A beautiful city just 50 minutes from London is encouraging more Londoners to swap a day trip for a long weekend, with locals promising a particularly warm welcome.
With the colder months upon us, many of us will want to take day trips or long weekends. The city of Cambridge is absolutely one of those places you can reach in just 50 minutes on a Great Northern train from King’s Cross. It’s also an hour via a Thameslink service from Finsbury Park.
The 2021 census says it’s home to around 150,000 people, but it isn’t a cheap place to set up shop. The average cost of a pad is £571,169, £93,793 cheaper than London’s average of £664,962.
The city’s seen its fair share of famous faces over the years, such as rock stars Syd Barrett and David Gilmour of Pink Floyd, who both grew up and went to school there. But due to it being hugely famous for the prestigious university, the likes of Sacha Baron Cohen, Emma Thompson, Charles Darwin, Alan Turing, and Professor Stephen Hawking have also called it home.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham also studied there at Fitzwilliam College. The university is, of course of Cambridge’s main attractions, having opened after scholars walked out of rival Oxford following a dispute.
It was recognised by Pope John XXII centuries ago in 1318. Visiting the library may also be on your agenda, especially as it has a copy of every book ever published in the UK. The uni also has quite a few lovely lawns outside the colleges, so it may be worth bringing a few snacks to scoff and chilling out when you inevitably get a bit peckish.
Things to do in Cambridge
You may also wish to go punting on the River Cam. For those who don’t know: a punt is a long, narrow, flat-bottomed boat with square ends, designed for the calm waters of the river.
The market is another hugely popular thing there, open every day from 10am to 4pm, except on Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and New Year’s Day. There you can get your hands on street food and ingredients from around the world, as well as art, plants, clothes, jewellery, books, and music.
Visiting St Mary’s Church is another must-do. It may chime a familiar tune as its bongs the ‘Cambridge Quarters’ which was adopted by our own Big Ben.
It was originally a medieval building, but a massive fire in 1290 forced its reconstruction into the Gothic masterpiece we know today. Let’s hope you don’t fear heights, as visitors can ascend the 123 steps of the west tower for a breathtaking 360-degree view of the city. And for just £7.50 this is quite the cheap adventure.
And if you generally just like to do a bit of wandering around, then you’re in luck as the city is home to a plethora of bridges. The Mathematical Bridge and the Bridge of Sighs stand out for their beauty, but there are plenty more too.
If you come with your children, then fear not, as you can take the little ones on The Dinky Doors Tour. It’s a self-guided hunt that takes you across the city to suss out unique miniature doors, using your smartphone, so your family can go at your own pace. It costs £8.50 per device, making it extremely cost-effective for a family of four.
What locals say about Cambridge
We spoke to Mayor Maria Cleminson about what she thinks makes it such a great place. She’s lived in Cambridge for 14 years and has been in office since May. Mayor Cleminson encourages people from the capital to come for a long weekend rather than a day trip.
She described Cambridge as a ‘walkable and massively bike-friendly city.’ There are also great museums we could visit during our trip. She said: “We have an amazing sort of museum of Cambridge, which has a history of the daily life of people who have lived in Cambridge for hundreds of years. There’s also the Museum of Technology, another amazing museum housed in the old pumping station. It’s a history of the industry in Cambridge.” She added: “The Museum of Cambridge, which is by Kettles Yard, is another fantastic museum that we have here, and it shows arts and crafts and has modern art exhibitions too.”
Mayor Cleminson also pointed visitors in the direction of The Leper Chapel, a ‘special 12th century chapel, and one of our oldest buildings.’ It’s found ‘by Stourbridge Common where the largest medieval fair in Europe used to take place.’ “It’s very beautiful now, full of cows and uh and trees and it’s a great place of natural beauty and biodiversity.”
Londoners were also reminded that the society boasts the Society of Cambridge tour guides, ‘which are all accredited blue badge and green badge tour guides.’ The ‘docile and charming’ cows, which are a real Cambridge feature.’ She quipped at how shocked her Russian sister-in-law was at seeing them. She recalled her saying: “I thought England was supposed to be a modern country and yet there cows everywhere.”
‘Cambridge has everything to compete with London’
Mayor Cleminson told us locals are hugely fond of Londoners are receive us with ‘enthusiasm.’ She suggested we go to Mill Road for a bite to eat, the ‘Cambridge equivalent of Brick Lane with restaurants from all over the world.’ Mayor Cleminson said: “We’ve got everything to compete with London but in an easy, accessible way. It’s all here. It’s all top class.”
MyLondon also spoke to Cllr Rosy Moore, originally from Brixton, about what makes the city such a wonderful place to visit. She’s lived in Cambridge for 22 years and has served her ward for the last 10, so she also has a brilliant command of the area.
She described Cambridge as being ‘beautiful’ and ‘encourages’ people ‘to stroll around, visit the market, and walk along the river.’ But interestingly, she also said some may be ‘surprised’ to ‘find cows grazing pretty close to the city centre.’
She added the city has an ‘interesting, cross-section’ of people with a ‘very good sense of community.’ This is encapsulated in the fact that it’s a ‘nice, easy, friendly place to live.’ “We’re very welcoming of Londoners,” she added.
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