[1] Coming out of the Devonshire Road entrance/exit of the YHA, turn right towards Tenison Road, and turn right, North, along Tenison Road in front of the YHA. After only 50m, turn left, West, along Lyndewode Road. At the end of Lyndwode Road, turn left along Glisson Road. At the T junction with Hills Road, turn left. Turn first right into Norwich Street. At the end of Norwich Street, turn left into Panton Street. At the end of Panton Street, turn right into Bateman Street. At the end of Bateman Street, turn left into Trumpington Road and walk beside Hobson’s Conduit. This watercourse was constructed in the early 1600s to supply Cambridge with fresh water. About 50m before the traffic lights at the Brooklands Avenue junction, fork left along a dark footpath beside the railings on your left.
[2] Cross over Brooklands Avenue and continue along a footpath to Long Road. At the end of the footpath, turn right along Long Road. At the end of Long Road, turn left onto Trumpington Road.
[3] At the Trumpington war memorial, fork right along Church Lane. Pass the church and continue along Grantchester Road.
Optional ½ mile diversion to Byron’s Pool. Look out for a track on the left just before a lone house signed to Bryon’s Pool. The woodland adjacent to the river here is a Local Nature Reserve and has a small car park. There are two pleasant main paths through the wood. You pass a new concrete weir which provides head for Grantchester Mill at the 2/3 point, and a seat at the end. Return to Grantchester Road.
Continue along Grantchester Road into Grantchester and cross a bridge by the Mill Pond. Immediately after the bridge, turn right onto a footpath beside the river. This bypasses a short section of the road. Follow the footpath which turns left and heads back to the road. Continue ahead onto Mill Way. Follow Mill Way as it passes the Orchard Tea Rooms and bends right then left and becomes the High Street. Pass the church of St Andrew and St Mary on your left. Turn right in front of the Green Man public house, pass the thatched Red Lion public house on your left and continue to the end of the road.
[4] Enter Grantchester meadows. Either follow the straight footpath to your left which will take you the one mile back to the outskirts of Cambridge or follow a path which is only a little longer beside the river Granta. This may be muddier in winter. The two routes converge about 300m before the outskirts of Newnham. Walk ahead along the road “Grantchester Meadows”. Fork left along Eltisley Avenue, with a car dealers on your right. At the end of Eltisley Avenue, turn left into Grantchester Street, and pass a small general shop on your right. At the end of Grantchester Street when it meets the A603, Newnham Road, turn right onto a common, “Lammas Land”.
[5] Take the path along the right hand edge of the common signed to the rail station and Trumpington. Walk to the right hand side of a children’s paddling pool and the associated tea room and cross the footbridge at the corner of Lammas Land onto Sheep’s Green. Bear left at the end of the footbridge and walk across Sheeps Green towards an open air learner swimming pool, then follow along beside the river, with this on your right. Cross a road, Fen Causeway. There is a small underpass, but this may be wet and muddy.
Continue along beside the river to the Mill Pond where there are usually many punts and other boats for hire. At the Mill Pond, turn right and cross the water at the weir with two sluice gates, outside The Mill public house. Then turn left and head down a passage, Laundress Lane, with the Anchor public house on your left. At Silver Street with the red brick wall of Queens College ahead of you, turn right, Pass Queens College then St Catherines College on your left and then turn left along Trumpington Street.
You will now walk North through Cambridge to the Round Church, along Trumpington Street, Kings Parade, Trinity Street and finally St John’s Street. On the way you will pass these places in turn: St Botolph’s Church, St Catherine’s College, Corpus Christie College, Kings College and Chapel, Great St Mary’s Church, the Senate House, Gonville and Caius College, Trinity College and St John’s College. From the end of St John’s Street outside the Round Church, the route heads left along Bridge Street for 200m past St John’s College to get a good view of the River Cam from Magdalene Bridge.
[6] Return along Bridge Street to the Round Church. With the Round Church on your left head South-East, still on Bridge Street. Continue ahead along Sidney Street passing Sidney Sussex College on your left, and later Holy Trinity Church on your right, and Marks and Spencers on the left. Continue along St Andrews Street, passing between St Andrew the Great’s Church and Christ’s College. Pass Emmanuel College. Outside the University Arms Hotel the road becomes Regent Street. Turn left just after the hotel and before the shops beyond the hotel and enter Parker’s Piece, another common. Walk across Parker’s Piece, slowly diverging from the right hand side (Regent Terrace which backs Regent Street), and aim for a set of traffic lights controlling cyclists crossing Gonville Place.
Cross Gonville Place at these lights and continue ahead along Gresham Road. Look out for the University Cricket Ground, Fenners which you can see along a passage on your left. Turn right at the end of Gresham Road onto Glisson Road. Take the first left turning , Lyndewood Road. At the end turn right into Tenison Road and find the YHA in just a few metres along on your left.