travel writer

By Tim Saunders

Original Winnie the Pooh manuscripts by AA Milne are in Trinity’s Wren College, Cambridge and poet Rupert Brooke attended King’s College while living in Grantchester. These are just some of the fascinating facts Sianna our impressive Scudamore’s punter reveals during her enthralling forty-five minute trip from Quayside down the River Cam. Sianna, an eloquent medical student from The University of Liverpool, explains that there are 25 bridges in the city – not all along this stretch of water - and it’s difficult to get the power to go through some of them. But she does while remembering some really interesting information including how the building next to King’s College Chapel, The Gibbs’ Building looks a lot like The White House in Washington DC and could well have been the inspiration for it. We recline back and listen as the sun plays with the ducks on the water and other punts powered by far less happy and engaging punters, make their way down the river. “Does anyone like football?” asks Sianna. Henry’s hand instantly shoots up. “Well, you might like to know that the Cambridge University Library Special Collections has a copy of the Cambridge Rules of football, created in 1846 by 14 Cambridge men and that’s what are used today.” There are countless other tales about the colleges being extremely wealthy and how Trinity College owns the O2 arena; a proportion of every ticket sale goes to the college. The student David Attenborough would skive from lessons to play with beetles and worms and Pink Floyd formed in a pub along the river. Cambridge is the second oldest university in the country, after Oxford. We all leave feeling that we have learnt something.

We stay in Sandy, about half an hour away by car, at The Tack Room at Fullers Hill Cottages where there are seven luxury self-catering properties run by John and Jenny Jefferies. A few years ago they set about converting their disused Victorian barns and this is the result. This accommodation is situated on a busy 550 acre arable farm where linseed, flaxseed and rape are grown. There’s a vintage airfield. The moment we arrive, slightly weary from our three hour car journey, we feel at home. It’s a very private setting with a butterfly garden and hot tub. When I sit outside with a cup of tea, a little cricket hops on to the table to greet me. Inside there’s a lounge diner, two bedrooms and a wet room. We’re in the master with its good sized double bed and Henry is in his separate bed – there’s plenty of space in this cavernous room. The property is finished to a good standard and we all enjoy using the electric Velux blinds. Comfy beds guarantee a good night’s sleep. We prepare our own food and find the kitchen easy to use. Heidi is a dab hand with the Nespresso machine and teaches Henry how to use it. The children like the play area and we watch an aeroplane land on the airfield. There are some countryside walks too if time allows. A lorry arrives to collect grain followed by a massive combine harvester.        

When travelling, car parking can be a bit of a headache but this is all taken care of by justpark.com where I find a space in Ravensworth Gardens on the edge of the city and leave the car there. It does make life so much easier. We park there whenever we need to throughout our visit without any problem whatsoever.

Cambridge is a beautiful city but it’s quite large and so we’re glad to have brought Henry’s scooter because his little legs would otherwise struggle with this jaunt.

At Phocafe, the Vietnamese street food restaurant in Wheeler Street we have a table by the window where we watch the world below going by. When dining out Caroline and I do like to try new foods and we’re able to do this here. A really delicious fish curry and a beer for me and a tasty chicken curry and green tea lemonade followed by dragon fruit lemonade for Caroline. The children are less adventurous, sticking to prawn crackers, salads and fizzy drinks but they’re happy especially with their ice cream desserts. Vietnamese Affogato, hot Vietnamese filter coffee that we pour over a scoop of ice cream gives Caroline and I the energy we need to walk back to the car. It’s a wonderful, unhurried experience.

Walking around the city on a Friday night with little children is probably not everyone’s cup of tea but I can report we do not face any issues at all. There’s no bad language or abuse as you might find in other towns and cities, especially during a summer of unrest. Cambridge feels a very safe place that attracts well behaved tourists. The trouble is we do not have a map and we refuse to be glued to a device. So we get lost! But it’s only in getting lost that you discover and although we’re very tired, we all cope, there’s no moaning but eventually when we walk down the same street a few times Caroline pops into a hotel and the receptionist helpfully prints out a map and explains where we are. So we get back to the car for midnight and back to our ranch thirty minutes later. On the way back an owl flies across one of the fields, no doubt in search of dinner.  

When we go away we always try to swim; it’s so good for relaxing, for my back and to ensure the children don’t forget this important life skill. The Better swimming pool at Parkside in the city has one large swimming pool, two smaller ones and a couple of flumes. The children are quite happy going on the flumes while Caroline and I do a bit of swimming and then when they have enough of the flumes they join us in the pool. It’s good to see that their strokes are developing and they are becoming confident and strong swimmers.

We’ve worked up our appetites and at Six Brasserie at The Varsity Hotel in Thompsons Lane, an enjoyable homemade crab cake followed by succulent duck breast and fries awaits me, accompanied by a glass of pale ale. Tasty. It’s enjoyable watching the chefs preparing our food, too. Salmon on a bed of couscous, roasted pepper and cucumber with a lager is Caroline’s choice while the girls opt for beef burgers and fizzy drinks. Henry has a margherita pizza and Coke. “It’s as good as any,” he says, unable to manage all of it, but I finish it for him. We enjoy rooftop views across the city and spy a crane - there’s a bit of building work going on.

The aeroplane theme that we’re introduced to at Fullers Hill Cottages continues at IWM Duxford, Europe’s largest air museum and home to a Concorde and a Spitfire amongst many others. We enjoy mooching around the massive hangars and Henry is delighted to learn that he can actually go on Concorde. He is stunned to learn that it travelled at up to 1,450mph and could reach America from England in under three hours. Our trip to the museum is made all the more memorable by the vintage air show that runs until sunset. A bomber, a Spitfire and other historic aircraft including bi-planes and Yak aerobatic planes grace the skies. The event, which is slightly delayed by the arrival of a seagull on the runway, draws to a close with a stunning and breathtaking airborne pyrotechnics display courtesy of two gliders and a helicopter. We’re left speechless. It’s really magical to watch.

After our second swim we head for Wimpole Hall, a magnificent stately home. Our guide informs us that like many such properties its grounds were inspired by the formal grounds of French palaces like Versaille. The house has a sad tale of greed though. It’s about a man who plundered his wife’s fortune in the pursuit of showing off. Such extravagance is ours to enjoy for the afternoon. Henry huffs and puffs as we make our way round the mansion. “Why did you bring me here?” he moans. But I think it does the little blighter good to be immersed in history and to show him design and architecture. Memories that will come back later. Large paintings line the walls. It’s the garden and the farm where Henry enjoys himself. We see pigs whose smell is apparently 2,000 times stronger than ours…. It’s smelly to us so goodness knows how they must feel. It is surprising that they are not given more room in these large grounds. Henry and I play frisbee and are joined by a boy called Archie. Later on we play football.

Initially Cambridge University Botanic Garden is another reason for Henry to be disparaging. “Why do you bring me to such places?” he groans. But after we have gone through the challenging behaviour we’re able to get him to go off with big sister Heidi to complete his activity book so that he can get a badge. It’s necessary for them to walk round the gardens using a map to spot certain flowers and stamp their books. This works a treat and we can then enjoy a little good quality time on a bench by the wonderful water fountains, which are so relaxing to watch and to hear. These gardens are so inspiring, not just to look at but the research that is being conducted. Scientists have discovered how over time some plants, flowers and trees have adapted to tackle climate change. They inspire humanity’s progress and can be used medicinally. The grounds are beautifully laid out and there is such variety. We really enjoy the rockery part and the greenhouses are crammed full of interesting plants and cacti.

Lately we have been feeling that our approach to life has isolated us but when we visit Henry Moore Studios & Gardens it is heartening to learn that others have shared similar ideals and been successful. When we moved to our current home we chose the location and the garden over the property. It would seem that Henry Moore (1898 to 1986) had a similar mindset. His compact house in Perry Green has wonderful grounds. He and his wife Irina were here when their flat in London was destroyed in WWII and so they decided to rent half of it. They shared the kitchen with another family. Then an opportunity arose to buy the whole house for £900. He was able to put down £300 from the sale of a sculpture as a deposit. Later he extended the house and bought parcels of land to make it what it is today. We’re trying to improve our home at the moment but there’s more bureaucracy these days. Our view of travelling differs to Henry Moore’s. He did not want to spend any time away from his studio and so when it was necessary to travel to say, Berlin, he would send an assistant. He and his wife were great collectors and had a sculpture by Rodin and drawings by Picasso among many others. These are exhibited in the house together with their vast library of books. His textiles adorn some of the curtains. Moore was the seventh of eight children brought up in fairly straitened times and admirably he went on to run a million pound business from this house. He is proof that if you want something badly enough you can do it. The gardens are home to various Moore sculptures and we learn about how these abstract pieces use the space between them to great effect. On a bright summer’s day the sun hits the sculptures creating shadows and Henry enjoys playing hide and seek amongst them while we have our picnic.

This is a very inspirational trip and one where even little Henry has made some wonderful memories.