01/07/2021
You needn’t head to Burgundy to enjoy a vineyard tour; troop to Florence to discover the Renaissance; or head to London to see a great play – you can enjoy all that and more right here in Cambridge. Our team has put together a list of their favourite things to do, suitable for romantic getaways as well as friends-and-family fun – whatever the weather.
Enjoy art and nature at Anglesey Abbey and Lode Mill
Set in 98 acres of gardens filled with roses, wildflower meadows and a working water mill that grinds corn, this early 17th-century Jacobean house was built on the remains of a 12th-century Augustinian priory and is filled with unexpected treasures from across the centuries. Keep an eye out for the Shield of Achilles, Pagoda Clock, and Amorino – a masterpiece by Canova – as well as paintings by Constable, Gainsborough, Landseer and Lorrain.
Details: Open Thursday to Tuesday (closed Wednesdays), 11-3. Booking advised on weekends; nationaltrust.org.uk
Raise a toast to life at Saffron Grange Vineyard
Just outside the market town of Saffron Walden is this vineyard that sits on the same chalk seam as Northern France’s renowned wine regions, making British wine a tasty reality. Centuries ago, the area was renowned for its crocuses and was a global centre for saffron production. Today, the same fertile soil that enabled the crocus to flourish is nurturing the highest-quality grapes for English sparkling wines. Come sip for yourself on a vineyard tour and tasting!
Details: Open Thursdays and Saturdays, from May to October. To book your place, visit saffrongrange.com
Get your legs out with a cycle along the River Cam
Style-setters are taking superior selfies on our elegant University Arms bicycles, which are free for guests to use and perfect for picturesque two-wheeled tours of Cambridge. In summer we like the route to Grantchester Meadows, (http://www.gps-routes.co.uk/routes/home.nsf/RoutesLinksCycle/grantchester-cycle-path-cycle-route) a renowned beauty spot immortalised by the poet Sylvia Plath and the Pink Floyd rock-star Roger Waters, who performs an acoustic guitar serenade to the sound of Grantchester’s skylarks, geese and bees on his experimental album, Ummagumma. We truly have something for everyone at University Arms!
Details: Plan your route at gps-routes.co.uk
Make some magic at the Cambridge Gin Laboratory
The founders of the multi-award-winning Cambridge Gin were inspired to launch this distillery after walks through the meadows surrounding Cambridge. Capturing the taste of the English seasons with locally grown botanicals, their unique distillation methods have led to three consecutive awards for innovation. Explore more of the vast world of gin and its delicate flavours at a taste it, mix it or make it class at the distillery, right in the heart of Cambridge.
Details: Cambridge Distillery and Shop, open Monday to Sunday. For more information and to book a class, visit cambridgedistillery.co.uk
Flex your green fingers at the Botanic Gardens
Founded in 1762 to grow plants used for teaching medical students, the Cambridge University Botanic Garden now has a collection of more than 8,000 plant species and trees from all over the world, including Isaac Newton’s apple tree – Yes! The tree that grew the apple that hit Newton on the head and led to his discovery of gravity lives here! While the Garden is a primary resource for plant research, it is also a simply beautiful place to visit, be charmed by its resident wildlife and marvel at the wonders of nature.
Details: Booking tickets essential. The gardens are open every day of the year except Christmas to New Year, but times vary. For more information, call 01223 336265 or visit botanic.cam.ac.uk.
Be bowled over by cricket
We’re lucky to be right beside Parker’s Piece, Cambridge’s 25-acre community green (where the rules of Association Football were first devised in 1863). There will be cricket tournaments here throughout summer that you can watch from your own private terrace or with a picnic on the green itself.
Details: Simply ask our concierge or visit ncissc.play-cricket.com for more information.
Brush up your Shakespeare
Click off Netflix and instead follow the advice of the great Cole Porter, who wrote in his musical, Kiss Me, Kate:
Just declaim a few lines from Othella And they’ll think you’re a hell of a fella If your blond won’t respond when you flatter ‘er Tell her what Tony told Cleopatterer
Performed on stage for more than 400 years and still packing auditoriums today, Shakespeare certainly knew how to tell a story. And where better to enjoy the music of his cadences then in a College garden at an energetic, beautifully staged performance by the Cambridge Shakespeare Festival troupe?
Details: Ask our Concierge to help with tickets or visit cambridgeshakespeare.com.
Ye Olde Pubbe Experience
Finding the pubs of popular imagination is a tricky business these days, so we’ll steer you clear of the ones with sticky floors, dark walls, and dusty brassware and instead lead you to historic watering holes filled with character, local legend, good grub and fine ales, such as The Eagle, where the graffiti from RAF and US Air Force pilots from World War Two has been preserved on the walls, or the Free Press and its intimate “snug bar”.
Details: Ask our Concierge for his recommendations or visit cambridgetourguide.co.uk.
Cambridge without the exams
To enjoy all that our ancient city has to offer without the three to five years of academic study and nerve-wracking end-of-terms, there’s nothing better than a morning or afternoon spent with our tour guide, Anthony Rodgers, Life Fellow at the University of Cambridge’s Hughes Hall. Anthony and his team of former academics are true fonts of knowledge, “people persons”, and uplifting, motivating enthusiasts of their subject. They can organise a historic walking tour of Cambridge, from its foundation in 1209 to its current status as a world-renowned centre of scientific excellence, and share their insider information on espionage, miraculous Eureka! moments, and everything in between.
Details: Please ask our Concierge and mention any particular areas of interest.
Take a Punt: Row on the River Cam
Like strawberries and cream or rain and the Wimbledon Final, nothing goes together like Cambridge and bobbing along in a boat along the River Cam. Float past beautiful historic sites such as King’s College Chapel, The Bridge of Sighs and New Court St Johns, and breathe in the fresh air of the lush, green Cambridge Backs. Pack a picnic to while away the afternoon as your “chauffeur” tells you legends of the city or work up an appetite and build up your biceps, back muscles and core by perfecting your punting technique yourself.
Details: Ask our Concierge to organise a punt and picnic for you.