| Event type: | Outing |
| Date: | 11th December 2025 |
| Organiser: |
Outings Co-ordinator
Tel: 01926 858 563
|
| Cost: | £20 pp |
| Booking: | Note that booking is required. |
Pick up 8.50am Abbey Fields, 9.00am Abbey End/The Clock
This Outing is now fully booked - If you want go on the waiting list, complete the form, but don't send money.
History
Cambridge had settlements during the bronze and iron ages and continued to develop throughout the centuries, mainly due to its position on the river Cam. From a small academic community of monks during the eleventh century, it became a world-beating University, now with 31 colleges, producing great scientific minds such as that of Sir Isaac Newton and Steven Hawking. Cambridge is also at the heart of high-technology - the Silicon Fen - which contains industries such as software and bioscience and many start-up companies born out of the university. The Cambridge Biomedical Campus, one of the largest biomedical research clusters in the world, includes the headquarters of AstraZeneca and the relocated Royal Papworth Hospital.
The city is easy to explore on foot.
What to see
There are many museums in Cambridge, the most famous being the Fitzwilliam Museum, which houses world-class collections of art and antiquities spanning centuries and civilisations, features permanent and changing exhibitions (please check for details). There is also a good Cafe.
At Kettle’s Yard, one of the country’s finest galleries and a major centre for 20th century and contemporary art, visitors will find a wide range of artworks, sculpture trail walks and galleries to appreciate.Again there is a cafe. Charges apply.
Discover Polar adventure and exploration on your doorstep at the Polar Museum on Lensfield Road, near to the Botanic Garden. From penguins to paintings, sleeping bags to sextants, Inuit art to explorers’ diaries – find out about exploration, science and survival at the extreme ends of the earth. You can see Fossil ferns from approximately 140 years ago; Snow Goggles used by Ernest Shackleton on the Endurance; an unopened tin of pemmican from 1909; a folding camera used by Robert Falcon Scott at the South Pole during the expedition on the Terra Nova 1910-13
Amongst the many churches open to view is St Bene’ts, the oldest building in Cambridge and next to this is the Eagle pub where in 1953 Francis Crick announced that he and James Watson had discovered DNA. Many Universities are also open to explore, for a charge, but check details.
All Saints Craft Fair in All Saints Garden, opposite Trinity College, which is open Wednesday to Saturday in December, weather permitting. It hosts a wide range of local artists and craft people who make the goods they sell. It has been running for more than 35 years and sells among other things fine jewellery, pottery and sculpture, photography, paintings , prints and clothing.
A walking tour can be booked individually and there is the hop-on bus to take you around the major sights.
There is a large variety of shops, a Christmas Market and a wide selection of places to eat.
Booking forms can be found by clicking here:- Booking Form. They are also available from the Outings table at Open Meetings. We also ask those booking to make a member of the Outings Team aware of ANY issues that may affect their ability to travel or enjoy the outings, so that these can be discussed with a view to obtaining a reasonable solution.