Walking Weekend
Nowhere embodies history, culture and character more gracefully than this world famous university city, whose streets are best explored on foot.
THE PERFECT PEDESTRIAN city, walkable Cambridge packs many hundreds of years of history into its picturesque streets. And on Christmas Eve each year, the soaring gothic chapel of King’s College graces our screens with a service performed by its world-renowned choir. Such an architecturally rich city is eye candy for movie makers, and Cambridge has featured in many films, such as The Man Who Knew Infinity, The Theory of Everything, and even Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.
Our first walk heads to the riverside village of Grantchester – yes, the one that features in the ITV series of the same name – after a circuit of city sights, including the Round Church (a building even older than the university) and the 18th-century Mathematical Bridge. The towering medieval colleges and narrow cobbled lanes contrast beautifully with willow-fringed fields beside the River Cam.
The second route combines two of the area’s loveliest walks: an amble through Fen Drayton nature reserve – with its reed-bordered, bird-rich lakes – segues into a gorgeous loop through thatched villages, full of roses and tranquillity. To reach this rural idyll, simply hop on the guided busway. From Fen Drayton, there are paths beside the Great Ouse, through woods and hay
