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The Old Ferry Boat Inn at Holywell, on the River Ouse, is one of the oldest in England, having originally been built in Anglo-Saxon times. The ‘holy’ well in the village is said to have provided Boadicea with fresh drinking water and is supposed to cure blindness.

The Old Ferry Boat is haunted by the ghost of Juliet Tewsley, who was born in the eleventh century. She fell in love with a local woodcutter, Tom Zoul, who did return her love but preferred to play ninepins with the other village lads than spend time with her. Juliet became more and more miserable as a result and one day, while Tom was drinking with his friends, she hanged herself from a willow tree beside the river. As a suicide she was not allowed to be buried in consecrated ground, so instead she was buried at a crossroads near the river with a stake through her heart and a slab of grey stone over her grave.

When the Old Ferry Boat was rebuilt, the new building was constructed on top of the grave and the stone slab became part of the flooring of the new pub. Since that time Juliet has often been seen rising from her grave and floating towards the river on 17 March, the anniversary of her death, which is known locally as Juliet’s Eve. Mysterious music has been heard coming from the bar on that date, but it can only be heard by women.

The Old Ferry Boat Inn, Back Lane, Holywell, St Ives, Cambridgeshire PE27 4TG; Tel: (01480) 463227; Website: www.oldferryboat.com

There are seven rooms, all with en-suite facilities, and a restaurant serving both traditional and more exotic food.