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Cambridge Hidden Walks
  • Andrew's Travels
  • Andrew's Travels

Cambridge Hidden Walks

These are walks from the book of the same name, showing the lesser seen parts of the famous and popular University City. Read more
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  • Andrew's TravelsCambridge Hidden WalksTraveler
    Madingley Hall
    Madingley HallMadingley Hall viewed from the side with the Walled GardenThe stable blockMedieval Gateway; it was brought from the Cambridge Old Schools buildingFront view of Madingley HallView of Madingley Hall from the lawns on the other sidePets Cemetery; Pets from Madingley Hall were buried hereWalking along the Wilderness GroveView out to surrounding countryside from the groundsView of Madingley Hall across the lake at the frontMadingley Parish Church of St Mary MagdaleneInside the ChurchDetail of a stained glass windowMadingley Village Sign

    Tudors and Topiary; Madingley Hall

    August 26 in England ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    This is Walk 14 from the Cambridge Hidden Walks book and is called Tudors and Topiary; Madingley Hall and Cambridge American Cemetery (a possible extension which I did not do, as the Cemetery has been visited previously).

    Madingley Hall is a 16th-century Tudor Mansion set within an 18th-century landscape with lots of topiary designed by Capability Brown; it was rented by Queen Victoria in 1861 for her son Edward (later King Edward VII) while he studied at the University of Cambridge. It has been owned by the University of Cambridge since 1948. The Madingley Parish Church is very close to the grounds of the Hall; when the park was landscaped in the 18th century, several houses were knocked down to give the impression that the church is part of the estate.

    I enjoy a very pleasant walk around the estate based on the book (see captions on photos for details of the walk; some photos are from an earlier visit last month).    Read more

  • Andrew's TravelsCambridge Hidden WalksTraveler
    West Cambridge Campus; Schlumberger Building
    West Cambridge Campus; Schlumberger BuildingView from the footpathDept of Chemical Engineering and BiotechnologyWrst Cambridge LakeCavendish Laboratories siteCavendish Laboratories siteView of EddingtonStorey's Field CentreBrook Leys Lake; Fata Morgana TeahouseFata Morgana TeahouseView of Eddington across Brook Leys LakeView of Eddington across Brook Leys LakeBrook Leys LakeBrook Leys Lake

    Future Cambridge; Eddington and West Cambridge

    July 27 in England ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C

    This is Walk 11 from the Cambridge Hidden Walks book and is called Future Cambridge; Eddington and West Cambridge.  These are both modern University developments 2 miles north-west of the city centre, and border countryside that provides community amenity; whereas Eddington is a residential area, West Cambridge Campus is a development of university buildings, mainly for science-related faculties.

    From Madingley Road park and ride, I cross Madingley Road and walk south via West Cambridge Campus passing the tent-like Schlumberger Building first before walking along a footpath before doubling towards the Dept of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology and then walking around West Cambridge Lake.  I then walk down Charles Babbage Road for a short while to reach the Cavendish Laboratories site.  Then it's up past the Dept of Computer Science and Technology and the Whittle Laboratory; next, it's back across Madingley Road to walk up past the Univeristy Obervatory Buildings and the walk across towards Eddington.

    Eddington is centred around Market Square and designed with a high level of sustainibility; an energy centre provides a district heating system, while a sustainable urban drainage system channels rainwater via bioswales to the artificial Brook Leys Lake between the site and the M11 motorway - the water is pumped back into homes for washing through a non-potable network.

    I walk through the development and then down to walk around Brook Leys Lake to see the Fata Morgana Teahouse installation, designed by the German artists Wolfgang Winter and Berthold Hörbelt; except for the roof, almost the entire two-storey pavilion - including built-in benches - was made from undulating stainless steel welded grating, and depending on light conditions, its polished surfaces can appear shiny or see-through.  There are good views of Eddington from here.

    Then it is a short walk back to the park and ride; it has been a very interesting 5.5-mile walk through "Future Cambridge."    Read more

    Trip start
    July 22, 2026