Punting on the River Cam

The best way to see Cambridge.

While at the University of Cambridge for a week-long conference, I decided it was time to punt. Yes, it was worth skiving a few hours from the conference so we could experience punting along the River Cam. In both Cambridge and Oxford I’d watched from shore while students, locals, and tourists all enjoyed this classic pastime – most of them on a punt with a skilled guide, and some trying their hand at punting with friends. It looked like fun!

Punting along the River Cam in Cambridge, England.
Continue reading “Punting on the River Cam”

Cambridge-Grantchester

Along the River Cam from Cambridge to Grantchester and back.

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.

Punting on the River Cam – Cambridge, England.
Continue reading “Cambridge-Grantchester”