When I visited Cambridge, last month, I was in town for just the afternoon and had very little time to see the city or explore the university. I’m back, this time for five nights, to attend a computer-science conference (MobiSys). I chose to arrive early and go for a hike: from Cambridge to Grantchester, and return, along the River Cam. (Get it? Cam-bridge?) Along the way, I encountered four swans a-swimming and dozens of punters a-punting, dined al fresco in an orchard famed for its literary heritage; and explored a church nearly 900 years old.
Following the route in my favorite guidebook, I timed my walk so as to arrive at the Orchard House Tearoom at lunchtime. In addition to being the turn-around point (where the route turns and heads back north to Cambridge), it was a lovely and historic spot for a meal. This tearoom and its orchard once hosted regular picnics by literary giants like Rupert Brooke, E.M. Forster, Bertrand Russell, and Virginia Woolf, about which there were two posters on display [poster1, poster2]. (I wish I had a better photo!)
After lunch, I crossed the street and quietly explored a church, some components of which date back to 1100CE. For example: a sign indoors noted the baptismal font was first installed in the 1100s or 1200s.
It was a lovely day. Along the Cam I saw many couples, families, or groups enjoying a picnic, or out for a paddle. Where the route followed the river, it was through meadows, still grazed (as they have for centuries) by local cows, goats, or sheep. The cows munched quietly as pedestrians strolled by, neither very much bothered by the other. Swans and other waterfowl shared the narrow river with kayaks, canoes, and punts.
The hike concluded with a walk along “The Backs”, a linear park that follows the River Cam north, with views across the river to the ‘back’ of several of the university’s grandest Colleges, as people punted or kayaked by; and then through the center of town past the beautiful King’s College Chapel. The punt operators and ice-cream vendors were busy, and new graduates (dressed in robes) walked with their families to end-of-year ceremonies.
See the photo gallery for more.
Hike stats: (39th consecutive weekend hike!)
Distance: 8.15 miles (13.1km)
Time: 3h17m (including lunch stop)
Gain: only 49 feet! (15m)
GaiaGPS Track
David Kotz 