03/07/15 - The Modest Student

Distance - 13 Miles
Geocaches - 24
Walk Inspiration - Time Out Country Walks

When I come to review "Walks in 2015", there is no doubt which will be the winner in flattest walk.  The closest I got to a hill was crossing the M11 on a footbridge and the highest altitude reached, 25m above sea level.  We are one superstorm away from this walk being an impossibility.

My son is 17 and attending a number of university open days.  Having looked at a couple, he has told everyone that today, he is off to Guildford for the University of Surrey.  Eagle eyed viewers will have noticed the map does not say Surrey.  In reality, he is off to Cambridge but he doesn't want his friends to take the pee out of him and call him "La Di Da Mappiman (Jnr)".

His intelligence and work ethic (rarely seen in a teenager) are only matched by his modesty.

After dropping him and his Mother, foot weary veteran of three open days this month, off in the centre, I head out for a linear walk from what is fast becoming my favourite walking guide - the Time Out book of Country Walks within easy reach of London.

Rather than pay £9 to park at Cambridge station, I drive to Great Shelford and park in the street buckshee.  Head off along roads through a series of interconnected, pretty little villages - grabbing a few church micros from under the noses of unknowing muggles.

Great Shelford leads to 

Hauxton, Via Little Shelford

And Hauxton Church

Finally into the countryside after I cross the A10.  Here, I pick up a cache trail.  There are some monster cache trails in the area and I had a decision when I set off.  Should I go for the smileys, or the chance of a classic walk.  The Classic Walk won out.  I like my walks to also have a sense of achievement and history, as well as sticking my heads into bushes every 161m.

Leaving the Lanes Behind

The footpath brings to the River Cam, which I will be following back to Cambridge later in the day.

River Cam

Haslingfield is my next village and the start of another cache trail.  I find a few, but to be honest, I am more interested in the walking.

Haslingfield - Sundial and Village Sign

Haslingfield is a pretty little place, but I've heard that Grantchester is even nicer.  With hardly a contour on the map to distract my navigation, I plod on through farm land and only the M11 to force me into digging out the Crampons.

Dizzying Heights

Grantchester does indeed live up to its reputation, but I peak to early at one of the three pubs that are within spitting distance.  I liked the look of the balcony at the Rupert Brooke, but on entering and noticing that every table has wine glasses and napkins, that this is more of a restaurant.

Is this is place for a man who is wearing his Rohan Montgomery with the sunshield flaps down?  Well they don't seem to mind serving a man who looks like he has deserted the French Foreign Legion a very decent pint of Woodforde's Wherry which took me right back to a holiday we had in Norfolk two years ago.

Not prone to exaggeration but this is the best pint I have had.  This week.

Leaving the upper middle classes on the next table discussing whether to have artichoke hearts or go straight to the vegan mains, I walk past two pubs that look a touch more suited to the gentlemen of the road.  Well maybe the Green Man.  The Red Lion looked equally spectacular.

If Alex gets into Cambridge, I will wash my car, don my finery and bring Sonia here for a visit. There is much to investigate.

The Red Lion car park brings me down to the River Cam again, much broader than before.  I could have took a cracking photo of some students messing around in a punt and jumping in but as they were all in bikinis, I decided that brightening up my blog was not worthy of a visit to the Gary Glitter wing of Littlehey Chokey.

The river brings me back to the City.  I completed a city walk around here a couple of years ago - dragging Sonia to the finest real ales pubs on offer, so I know the architecture and the beauty of a unique part of England.

An ice-cream, a couple of caches and a near misses with several lunatic bike riders and I am on my way back to the Station to return to the car.

But no trip to Cambridge can be complete without the obligatory photos of....

Punts....

Bikes.....

Colleges.  And Students.  And Students on Bikes.

Alex loved the colleges.  He can see himself wearing his cape to the weekly meals in the grand halls, which he doesn't think Guildford can offer.

If only it didn't take me 90 minutes to drive the 4.5 miles back into town to pick them up.

Should have brought my bike.