Chesterton to Quayside River Walk, Cambridge (4 miles)

Today’s walk is one of my Sunday morning favourites, not least because half way we get to have croque madames in Cafe Rouge!  Although today was dry and bright it is a great walk to do if you want to get out but it has been wet - you are on pathways all the time.  The route is well used by walkers, runners and cyclists both for leisure and commuting into and out of the Cambridge.

If you want a longer walk then you can start further up the river at Milton or even Fen Ditton (see my previous walk from Clayhithe)

For this specific route though we park in Water Street in Chesterton but anywhere in Chesterton is fine, just make your way to the Green Dragon pub and cross the road and go over the bridge.

River Cam from the Green Dragon Bridge

Once over the river you are now on Stourbridge Common.  Take the path to the right and follow it along the river.  Really that’s all you need to know - river on your right on the way and on your left coming back but there are a few markers along the way:

Once you leave Stourbridge Common walk along Riverside and past the bridge and alongside the tall brick chimney of the Cambridge Museum of Technology.  Follow Riverside on and under Elizabeth Way bridge.

Cambridge Museum of Technology

You are now on Midsummer Common.  Again follow the river through the common with the University boat houses on the other bank.  There will not be many days that there are not rowers out but Sunday mornings it is almost guaranteed!

Carry on past the back of Midsummer House restaurant and the Fort St George pub and under Victoria Avenue bridge.

The other side of the bridge is now Jesus Green.  Go on past the open air swimming pool to the lock.  Keep going keeping the river on your right until you reach the wooden boardwalk of Quayside.

Jesus Green, Cambridge

Walk along Quayside with Magdalene College on the other bank.  In peak times the punt touts operate from this area, don’t be afraid to firmly say no if you don’t want a punt!  Equally it is a lovely trip onwards through the colleges and along a part of the river you can’t normally see unless you belong to the university.  Don’t be afraid to haggle on the price either!

Personally we normally go left at Magdalene Street and just along a few yards for brunch and those croque madames!

The return route is just back the way you came but this morning we did a slight detour turning right up Magdalene Street and over the river.  Cross at the crossroads and walk up towards Castle Hill.  Once at Cambridgeshire County Council’s Shire Hall take the gap in the wall on your right and through the car park to the Castle Mound.  It’s just a short climb up the mound to take in the view across Cambridge.

Cambridge University Library from Castle Mound

Return back down Castle Hill, across the crossroads but now turn left and walk along Chesterton Lane and then Chesterton Road until you reach a metal bridge on your right crossing the river over the weir.  Turn left once on the other bank and return along the tow path with the river on your left until you reach the Green Dragon bridge.  Cross here to return to your car.

Our route was: 4 miles

See the route on mapometer.com

Terrain: Flat (slight incline if you detour to Castle Hill, sharper incline if you climb the mound). Tarmac path all the way except for small section of wooden staging at Quayside.  Cattle grids and pedestrian swing gates. 

Habitats: River, common land, park, urban.
Facilities: Public toilets on Midsummer Common (off route) or at the lock on Jesus Green and Quayside (on route).

Green Dragon pub at start, Fort St George on route, various cafes and restaurants along Quayside and Magdalene Street.

Note:  Stourbridge and Midsummer Common often have cattle grazing although they are well used to passers-by.

Houghton - St Ives - The Hemingfords - Houghton, Cambridgeshire (4.5 miles)

This walk starts in the village of Houghton at Houghton Mill, goes through St Ives and onto Hemingford Grey, Hemingford Abbots and back to Houghton.  Parts of the walk are on the Ouse Valley Way. 

The car park is free (for National Trust members).  We attempted this walk once before (without a map or instructions!) but went wrong somewhere and ended up walking around Houghton Meadows - which are nice but not where we were aiming for!  Anyway, the instructions below are taken from the National Trust website and were pretty good.  We stopped in St Ives at The River Tea Rooms for refreshments but there are numerous shops cafes and pubs on route in St Ives and and the National Trust cafe at Houghton Mill.

I can’t say it was the most exciting walk we’ve done, it didn't go along the river as much as we thought it would but it’s a fairly easy 5/6 miles.  

It was a dry warm day but you should be aware that some sections of the walk are prone to flooding in wet weather.

Houghton Mill

Houghton Mill is open to the public (check website for opening times) and if you want a nice view take a quick detour along the caravan site field to the river bank and look back towards the mill.

Take the path diagonally across Houghton Mill car park and through the kissing gate and turn right into the narrow path called Love Lane.

Turn right onto Thicket Road and follow it straight on until it becomes a path.
This path is tarmac right the way to St Ives.  Half way down you come to ‘The Thicket’ which is an short alternative pathway up into woodland if you wish.  If not just carry on along the tarmac pathway.

Continue on this path alongside the river to St Ives to come out opposite All Saints' Parish Church. Holt Island Nature Reserve is over the bridge on your right (Holt Island was closed and appears only to be open weekends and Bank Holidays) and the Norris Museum is just ahead.

St Ives, Cambridgeshire

Walk along The Broadway to the Victoria Memorial and take the right branch along Merryland.

Take the first right hand turn down Bridge Street, St. Ives just before you get to Market Hill and go over the bridge.
The River  Tea Rooms are down a small passageway on the right just before you cross the bridge.

Turn right through The Dolphin car park and out onto Hemingford Meadow. Walk across the meadow, following the path diagonally left.  Keep to this path until you reach a stile at the far side This is now a metal gate. 

Follow Meadow Lane until it bends sharply left and a track comes in from the right.

Take a small path straight ahead that comes out on a road. Follow the path ahead until you reach another road.

Turn right at the road to Hemingford Grey church.
Turn abruptly left alongside the graveyard to follow a path along the riverbank. 

Hemingford Meadows

Follow the path keeping the river on your right to the far end of the High Street then turn right to continue along the riverbank.

The path crosses two meadows then leads alongside a mobile home park into Hemingford Abbots.

Turn right along the road until you reach the Axe and Compass pub.

Take the next road on the right after the pub (this isn’t immediately after the pub but about  100m down the road) beside the post box and follow this over the Black Bridge. 

Cross Hemingford Meadow to a lock and follow the path back to Houghton Mill.

Our route was: 5.47 miles
See the route on mapometer.com
Terrain: Flat (if miss out The Thicket), tarmac and grass paths
Habitat: Meadow, River, Woodland, Urban
Facilities: Cafe and toilets at Houghton Mill (check website for opening times), Refreshments in St Ives, Axe & Compass Pub in Hemingford Abbots

The River Cam from Clayhithe, Cambridgeshire (3.5 miles)

Today I just needed a stroll for some fresh air.  N had been out this morning playing golf and he wasn’t really up for a long walk too far away.  We decided to go along the river starting at Clayhithe which is between Horningsea and Waterbeach.  Although it can get busy at times with joggers and cyclists also sharing the towpath, it is a lovely stretch of the river.  We have seen herons, swans, moorhens and cormorants, dragonflies, damselflies and butterflies.  

The River Cam at Clayhithe

There are parking spaces for a few cars by the entrance to the towpath (opposite The Bridge pub); in the pub (check first and only polite to purchase a drink and/or meal first) or at weekends there will probably be space in the station car park (fee payable).  

This walk is a little different to the others I have written about in that the mileage you do is really up to you.  Once you get on to the towpath, just follow it as far as you want.  If you stay with the river you can't really go wrong.  The length of The Cam from Clayhithe to Quayside in the centre of Cambridge is about 6 miles so, remembering you have to walk back to the car, you can walk anything from 1 mile to 12.  

The River Cam, Horningsea

Today we walked just under 3.5 miles round trip.  This took us almost to Bait’s Bite Lock (1.9 miles).  You can carry on past the lock and under the A14 to the Green Dragon Bridge in Chesterton (4 miles).  If you want to keep going then cross the bridge and follow the path along Stourbridge Common, past Riverside, under the Elizabeth Way bridge, along Midsummer Common, Jesus Green and onto Quayside (6 miles).  As the first refreshment stop after The Bridge at the start is not until The Green Dragon pub (4 miles) I recommend taking supplies if you are doing anything further than Bait's Bite Lock.  (Also see this route from The Green Dragon pub into Quayside and back)

Quayside, Cambridge

Our route was: 3.47 miles (this time!)
See the route on mapometer.com
Terrain: Flat, gravel towpath and tarmac
Habitat: River, Urban, Meadow, Park
Facilities: The Bridge pub, Clayhithe; The Green Dragon pub; various restaurants, bars etc on Quayside.

Newnham to Cambridge City Loop (2.2 miles)

This walk starts at Lammas Land Car Park, which is accessed from Newnham Road traffic lights junction, and heads into Cambridge, along the backs of the colleges, through to King's Parade and the mill pond before heading back along The River Cam.  It is a great mix of rural and urban and we think it is best early on a Sunday morning.  The car park can get full very quickly on a nice day!

It is worth a quick detour into the Paradise Nature Reserve before you leave Newnham.  This is one of my favourite parts of the river, a peaceful section through a small wood.  Also if you are a visitor to Cambridge there are lots places you can wander off route to visit the colleges, shops, markets and galleries.

Swan in Paradise NR, Newnham

1. From the car park take a small gateway into the reserve and follow the track in a loop through the wood and along by the river before coming out again in the car park.
2. Carry on towards the play area and pool but take a right across a small bridge.  Follow the path immediately to your left through Sheep’s Green alongside a small waterway.  Carry on until you reach the road (Fen Causeway).  
3. Cross the road at the pedestrian crossing and carry on along the pathway until you reach a pond.  Walk past the restaurants and turn right.  Go past The Granta pub and cross straight over the crossroads at the lights.  
4. Follow the path along Queen’s Road until you reach the entrance to King's College.  Take the sandy track that runs along 'The Backs' (King’s College Chapel should be on your right).  
5. You can then go through either Clare College, if it is open, this is chargeable during the summer but often not during the winter months, and then bear left into Trinity Lane then right down St Mary’s Passage.  Or go up to the next entrance (Garrett Hostel Lane) which is a right of way.  This will also bring you out on Trinity Lane but this time turn right and then left into St Mary’s Passage.
6. Once out of St Mary’s Passage turn right onto King’s Parade.  Follow this road past The Senate House and King’s College on your right and Gt. St. Mary’s church on your left.  There are lots of cafes, restaurant’s and pubs on this route, especially the Cambridge end but, if we have walked in the morning, we often stop off at The Copper Kettle opposite King’s for a sausage sandwich before making our way back!
7. At the end of King’s Parade swing right into Silver Street and follow the road before cutting through Laundress Lane, behind The Anchor pub.  At the end of the lane go right down to the mill pond.  
8. Cross the river and then follow the river to the left past the punts and weir.  The Double Tree Hotel should be on your left on the opposite bank.  Walk alongside the river all the way back to the roadway (Fen Causeway), cross the road and continue to walk with the river back towards Lammas Land.  Take the small bridge on your right back to the car park.

King's College Chapel

Our route was: 2.18 miles
See the route on mapometer.com
Terrain: Flat, mostly tarmac paths apart from the nature reserve.
Habitat: Woodland, river, meadow, urban
Facilities: Lammas Land end has toilets and a kiosk (summer only).  Cambridge end has numerous cafes, restaurants, pubs and shops.