Visit Grantchester village, near Cambridge


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< Up	Travel / Tours / England / Grantchester
Visit Grantchester (near Cambridge, England)


Sections:	Introduction
	Grantchester Meadows
	Rupert Brooke / The Orchard
	Byron's Pool
	Further information
	Links

INTRODUCTION

The pictures on this page were taken during a day-trip to Cambridge from London organised by International Friends:
International Friends also sometimes organises a free walk to Grantchester for international students living in Cambridge.
For details of the next tours, see: Travel/Tours/Company/InternationalFriends.

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GRANTCHESTER MEADOWS

There is a pleasant riverside walk from Cambridge to the village of Grantchester. The land is flat, so there are lovely views. Local farmers often put their cows on the grassy meadows through which you walk.

Walking to Grantchester

Cows sometimes graze in the fields

Once you have found the path you can't get lost, because you simply need to follow the path along the river until you reach Grantchester (the walk, which is about 1 mile or 1.6 km, will take about 1 hour). In summer you may see students punting on the river.

View across the fields

Stopping by the river

RUPERT BROOKE / THE ORCHARD

Once you are in Grantchester, you can relax in one of the local pubs or take tea in the gardens (or inside) at The Orchard (a tradition followed by many students and travellers since 1897). A famous English poet called Rupert Brooke lived in Grantchester, and it inspired some of his best-known poems. There is a free Rupert Brooke museum next to the car park at The Orchard.

Brooke's poem "The Old Vicarage, Grantchester" ends with the words:

"Stands the Church clock at ten to three?
And is there still honey for tea?"

He was referring to the church of St Andrew & St Mary, which is a short walk away in the centre of the village.

Tea at "The Orchard"

Rupert Brooke

The church clock in Grantchester, still set at ten to three

When the First World War broke out, Brooke wrote a short poem called The Soldier, which starts with the lines:

"If I should die, think only this of me:
That there's some corner of a foreign field
That is forever England ..."

Brooke died shortly after he wrote this poem: he became ill while he was being sent by ship to fight in the war. His war poems is much more sentimental than those of poets such as Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon who experienced fighting directly.

The Life and Selected Works of Rupert Brooke (book)
Author: John Frayn Turner
Publisher: Pen & Sword Books / Leo Cooper
Date: October 2004

Rupert Brooke : His Life and Poetry (audio book)
Author: Rupert Brooke
Narrators: Douglas Hodge & Mike Read
Publisher: CSA Word
Date: April 1997

BYRON'S POOL

There is a pleasant short walk from to a conservation area known as Byron's Pool (follow the signposts). The pool is named after the romantic poet Lord Byron, who is believed to have enjoyed swimming here. Byron studied at Trinity College, Cambridge, starting in 1805.

Byron's Pool

Actor playing Lord Byron

FURTHER INFORMATION

* Visitor information
The Orchard: http://www.nrm.org.uk

* Weather forecast for Cambridge/Grantchester
See: http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/5day.shtml?id=1413

Lonely Planet verdict: Grantchester "Three miles from Cambridge, Grantchester is a delightful village of thatched cottages and flower-filled meadows ... Its quintessential Englishness was recognised by the poet Rupert Brooke, who was a student at King's before World War One ... There are teashops, some attractive pubs and the Orchard Tea-garden, where cream teas are served under apple trees " (extracts from "Lonely Planet Great Britain - 2003 edition", used with permission)
	Lonely Planet Great Britain Publisher: Lonely Planet Publications Date: May 2007	Lonely Planet England Publisher: Lonely Planet Publications Date: March 2007
Other Lonely Planet publications

LINKS

British poets: English/Reading/Poetry
Photos of Cambridge: Travel/Tours/England/Cambridge
International Friends tours: Travel/Tours/Company/InternationalFriends

Home page: Home

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© UK Student Life 2002-2007

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