[Stubbs]

Have had to make a rather dull 'grown up' decision and accept a job in Cambridge starting in the new year.  Having lived in the 'shire for the last 11 years and not knowing anyone down there, I was wondering whether the UKB posse could fact me up?

In particular:
- Best area to live for a good choice of international supermarkets/interesting restaurants/interesting people which doesn't cost too much in rent
- Climbing facilities: I hear the wall isn't up to much, anyone know of any boards in the area?
- Weekend commuting times to the peak/yorks/etc

Cheers

Tim

[Johnny Brown]

I don't know much, but I did work there for a few days once. I've never seen so many bicycles. Did Wobble go to uni there, or was that the other place? Plus points... some good nature reserves nearby... errr its closer to font?

I think you can get to Sheffield in 2 hours on a good run - watch out for speed cameras on the A1 though.

[Will Hunt]

Go back on that decision, Tim. I dated a girl from that part of the country. Flat. As. Fuck.

Good luck in the new job.

[Nizza]

Got a friend who lives there and is in to his climbing, was talking of perhaps building a board and Campus board.  He could probably do with a bit of a kick up the arse to do it, how can I put this .... he likes his 'chilling'.

[Adam Lincoln]

Think Ru or Stu, maybe both know it well i think. Or i could be wrong!

[Nizza]

I'm sure your arms will get strong from the punting, take a Beastmaker and you'll be sorted.

[Stubbs]

I'm pretty resigned to bikeriding, punting, poetry recital and Beastmakering to be honest!

[ds]

I dated a girl from that part of the country. Flat. As. Fuck.

The girl or the county?    Boom boom tish, oh yes here all week ladies and gents

[Will Hunt]

Haha! Rude!

[Houdini]

There's more to life than the 'Shire Stubbs; are you a Hobbit?

Cambridgeshire is beautiful & unique. 


Think out of the box and enjoy your time there.

[mrjonathanr]

Kelsey Kerridge (by Parker's Piece) has the only climbing wall. It's shite. Make your own.

[the_Trickster]

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[the_Trickster]

Sorry, I am twat. Tried to embed a you tube video and failed.

Cambridge is not all bad check out this video:

[robertostallioni]

Have you considered a placement at Scunthorpe Polyversity, Stubbs? Settling for Cambridge looks a chumps choice.

[Joepicalli]

There's more to life than the 'Shire Stubbs; are you a Hobbit?

Cambridgeshire is beautiful & unique. 


Think out of the box and enjoy your time there.

Fuck-off Pollyanna 

[Stubbs]

Sorry, I am twat. Tried to embed a you tube video and failed.

Yeah ta, not really into climbing up buildings...

Did I say Cambridge was rubbish Houdini?  There's just no climbing there, can you remember what it was like when you really wanted to go climbing and be out at the crags, rather than being happy to go jogging or skipping?!

[Houdini]

No, but I'm weird.

[saltbeef]

i seem to remember ru and stu telling me how the best thing about the wall in cambridge was doing one finger one arm pull ups. there is a wall at ely. i haven't been for years but remember it being pretty mediocre. scoot lived there for a while and there was talk of a board somewhere around. (varian might know?)

[mrjonathanr]

if you use the search in ukc 'find crags' some obscure things appear, possibly climbable in cases..
http://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/map/#main

[T_B]

My bro lives in Ely. It's a lot cheaper to rent than Cambridge and is 10 mins on the train. Takes about 2 hours 20 mins to drive to Sheffield. Don't know anything about walls in the area... it would strike me as a fairly hard place to maintain psyche for climbing - good luck!

[Ena]

I work in Cambridge, have lived around here most of my life. if you don't care about hills and climbing it's a pretty fucking nice place to live. To try to answer your questions:

Where to live really depends on how much cash you have. Are we talking about a bedsit, flat, or what? It is expensive full stop. But it's also small and easy to cycle around - driving can be a pain. Lots of folk live in the satellite villages and cycle in. The best social features here are the pubs, more culture than you can shake a stick at, and the Arts Cinema. Apart from the Junction not many clubs any more, but the Junction is still excellent.

Walls and training. Build a woody or use a local's. Tom Rix on here has a good board and a Beastmaker, but you will want something to train on. The KK wall is knackered but I still like it. there is a new wall at CRC but I haven't been. Lots of other decent walls in an hours drive though, and a suprising number of climbers here.

From Cambridge to Cratcliffe or thereabouts takes a legal 2½ hours (less for some...), as does the Churnet - you'll end up there a lot! Day trips are fine but it does get tedious after a while. Stanage seems too far for a day trip for me.

Anyway, if the job is a good one and you can live without evening bouldering, it's a good place to live. If you like I can PM more info. Good luck!

Ian

[tommytwotone]

Nice post Ena, I grew up in Ely (just north of Cambridge) and can echo most of your points.

Think your "if you can live without the evening bouldering..." is spot on. Climbingwise there's not much, and no matter how much I go to KK when I'm back I can't seem to make myself like it. If it's wall climbing you're after, I guess a trip to London would be the best bet - assuming The Castle would be quickest.

In terms of places to live, there's been a load of development around the station - lots of swanky flats, but from a mate who used to rent one I know they're not cheap.

I've never actually lived in Cambridge itself, but the Mill Road area has always seemed the most desirable to me - lots of independent shops / cafes (esp. CB2) and stuff, and decently close to the city.

Oh, and learn to punt! A lazy evening of cruising up and down the Cam with a few beers from the off-licence is still one of my favourite ways to spend a night.

Decent boozers (though my knowledge may be a bit out of date) in the city I'd recommend would be The Bath, The Eagle, the one by the Mill Pond (seem to remember it's called something else officially but everyone just calls it The Mill) and The Granta.