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The River Cam
  • Andrew's Travels

The River Cam

Walking along The River Cam from its confluence with The River Great Ouse down through Cambridge to Hauxton Junction, where The River Cam splits into the River Cam or Rhee and the River Cam or Granta. Read more
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  • Trip start
    May 8, 2021
    Andrew's TravelsThe River CamTraveler
    Dimmock's Cote Bridge / View of wetlandPillbox / Pumping StationFive Miles from Anywhere Inn and Reach Lode, UpwareSwaffham Bulbeck Lode and view of River CamBottisham Lode and Shrubb's MarinaBottisham LockWaterbeach MooringsConservator's House, Clayhithe

    Part 1; Pope's Corner to Clayhithe

    May 9, 2021 in England ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    Pope's Corner is the confluence of the River Cam and the River Great Ouse (see that trip for posts before reaching, and after leaving, Pope's Corner).  Heading south from here, I soon reach Dimmock's Cote Bridge and then pass a pumping station and pill box en route to Upware; this is where Reach Lode begins (this links the the village of Reach with the Cam) - Upware is known for its aptly named "Five Miles from Anywhere, No Hurry" inn which backs down to the Cam.

    The footpath passes Swaffham Bulbeck Lode, where there is another lock and pumping station (this lode links the hamlet of Commercial End with the Cam), and then ir reaches Shrubb's Marina boat moorings.  A little further on, I reach Bottisham Lock (No. 3 on the navigable portion of the River Cam) and  the pumping station and flood gates at the end of Bottisham Lode (this links the village of Lode with the Cam).

    Waterbeach is further down river; this is now designated as a "new town," and, as I follow the track, we enjoy a view of the boats mooring there.  A little further on I reach the bridge over the Cam at Clayhithe and enjoy the view of the Conservator's House from The Bridge public house; this is the residence of the foreman of the Conservators of the River Cam, the navigation authority for the River Cam in Cambridgeshire.  

    Cambridge had been a major inland port as a result of its position on the navigable River Cam for centuries, but this position changed with the draining of the Fens and the Conservators were established to elicit tolls at sluices and locks along the Cam.    Read more

  • Andrew's TravelsThe River CamTraveler
    Horningsea
    Baits Bite Lock, MiltonFen Ditton1Midsummer Common and view back to Museum of TechnologyJesus LockMagdalene College and Magdalene Bridge

    Part 2; Clayhithe to Cambridge

    May 11, 2021 in England ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    From Clayhithe, I head south along the River Cam, passing the village of Horningsea, to reach Bates Bite Lock (No. 2 on the navigable portion of the River Cam).  Then it is under the A14 towards Fen Ditton, a village on the northeast edge of Cambridge; there are good views of its Church and of rowers on the river today, both eights and singles.  

    As I walk towards Cambridge, there are views of Ditton Meadows.  I walk under the Railway Bridge linking Cambridge and Cambridge North railway stations, and carry on long the Fen Rivers Way to cross over the bridge at the Green Dragon pub to reach Stourbridge Common (see post Cambridgeshire; CambridgeCity) and walk towards 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.  There are houseboats on both sides of the river as I walk beyond Elizabeth Bridge, along Midsummer Common to reach the edge of Jesus Green and Cambridge Lido.  

    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.  Finally, I reach 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.    Read more

  • Andrew's TravelsThe River CamTraveler
    St John's College; Bridge of Sighs
    St John's College; Kitchen BridgeTrinity BridgeKing's College BridgeQueen's College; Mathematical BridgeHodson's Folly, Coe FenGrantchester MeadowsByron's Pool

    Cambridge to Hauxton Junction

    September 19, 2024 in England ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    From Magdalene Bridge, several colleges of the University of Cambridge back on to the River Cam with their grounds covering both banks of the river; some colleges have buildings on both banks, others not, and several have bridges linking the College with the area known as The Backs.  This is a very beautiful area and most tourists visit The Backs and take in the views of the bridges, the most notable of which are The Bridge of Sighs (St John's College) and The Mathematical Bridge (Queen's College).

    From here, the River Cam runs through Coe Fen and under the Fen Causeway to Sheep's Green towards Newnham and Grantchester.  There is an interesting folly on Coe Fen at the junction with Vicar's Brook (which leads to Hobson's Conduit - see post in Cambridge City); Hodson's Folly is a summerhouse built in 1887 by John Hodson, butler at Pembroke College, in order to keep an eye on his daughter as she swam in the river (making it Town, not Gown!).  From here, I double back towards Newnham and cross the river to walk through Paradise Nature Reserve, re-joining at Skaters' Meadow to continue via Grantchester Meadows towards Granchester

    Onwards and further upstream I divert to Byron's Pool, now part of a small nature reserve; it is named after Lord Byron, who is said (by Brooke, at least) to have swum there.  The River Cam now passes through the Trumpington Nature Reserve and under the M11 to Hauxton Junction; this is the confluence of the two branches of the River Cam - the eastern branch, the Granta, and the western arm, the Rhee.    Read more

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