Part 1; Cambridge to Clayhithe

We start at Magdalene Bridge, just south of Magdalene College, which straddles the River Cam and is on the site of the original bridge that gave "Cambridge" its name. It is not far to Jesus Lock; this divides ‘Middle River’ from the ‘Lower River’ and sets the border where punting gives way to rowing and boathouses - it is Lock No. 1 on the navigable portion of the River Cam.  We skirt the edge of Jesus Green and pass the Lido on our way along Midsummer Common where cows are grazing in the centre of the city. There are houseboats on both sides of the river; beyond Elizabeth Bridge we walk along Riverside and reach the Museum of Technology, an industrial heritage museum whose original building housed a combined sewage pumping and waste destructor station (hence the 175ft chimney shaft) - it is a Scheduled Ancient Monument. 

We reach Stourbridge Common (see FP Cambridge - Cherry Hinton Brook / Coldham's Brook post), crossing over the bridge at the Green Dragon pub to Water Street to rejoin the Fen Rivers Way on the other side of Cam and go under the Railway Bridge (and soon to be Chisholm Trail linking up green spaces in an off road route from Cambridge Station to Cambridge North Station).

There are views of Ditton Meadows and shortly afterwards Fen Ditton, a village on the northeast edge of Cambridge, and its Church; there have been rowers on the river today, both eights and singles.  We pass under the A14 and reach Bates Bite Lock (No. 2 on the navigable portion of the River Cam); it is possible to cross here and walk back to Cambridge via Fen Ditton and Ditton Meadows.  We see the village of Horningsea on the other side and carry on to Clayhithe and Waterbeach.

This is a good walk with great views and approx. 7 miles in length. Czytaj więcej