LISA

On our introductory wander around the town the afternoon we arrived we were delighted with 3 great finds: the cheapest fish and chip shop yet, which subsequently hosted us for dinner; one of only 4 surviving medieval round churches in the country; and super-cheap (at £5 a 50-75% discount depending on who you believe) chauffeured punting on the river Cam.

Our gentle trip down the river was a spectacular way to see the backs of the colleges. In fact, as most of the land on either side of the river is private university land, it's really the only way you can see them. They present an amazing array of architecture through the centuries as each monarch wanted to leave their mark, and some had the money to do so. Others were founded by a collection of saints and scholars, and one was the first building designed by famous architect Christopher Wren.

The bridges were another highlight on the trip which our cheerful guide was only too happy to chatter about: one wonky (bad design), one only half decorated (bad cash flow - a copy of the Venetian Bridge of Sighs), and one an engineering marvel for its time (structured with triangles - it gets stronger as weight is put on it).

We had planned to go punting the next day, but the cheap prices made us change our mind. As it turns out, it was a good thing too because the river was much less crowded at twilight, and it rained all the next day.

Having only found the Round Church at closing time the first day we spent a couple of hours there in the morning reading the interesting displays and watching a video about the history of the Church, the town, and Christianity in England. Deciding there was just too much information to remember, and that what we did know provided some great insights into English history, we succumbed to the tourist-trap and bought the book (£2, and worth it we think).

Heading back to the hostel we collected our packs and ran (literally - very ungraceful in a backpack) for our train to Clavering and on to London…..