Jade

A weekend in Cambridge, outdoors!

November 26, 2020
, Cambridge, Lockdown, UK / London, Weekend

What you can enjoy in Cambridge when the tours and museums are closed!

We spent a weekend visiting close friends in Cambridge and finding lots of great outdoor activities to enjoy (outside of lockdown). We wanted to be safe, and abide by the law and to not add to any healthcare strain, so we looked for inspiration in the beautiful landscapes.

We would love to share these ideas with you!

So without further ado: Here is what you can enjoy in Cambridge outside!

Day 1 Saturday

Amble down the River Cam passing the parks, Jesus Green and Midsummer Common (common is a UK word for a cultural or natural resource, like a park that is open to all).

From these beautiful green parks you can spot lots of students, cyclists, boathouses and rowers.

Jesus Green used to be grazing ground for cattle, but no longer. Now there is a 1920s lido (swimming pool). Great for summer maybe a bit chilly now!

Walking towards Cambridge centre you will come across many punting places….

Go Punting

Have a tour of the colleges from the river!

With so many to choose from our friend suggested we go with one in particular. The Cambridge Punt Company, gives a fantastic tour, our guide was hilarious and the boat had partitions so we could keep distance from other groups.

We passed all the colleges, and our guide explained lots of little known facts. It was great seeing the Mathematical bridge from the river and hear all the interesting stories people tell about it! A popular myth says it was designed by Sir Isaac Newton without the use of nuts or bolts. Then past students of the University attempted to take the bridge apart and put it back together, but were unable to work out how to hold the structure together, and were obliged to resort to adding nuts and bolts! A complete wonderful fiction but great to hear!

The structure relies on the nuts and bolts as part of it’s integrity but it is still an amazing structure.

We passed a drinks boat, selling alcohol and slowed to grab a Pimms & lemonade, a cherished UK summertime drink but good for all weather! Pimms on a Punt!

After a lovely river tour, we walked through the centre of Cambridge town, marvelling at the cobbled streets, picturesque colleges & houses.

Had a wander over to All Saints Arts & Crafts Market – open Saturdays.

Then we continued to walk through various parks, (mind the cows!) following the river Cam. You can come across, picnickers, rowers and even swimmers!

Grantchester

A good hour or so walk from central Cambridge following the river Cam and even got a mention in 1086’s Doomsday Book. It is a little village, but we stopped at The Orchard, a lovely afternoon tea house set among fruit trees in green grass near the river.

It is a popular afternoon tea spot and many students come here to continue the tradition of unwinding, reading, chatting and enjoying the quiet serenity.

We found some folding sling back chairs to recline in and ordered our cream tea in the afternoon sun.

Virgina Woolf, and several of her classmates used to come here when it was private and take tea. They loved it so much that it continued that tradition down to today where it is now a cafe business, but the genteel atmosphere remains.

After enjoying our cream tea (scones, jam and cream with tea of course!) we slowly walked back along the river Cam towards Cambridge.

There are quite a few great restaurants but we suggest getting a bottle of wine, and some takeaway food to eat along the riverbank as night falls. Especially if it is good weather!

Day 2 – Sunday

Have a late brunch! Enjoy the relaxed morning after a lovely day. We highly recommend cafe Stir Cambridge Delicious!

Amble into Cambridge and even if all the colleges and museums are closed you will find the Church of St Mary the Great is open to all.

Church of St Mary the Great

Not only is the church beautiful, for a small fee you can climb up to the roof to see spectacular views over the colleges (beware of precarious stairs!). We loved the little animals carved into the pews, apparently they represent the animals from the bible. See if you can find the tiny unicorn (his horn has come off).

Wandering the streets on Sunday we couldn’t miss the big local farmers markets with amazing smells (try the sausages!).

Open Mon-Sat it is a big general market selling almost anything. And on Sundays it is open to local farmers only, along with some arts and crafts.

We resisted the smells (esp after our big breakfast) but I did get some delicious vegetables for dinner.

Corpus Clock

Check out the Corpus Clock is outside Corpus Christi College and conceived by John C Taylor a member of the college, it was unveiled by Stephen hawking.

The bug on top is called a Chronophage – translated literally as time + eater in Greek. Taylor said

“Basically I view time as not on your side. He’ll eat up every minute of your life, and as soon as one has gone he’s salivating for the next.”

Yep that’s slightly discomforting!

However it is beautiful to see and hear.

Finally no trip to visit these particular girlfriends is fully realized unless we eat gelato!

Luckily the weather was beautiful and we found a fantastic Sicilian gelateria!

Dont go to the drab places on the main street – walk a little further for delicious gelato at Aromi!! Our new favourite gelataria!

Cambridge was a wonderful place to visit with lots of outdoor activities to do to even during a pandemic. Hopefully this gives you some inspiration for when we are all next able to travel.