…going to spend a day in cambridge next week, simply because it's annoying me that i've never been there.
taking my muddly old surly so i can bike around (and a strong lock, gulp).
but how best to spend a day in the city…can i get into colleges and see things, cycle routes along canals? any top tips?

I was there for a wedding in the summer – so didn't see too much of it but…
It seems to be very compact and easy to get around on foot.
I went to the botanical gardens worth a wander round and also glasshouses if weather not so great. oh and lots of bikes!

As a wise man once said,
'There's two types of people in Cambridge. C*nts, and c*nts in punts'

Nice scenery, mind
😉

The Fitzwilliam museum is interesting and free, IIRC they have a lot of Darwins bits and bobs in there. There are loads of shops and yes, it is very compact. I'm not sure about getting into colleges during term time but iirc there may be limited access to Kings College. You can walk along the river, never taken a bike to Cambridge so I don't know about riding. I wouldn't know how to spend a whole day there, I usually pop in, buy stuff and pop out within an hour. The Pickerell on Bridge Street used to be a good pub but I haven't been there for ages. There are a couple of good venues for gigs but probably not in the day time! 🙂

See if you can find the Mutts Nuts on yahoo groups. They are very Cambridge centric and should be able to give you more helpful advice than I can.

My Ex is at Cam uni. its a loverly place.

full of clever dicks who make me feel stupid.

DONT cross the road without looking.
infact
dont move without looking.
maniacs on bikes everywhere. not cyclists, just maniacs on bikes.

but yeah, its nice.
if its sunny, afternoon in the pub by the river, watching the rowers, rooting for Stalin the swan (who hates rowers and patrols the river)

Kings college chapel is worth a wander – hugely impressive.

Trinity college great court is worth an amble round (on Trinity street – the gate is next to what was Natwest bank and think is now a Reiss)

Clare college gardens are worth a wander and can be accessed from the backs which are worth a stroll themselves…

The cycle to Granchester across the meadows is pleasant enough and some nice pubs there.

Feel free to mail me for any other suggestions – spent seven years living there….

Bring a decent lock wherever you go and don't leave your bike for *a second* not locked to something… As you'd expect it is very bike friendly with a few places (like park street) that have very secure bike parking… The centre can be a bit congested with people so cycling through the market is a bit of hard work – you can cycle up the river to Grantchester to the south or up to Fen Ditton to the north, but not along much of the river in the centre of town as the colleges all back directly onto it…

Colleges are all open to the public at this time of year – but some charge for it – King's College Chapel is worth a look…

The Fitzwilliam museum is, as suggested, worth a look – There are also plenty of others…

Pickerel is a very good pub, as is the Free Press – or try the Eagle for history but whatever you do don't touch the food…

So depending on exactly how you are getting into the city (driving into the city centre is a bad idea as the car parks cost a mint, but you could use a park and ride and cycle in from there.

Once in the city I recommend you drop the bike off at Park Street car park (find the round church and look for the biggest ugliest building from there) there is a bike park in the basement which is the securest bike storage in the city centre.

As it's term time you have very little chance of getting into most colleges, but you can walk along the backs and browse around.

The city centre is really compact so getting round of foot is straight forward, best to grab a simple street map from somewhere though as people are often lost here.

Pubs of note in the city centre:

Pickerel (yes it's still a good pub)
The Castle (stright up from the Pickerel) up the slight incline, we call it a hill.
St Radegund on King street – cos it's little
Free Press/Elm tree are also worth a visit.

As slowjo said Fitzwilliam is good and free, Jesus Green is a nice spot for a wander.

There are a few smaller independent coffee shops/cafe's hidden off the market square too if you fancy hunting for them, Indigo and Rainbow are both good for a snack.

Aside from that the city centre is all colleges and shops so not too much of note, but decent for a wander round.

AndyP thanks for that.

Hah, the Eagle, look at it from the outside then move onto somewhere which isn't an overrated 'historic' crap hole!

thanks for the info all, this is ace. don't have any preconceived ideas of places, just like to go and explore things for meself. can't wait to go. i'm in petersfield so will bomb round m25, then up A1 and across the A10 for some cross country fun in car. thought i'd park in 'Grantchester' Helios, then cycle in from there.
will print all this out!

You could always pretend to be a student – then you can get into all the colleges without paying… Kings Chapel is probably worth a look, but you'd need to pay for that.
Any particular interests? Some of the faculties have museums as well. Fitzwilliam museum is well worth a visit. Have a look at the clock on the corner of Bene't St, but don't eat in the restaurant opposite – it's been closed down on H&S grounds more times than I care to remember.

The Castle (stright up from the Pickerel) up the slight incline, we call it a hill.

+1 I used to work in there – very nice pub and should be less crowded than the ones directly in the city centre.

Also agree on the Fitz museum. Other free places you might want to check out:
Whipple Science Museum http://www.hps.cam.ac.uk/whipple/ – some crazy early scientific instruments in there, and housed in a suitably oak-paneled building.

Scott Polar Research Institute Museum has lots of cool artifacts from different polar expeditions, but just looked and it seems to be closed for refurbishment at the moment.

You could always pretend to be a student – then you can get into all the colleges without paying..

Yep – students are allowed into all colleges for free. Depending on how you look(!) try to pass yourself off as a student – walk confidently past the porters/kiosk taking entrance fees and 80% of the time you'll not be challenged – wander in with a city centre map and camera and you might be!

stealthcat – Member
Have a look at the clock on the corner of Bene't St, but don't eat in the restaurant opposite

Hold your horses there – you can't be talking about the Chop House – which opened up about 2 years ago in place of the old "No1 King's Parade"?… No1 was awful – but the Chop House is now some of the best food in central Cambridge… (unlike the Eagle… *shudder*)

Not sure how much room there is to park in Grantchester – but give it a go… Otherwise head to the Trumpington park and ride/cycle…

Whoever ^^ said you can't get into colleges in term time is wrong – that's only during exam term in May/June… During Mich term (now) they're mostly open…

+1 on the Rhadegund too – my old local…

Enjoy

No idea what the place is called now, because there have been so many different "restaurants" on the site, but as far as I can remember, they all closed down due to failed hygiene inspections. It put me off eating there, whatever it might be called…

I was involved with student theatre, so the Maypole was my local.

i like dinosaurs and whales and deep-sea creatures like giant squid 😀

and i love old libraries, and hidden gardens, things hidden from public view.

and i like trespassing, because nobody will stop me from seeing things…so will enjoy dressing as a student with a colourful scarf and v-neck, and getting into some of the colleges you mention. sounds like a fantastic place.

Book shops (if that's your thing)
Scott Polar (Has Scott's last hand written letter found in his tent. Very moving)

Don't know what was there before No1, which was around from at least 2001 until 2007 when the Chop House opened… Not sure why a bad experience of an old restaurant puts you off the new one… Do germs have ghosts which can haunt restaurants? Must ask that nice Yvette Fielding from Most Haunted to investigate – that or the Mystery inc. team… (Daphne is quite fit considering she is both ginger and a cartoon)

As I said and to summarise:

No1 = Bad

Chop House = Good… Mmmm… Suet pudding… Might be off there for my sunday lunch now… yumm….

oh my God Helios, are you, like, the LAST person to know that germs do have ghosts???? 😀

Liking the sound of this Stalin the Swan fella.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cambridge-United-Kingdom/Stalin-the-Swan/

a free thing that quite intersting (well a bit) is if you go to the top of the lion yard car park in the city centre next the the "grand arcade" shopping centre there is actually a rather good 360 degree view of all the roof tops, churches etc in the city.walk up there tho…dont park there it is very expensive!

Sorry I thought all collelges were closed in term time to the 'public' must be a town/gown thing 🙂

Still, have a fun day, it's a pretty city and expect the other people you see on bikes to be crazy/numpties/going the wrong way on one-way roads.

If it had hills and a coastline I'd plan to be here forever, still, we can but hope a massive volcanic event removed Norfolk as is from the face of the earth 🙂

Is it too cold to go punting on the river?

Nope… Took some friends out on the river last weekend and had fun.

The river was filled with tossers in flat bottomed boats though and far too many of them were sh1t at it. I was just a little less sh1t at it, so I feel justified and slagging them off.

I would be very tempted to _not_ leave any type of half decent bike anywhere visible, or in fact, safely locked up in the city center. Some git will try to steal it and, if they fail, will probably stamp on the wheels. I have _never_ seen a decent bike in Cambridge.

Even a mate's 20 quid fourth hand halfords job got stolen… and that was truly dire.

Every time I go to Cambridge there's a bike messenger alike bike chained to the railings (outside M&S), spinergy front wheel and last time I looked I'm sure it was a deep section rear. Obviously made to look like a rat bike but I reckon it would fly. He seems to have chains on the front wheel, through the frame round the railings and back, and the same on the back wheel. It never seems to be damaged so it would appear chaining your bike 2 foot or so off the ground is the way to go. Obviously being a fixie it would freak most thieves but I was more interested in the way he keep sthe bike in one piece.

19mm thick chains and more than 2 foot off the ground is the only safe way..

It is a pretty small place (at least the bits that you'd come there to visit are) – I never bothered with a bike when I lived there. I'd just get the train there and walk places – the train station is close enough to the centre to not need a bike.

Punting is okay, but only worth it with a group of people.

You should be okay to go in colleges, as it isn't exam term. If you are young looking, you can probably just walk straight in (and some of the smaller colleges – i.e. not St Johns, Kings, Trinity, you can go round without paying anyway).

There is an art gallery called Kettles Yard, which sometimes has good stuff on (although sometimes it is terrible – don't say I didn't warn you!)

Joe

+ 1 for Kettles Yard–not the art gallery, but the amazing 1930s building it's attached to. It's just off Castle Hill so fairly easy to get to.

"but don't eat in the restaurant opposite – it's been closed down on H&S grounds more times than I care to remember. "

Total, total tosh. The Chop House is one of the only proper resturants in Cambridge. It's not Midsummer House/Alimentum, but serves food made on the premises. Most of the other resturants in Cambridge are heat'n'serve operations (check out the number of 3663 vans around the place), so it's nice to see a place that prides itself on cooking.

My only issue with the Chop House is they've stopped using Noel Young Wines as the wine supplier, choosing Cambridge Wine Merchants instead.

Noel Young Wines… Ah, what a place.

Forget the bike, head there and stock up with fine wines instead. That alone will make the trip worthwhile. Which reminds me, I need to go there and restock the rack at the weekend.

@willard – have you tried the New Wave Spanish mixed case? Lovely.

You can hang around in a pub for 3 years and get a degree.

@slowjo, a metallic blue frame? I believe he is the guy who runs the little stall on the corner selling bandanas and stuff to kids, so he's never more than a few feet away from the bike anyway!

I'd go in no order the hill on castle hill for a look over the city, then down to kettles yard the house is normally better than the gallery, then maybe check out the backs and mathematical bridge.

Lock your bike up and visit kings college chapel they have a nice painting by rubens, follow this up by running across the grass you'll hopefully get chased by the guy in the crap clothes. (I've seen him chase a toddler off the grass!!) then maybe jesus college nice looking, as if i remember is gonville garden court yard, clares meant to be nice but i cant remember, johns college is pretty fancy.

Then perhaps pop in to fitzwill it is probably one of the best museums outside london but quite big for a day trip, still nice stanley spencers, rembrandt drawings, cezanne just along from there is old addenbrookes hospital which is impressive.

almshouses, botanical gardens all very nice. There are loads of pubs off mill and hills road as well as the city centres places such as pickeral or baron, there is nice pub on midsummer common but probably a bit quite in november. If your feeling flush there is a michelin star place off the river somewhere or the chop house, if not there are a lot of sandwich shops and gardenias is a must for greasy kebabs.

you can park your bike securely near the corn exchange/lion yard which is also near tourist information. Also think pembrooke college might be a looker and my favourite the zoology museum with a huge whale skeleton