. The Three Jolly Butchers at Houghton, a very short walk from Hemingford Abbots, also has good reviews. Had we had more time, no doubt we’d have tried it!
  
  A longer walk, downstream from Hemingford Grey, brings you to St. Ives, where there are a number of eating establishments. Of course you could also drive, but we are not used to roundabouts or driving on the left hand side of the road. As much as we could, we left our rental stationary in the parking area at The Willow.
  
  Our two-days/three nights in Hemingford Grey happened to coincide with the only rain we experienced during our two weeks in England. We soldiered on, enjoying, as much as we could, the lovely footpaths that connect Houghton, the Hemingfords, and St. Ives, despite the soggy footing and necessity for rain gear. I'm not complaining because, as farmers, we couldn't help noticing that the rain was needed. That said, drier weather would have improved our experience!
  
  In none of the other reviews so far (I think) has The Willow's proximity—a matter of a few minutes walk along the towpath—to the Manor at Hemingford Grey been mentioned, this house having been the home of the late Lucy M. Boston, author of the much-loved Green Knowe series of children's novels. The Manor and its gardens are open to visitors, and the house was the reason we were in Hemingford Grey at all. Its present owner, the author’s daughter-in-law, Diana Boston, conducts tours of the house’s interior.
  
  The Manor is ancient and wonderfully preserved, much of it being over 900 years old. The house, and the gardens surrounding it, become the “Green Knowe” in Lucy Boston's stories. For a fan of the books, like myself, visiting the manor is a magical experience; in every corner of gardens or house I recognized features described in the novels.
  
  But it isn’t necessary to have read the Green Knowe books to enjoy a visit to the Manor at Hemingford Grey. Amongst the group that Lorne and I joined for a tour of the house were readers, like myself, there for love of Lucy Boston’s books; gardeners, there for their appreciation of Lucy’s gardens and the work Diana Boston has done to preserve them; quilters, there because Lucy Boston was, besides being a writer and gardener, a quilter and renowned designer of quilts (even for non-quilters, the beauty of the quilts exhibited during the tour is stunning); and history buffs, Lorne (and I!) included, who are awed by the great age of the house itself.
  
  Three of our number, a couple and their daughter, a teenager who loves the Green Knowe books, had come all the way from China to visit this fascinating house. And yet, interestingly, during our wanderings locally we had happened to meet and talk to a few people who had grown up in nearby St. Ives who, having asked us what had brought this pair of North Americans to their quiet area, were surprised to hear that the attraction was an old house in Hemingford Grey of which they had, till we mentioned it, never heard.
  
  Whatever the attraction that happens to bring visitors to the area, we would highly recommend The Willow as a pretty, peaceful, pleasant,and comfortable place to stay. I miss the breakfasts already!
  
  Lorne and Esther Clarke, Pennsylvania
  Guests at The Willow, July 2015
  
  

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Official website thewillowguesthouse.co.uk

The Willow guest house
Welcome to the Willow guest house. Located in the beautiful, quiet village of Hemingford Grey, on the outskirts of St Ives, the Willow is just off the A14, with easy links to the airports and the M11, Imperial War Museum Duxford, Cambridge, Huntingdon, London and Peterborough.
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