YHA Cambridge - Colleges and the Backs

Cambridge is well supported by the M11 and the A14, A428 and A10 roads. There is a good Park and Ride scheme which avoids the severe difficulties of parking within Cambridge.  There are also good bus and train connections.  The YHA is close to the rail station., Cambridge has a small regional airport.

[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 Lyndewode Road, turn sharp right along Glisson Road. Take the next left turn and walk along Gresham Road.  On your right hand side you may be able to catch a glimpse down a passage into the University cricket ground, Fenners. At the end of Gresham Road, cross Gonville Place at the traffic lights onto the large grassed area, Parker’s Piece. Walk across Parker’s Piece, heading for the far left hand corner next to the University Arms Hotel, with green copper cladding to it's corner tower roofs.. Leave Parker’s Piece and turn right onto Regent Street. Regent Street soon becomes St Andrew’s Street. Pass Emmanuel College, then Christ’s College and St Andrew the Great church and bear left along Sidney Street, passing Marks and Spencers on your right.

[2] Turn left at Holy Trinity Church into Market Street. Take the first right turn along the pedestrianised Rose Crescent. Turn left into Trinity Street and pass Gonville and Caius College. When Trinity Street opens out into Kings Parade by the Senate House and Great St Mary’s Church, turn right and walk along Senate House Passage with the Senate House on your left. At the end of this passage, turn right into Trinity Lane, and pass Trinity Hall on your left. Take the first left turn along Garrett Hostel Lane which leads between Trinity Hall and Trinity College, then across the River Cam to the Backs.  There are usually good views from this bridge of people punting. 

[3] Just before reaching Queens Road, turn left onto a path and walk South, with a splendid view of King’s College Chapel. Near a set of pedestrian controlled traffic lights, fork left onto a footpath, photo 10, across the grass which cuts off a corner and comes out onto Silver Street. Turn left along Silver Street, cross the River Cam and pass Queen’s College, and then St Catherine’s College.

[4] At the T junction with Trumpington Street, opposite St Botolph’s Church, turn right. Pass the famous Fitzbillies cake shop on your left , then Pembroke College, Peterhouse College and the Fitzwilliam Museum and continue ahead to a mini roundabout where you turn left into Lensfield Road. Notice the monument and water course, Hobson's Conduit, on your right at this corner.  Hobson built this conduit to supply water to Cambridge in 1614. Pass the large Department of Chemistry and the Scott Polar Research Institute which has a small museum, then turn right at the Catholic church with it’s 65m spire into Hills Road. Take the 4^th left turn on Hills Road and walk along Glisson Road. Turn right onto Lyndewode Road. At the end of Lyndewode Road, turn right along Tenison Road and return to the start of the walk.

(A) Parker’s Piece. This 10ha of common land is named after Edward Parker who farmed it and was a cook at Trinity College who owned the land before 1613.  It is now regarded as the birthplace of the rules of Association Football. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parker%27s_Piece

(B) Emmanuel College. This college was founded in 1584 by Sir Walter Mildmay, Chancellor of the Exchequer to Elizabeth I.   Emmanuel has 500 undergraduates and 134 graduates  Alumni include John Harvard who founded Harvard College in the USA, and Griff Rhys Jones.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emmanuel_College,_Cambridge   http://www.emma.cam.ac.uk

(C) Christ’s College. This was founded by Lady Margaret Beaufort in 1505, and was the twelfth of the current colleges to be founded in its current form, though it had been previously founded as God's House in 1437.  Christ's has 420 undergraduates and 170 graduates.  John Milton and Charles Darwin were at Christ's.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christ%27s_College,_Cambridge    http://www.christs.cam.ac.uk

(D) Holy Trinity Church. A church has been here since Roman times.   One section of the current building dates back to 1189 and there have been many alterations and extensions to the building since then. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Trinity_Church,_Cambridge     http://www.htcambridge.org.uk

(E) Gonville & Caius College. This is the fourth-oldest college at the University of Cambridge and one of the wealthiest.  There are 475 undergraduates and 230 gradustes. It's alumni have won twelve Nobel Prizes.  David Frost and Kenneth Clarke were at this college. http://www.cai.cam.ac.uk    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gonville_and_Caius_College,_Cambridge

(F) Great St Mary’s Church. This is the University Church.  Previous churches on this site date back to 1205.  There is a modern ring of 13 bells in the key of D.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_St_Mary_the_Great,_Cambridge     http://www.gsm.cam.ac.uk

(G) Trinity Hall. This, the fifth-oldest college,was founded in 1350 by William Bateman, Bishop of Norwich.     The college has 390 undergraduates and 231 graduates.  Samual Pepys, J B Priestley and Geoffrey Howe studied at Trinity Hall.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinity_Hall,_Cambridge    http://www.trinhall.cam.ac.uk

(H) Trinity College. This college was founded in 1546 by Henry VIII and is now the largest college with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates.  It's alumni include Prince Charles, Isaac Newton, six Prime Ministers and many Nobel prizewinners.     http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinity_College,_Cambridge     http://www.trin.cam.ac.uk

(I)Clare College. The college was founded in 1326, making it the second-oldest surviving college of the University after Peterhouse. Clare is famous for its chapel choir and for its gardens on "the Backs".  The college has 440 undergraduates and 210 graduates.  David Attenborough studied at Clare. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clare_College,_Cambridge     http://www.clare.cam.ac.uk

(J) King’s College was founded in 1441 by Henry VI.  The famous chapel was built between 1446 and 1544.  It is one of the greatest examples of late Gothic English architecture. It has the world's largest fan-vault, and the chapel's stained-glass windows and wooden chancel screen are considered some of the finest from their era.  The chapel is normally open daily to visitors, there is a charge.  The college has 420 undergraduates and 280 graduates.  John Maynard Keynes, Rupert Brooke, Alan Turing and Salman Rushdie studied at King's. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King's_College,_Cambridge     http://www.kings.cam.ac.uk

(K) Queen’s College was founded in 1448 by Margaret of Anjou, Henry VI's wife.  It has 525  undergraduates and 370 graduates.  Stephen Fry was an undergraduate here. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queens'_College,_Cambridge     http://www.queens.cam.ac.uk

(L) St Catherine’s College. This college was founded in 1473.  It has 436 undergraduates and 165 graduates.  Jeremy Paxman was at this college. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Catharine's_College,_Cambridge   https://www.caths.cam.ac.uk

(M) Corpus Christi College was founded in 1352 by Cambridge townspeople.   There are 267 undergraduates and 207 graduates. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corpus_Christi_College,_Cambridge     http://www.corpus.cam.ac.uk

(N) St Botolph’s Church. The Church is dedicated to St Botolph, a seventh century abbot in East Anglia, who is the patron saint of travellers.  Norman and Saxon churches stood on the site prior to the existing church, which was built in 1350.   http://www.stbotolphs.net

(O) Fitzbillies Cake Shop & Restaurant. This cake shop has been selling its ridiculously sticky Chelsea Buns since 1922.   http://www.fitzbillies.com

(P) Pembroke College. Founded in 1347, this is the third oldest college.  It has 442 undergraduates and 264 graduates, and was attended by William Pitt the Younger, Ted Hughes, Peter Cook, Bill Oddie, and Tim Brooke-Taylorhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pembroke_College,_Cambridge‎     http://www.pem.cam.ac.uk

(Q) Peterhouse College. Established in 1284 by the Bishop of Ely, this is the oldest college of the University.  There are 273 undergraduates and  94 graduates.   Michael Howard, Michael Portillo, James Clerk Maxwell, Sir Frank Whittle studied at Peterhouse http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peterhouse,_Cambridge     http://www.pet.cam.ac.uk

(R) The Fitzwilliam Museum is the art and antiquities museum of the University of Cambridge.  It was founded in 1816 with the bequest of the library and art collection of 7th Viscount FitzWilliam.  The museum has five departments: Antiquities; Applied Arts; Coins and Medals; Manuscripts and Printed Books; and Paintings, Drawings and Prints.  Entrance to the museum is free, but it is closed on Mondays. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fitzwilliam_Museum     http://www.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/

(S) Scott Polar Research Institute. This  is a centre for research into the polar regions and glaciology worldwide.  It  was founded in 1920 as the national memorial to Captain Robert Falcon Scott and his companions.  It houses a comprehensive polar Library and Archives, and a museum which is open Tuesdays to Saturdays, with free admission. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Polar_Research_Institute     http://www.spri.cam.ac.uk

(T) Our Lady and the English Martyrs, Roman Catholic Church. This large Gothic Revival church was built between 1885 and 1890. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Lady_and_the_English_Martyrs_Church     http://www.olem.org.uk/

Please check individual college websites for details prior to visiting.  Admission policies vary with venue and season.

Route developed by Keith Rose  keith@krose.plus.com

This walk was developed in response to a joint  initiative between the Ramblers and the YHA.