Tag Archives: Cambridge

Cambridge Benefactors Day

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The COVID pandemic had put paid to many events, last year and this year. One of the annual events was the Gonville and Caius Benefactors Day. We had missed a few, not just through COVID, but also because it clashes with the Download Music Festival. This year Caius held the Day, not in June, but in September.

We decided to attend, and to stay in Cambridge for the week. We pitched up at the Cambridge Camping and Caravan site pitch in Trumpington, on Friday 10th September, leaving again on Friday 17th. Cambridge was full of graduates attending their degree ceremonies. These had been held over from 2020. There were crowds of people standing in the street outside the Senate House. Privacy seems important these days, the railings had been covered to stop people gawking at the graduates and their families on the lawn.

The Caius Benefactors Day was on a lovely sunny Saturday afternoon. We walked in early but did not have to queue, quickly finding the waiters and the wine supplies. Lunch was good. We conversed with several different people, none from my year. There was a talk from the Master, an exhibition in the library & an organ recital. A few days later we entered Caius again. Not very welcome, the porter was not keen and told us to be quick, and not to enter any buildings other than the Chapel.

During the rest of the week, we visited the Botanic Gardens on a beautiful sunny day, eating lunch at the café. Another day was spent at the Sedgewick Museum of Earth Sciences, and the Whipple Museum of the History of Science. Of course we had coffee at St Michael’s Cafe and some wine outside the Cambridge Wine Merchants (they sell Ricard!).

Nearer the campsite we walked over to Hobson’s Park Bird Reserve, a nature reserve surrounded by the Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Addenbrookes Road and new housing in Trumpington. The bird reserve is made purposefully difficult to get near with ditches and earth works. There was a useless hide; willow trees in front were blocking any view of the birds. I think the lake was full of geese, we could hear them from the campsite, leaving and arriving at dusk and dawn.

The weather was mainly good, except for the day we travelled to Saffron Walden. That Tuesday it rained most of the day. We were soaked through waiting for the bus. Saffron Waldron had a rather deserted market, which packed up while we were there. A good Turkish lunch time meal at Meze By Night. At one stage, R thought her legs might fall off cos they were so wet & heavy. I queried whether she meant her trousers, but she said she wasn’t sure. We did manage to visit the Fry Gallery, but it was in a temporary location, so few Ravilious paintings on show. Only one, I think.

Camping in Cambridge

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We took Morrison out for his first trip of the year to Cambridge, arriving on Tuesday 25th May at the Cambridge Camping and Caravan Club’s campsite. On route, we stopped at Saint Neots for lunch and parked in the riverside car park. The payment system was a new one for me, you could pay by card. No problem, you also had to sign out of the car park using the same card, otherwise, you would be charged for the whole day.

The Cambridge Camping and Caravan Club obviously had had some issues with the persistent rain of the previous weeks. Sections of the field were roped off. Thankfully our stay was relatively dry and we were parked in a dry patch. We soon set up and caught the bus into Cambridge. It was remarkable how quiet Cambridge was with the lack of tourists. King’s Parade was totally closed to traffic and all the restaurants had placed tables on the street. We stopped for a glass of wine outside the Cambridge Wine Merchants, where you could choose a glass from their menu or any bottle of wine from their shop. We had a walk around, tea at Michaelhouse Cafe and some more walking. I had booked the Loch Fyne Restaurant, believing it would be crowded, it was still the first week restaurants could serve indoors. No, it was remarkably empty and many of the menu items were off or had substitutions. No lime or lime juice for a cocktail, no mangetout peas. All rather odd.

Wednesday we met up with the UK Chapter of the Sadgits, being us two, Norman, Valerie, Simon, Richard and Andrea. We met up with some of them at the Michaelhouse Café, where we got talking to an elderly couple enjoying tea. It seems he was up at Emmanuel in 1957 when they met. We visited Kettle’s Yard where N&V and us two had the first tour. We had the museum to ourselves. Such a treat. The others had later “tours”. Somehow we ended up having a liquid late lunch at The Punter where we stayed for rather a long time. Nice pub. How come we didn’t know it? Valerie and Norman had to leave early to catch a train home, while the rest of us were going on to the Cambridge Chop House for supper. Early for the Chop House, we split into three groups, Simon and I going for a fast-paced walk along the River Cam past Jesus Green, Midsummer Common, and part of Stourbridge Common; while Richard had to collect his new Mac and Rosemary & Andrea presumably dawdled in various shops. We all met up at the Chop House for a pleasant, meaty meal. We could have dined outside, but rain was in the offing.

Thursday was the Fitzwilliam Museum in the morning to see the exhibition on Touch, and a wander around the exhibits. R did not warm to the exhibition, but was revived by a visit to a favourite painting. Afterwards, we stopped at the Cambridge Wine Merchants (again), where after a glass of different wine each, we opted for a bottle of Picpoul de Pinet followed by a constitutional walk to Jesus Green to locate the restaurant for tomorrow’s supper. Today we ate supper at the Tapas Bar, Tabanco. We had our best meal of the week here. Served by a very attentive waitress who always kept a watch on the tables, and was with you in an instant when you required her. So we were able to call for the bill, pay and promptly catch the bus home. It was a lovely evening back at the campsite with a pretty setting sun.

Friday and the campsite was looking deserted as more people were leaving. Today we were visiting the Cambridge Zoology museum. We had been before at closing time and had been impressed in the 30 minutes we were there. This time we had a few hours looking around, not so impressed. R was unhappy with the labelling and visitors did not obey the one-way system, which I must say was difficult to follow. There were also uncontrolled children on site.

Afterwards, we made the required stop at Michaelhouse Café, think we must have visited there at least once every day. Next, we walked along the River Cam towards the Fen Causeway, watching the inexperienced men trying to punt. So funny to watch, I would, of course, never be like that. Time to spare before supper, we walked up Castle Street to Castle Mound where I took a photo of Cambridge. It had now had started to rain, so we hurried to the River Bar Steakhouse & Grill. A steak place, pretty expensive, and I do prefer the steaks I cook to most restaurant ones. Asked for a rare steak and I got what I call a medium, or even medium-well-done. To me rare means some raw meat in the centre. A steak with little or no blood oozing out of it is not rare. R had “disappointing” salmon.

Back to the campsite, the rain had stopped. The campsite was now full, with lots of kids. It was the start of half term. Thankfully it all went quiet as night drew in.

Driving home the next day, stopped at the St Neots Tesco to fill up with diesel. The price of hydrocarbon fuels has shot up as we come out of the lockdowns. This was the first time I hit the £99 limit for paying at the pump. So not quite a full tank.

Cambridge Folk Festival – Monday

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The Folk Festival is over, even the breakfast van was not doing full breakfasts. The queues at the shower block were non-existent as many people had left overnight. By the time I left, the site was nearly empty. I was heading out to Balsham to an open garden event organised by Simon’s brother. He had opened his garden where there is a complex yew maze. “The maze was planted in 1993 and forms the shape of a treble clef. The maze may be completed in several ways:

  1. Enter the maze at the entrance, and explore it. Visit the raised centre area and both brick-paved French Horns, one with a centre mound and sculpture, the other with a pit and fountain. Find your way out.
  2. Enter the maze and use the Train Rule. All the junctions in the maze are like railway points. To obey the Train Rule do not go U-turns at junctions, nor turn back on yourself. Just keep going forward like a train. Get to the centre, visiting the French Horns/sculptures on the way. When you visited the French Horns on the way to the centre, you may have played them backwards. The air in the French Horns goes from the mouthpiece to the bell and that is the way you should go. So find your way out, still obeying the Train Rule and playing each French Horn properly on the way.
  3. It is possible to get to the centre, always obeying the Train Rule and playing each of the Horns once and only once in the correct direction on the way, and then doing the same on the way out. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t succeed, it is really difficult and you will have to use nearly all the paths.”
Balsham Manor Maze
Balsham Manor Maze
Balsham Manor Maze
Balsham Manor Maze
Balsham Manor Maze
Balsham Manor Maze
Balsham Manor Maze
Balsham Manor Maze
Balsham Manor Maze
Balsham Manor Maze
Balsham Manor Maze
Balsham Manor Maze
Balsham Manor Maze
Balsham Manor Maze

Dr Peter Wothers’ lecture at the Chemistry Open Day

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We visited Cambridge, specifically to attend a lecture to celebrate 150 Years of Periodic Table given by Dr Wothers, as part of Cambridge Science Week. This was aimed at children (but I fancied the explosions as well) and the intention was to generate interest in science, so we took Julian, Phil and Selina.

Stopped by Caius College to show Julian where I had spent three years. Showed him the stone commemorating the life of Stephen Hawking place outside Professor Hawking’s college room, we also saw the double helix floor engraving celebrating Francis Crick and James Watson.

Lunch at The Copper Kettle and then we walked onto the the Chemistry Laboratory to attend the lecture.

Birthday weekend in Cambridge

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To celebrate my birthday, we decided to spend a couple of nights in our Campervan in Cambridge. Our first stop was in St Neots, parking on the Bedfordshire side of the river Ouse where we had a coffee at the Ambience Café. Rather an insipid Cappuccino.  On then to Cambridge where we were camping at Cambridge Camping and Caravan Club Site in Trumpington. It is well served by buses running during the day every 15 minutes, and in the evening, one an hour until quite late.

We were soon into Cambridge and visited the Fitzwilliam Museum. Rosemary wanted to see a Virginia Woolf exhibition. Unfortunately, the exhibition was not what she wanted. R had failed to read the small print, “An exhibition inspired by her writings” Next, a stop at the Eagle for a beer. We drank in the bar at the back, which is very much themed on American airmen. The walls are covered with signatures and dedications. Next stop was dinner. We chose the Cambridge Chop House and had a good meal. The Chop House is mainly underground. Its basement extends under several of its neighbouring businesses.

Back then to Emmanuel Street to catch the bus back to the campsite.

On Wednesday, after an al fresco breakfast, we again caught the bus into Cambridge, admiring the new Medical research building around Addenbrooke’s Hospital, and the new student flats near the rail hub. Once in Cambridge we had a walk around Caius College, and even visited the LNB (Late Night Bar). No longer the LNB, now a bike shed. The porter knew it had been the LNB.

We then walked on to Kettles Yard which reopened this year after some modifications. An exhibition of Richard Pousette-Dart work was on show. He was a key figure of Abstract Expressionism. Jim Ede, creator of Kettle’s Yard, first met Pousette-Dart in New York in 1940. Of course, we visited the house of Jim Ede, which continues to surprise & delight.

We now walked along side Jesus Green, Midsummer Common and the river, looking at the canal boats and Cambridge Boat Houses. The canal boats appeared to be stocked up with coal for the winter. Spotted the new Gonville and Cauis Boat House, well Google maps did.  Back across Midsummer Common and down King Street. I was telling Rosemary about the King Street Run, and oddly we met a Cambridge graduate several days later wearing a King Street Run tie. The basic objective drinking a pint of ale in seven of the street’s pubs before returning for an eighth in the pub you started. One of the club rules state a penalty pint is awarded for the commission of either of the two Ps, “peeing or puking”. Successful members of the club wore a special navy blue tie decorated with the image of a tankard surmounted by a crown. This tie is also decorated with a ‘P’ for each penalty pint drunk. The tie soon became a highly sought-after item of apparel.

Finally, a pint at the Anchor, overlooking the mill pond, then the University Museum of Zoology where we had a few minutes before chucking out time. Ah well on to the Eagle for another drink before going for my Birthday treat at  the Loch Fyne Restaurant. Yes Rosemary embarrassed my by having a candle placed in my dessert. Then it was back on the bus to the campsite.

Our final day, Thursday, started with a lovely bright morning with a slight frost, but we’d been snug. We visited Grantchester and the Orchard Tea Garden. Another bright and sunny day encouraged us to walk down to the river and admire a couple of punts moored up. You can see where Roger Waters from Pink Floyd found their inspiration for the song ‘Granchester Meadows’.