Walking into the centre of Cambridge from Churchill College takes about 20 mins. When you reach a small roundabout, turn left into Northampton Street and at the traffic lights turn right into Magdalene Street. This takes about 8-10 min walking from the college. Magdalene Street crosses the River Cam into Bridge Street and walking for another few minutes leads you to the centre of Cambridge (The Market Square) via either Sidney Sussex Street or St Johns Street.
The Market Square, next to Great St. Mary’s Church, is less than 1 min away from Kings Parade and Kings College. Tenured faculty of the University of Cambridge are (still) required to live within one day’s horse ride of Great St. Mary’s Church, in case there is an urgent meeting of the University Senate.
The tourist office is called The Cambridge Visitor Information Centre and is in the Guildhall which is the large building on the south side of the market place (Peas Hill). Entrance is at the side opposite the tiny church of St Edward. It has leaflets, maps and helpful staff.
Scenic Walks around the centre of Cambridge all begin in the Market Place. (A note on navigating in Cambridge: due to competition between the Colleges and other interests, many roads in Cambridge have several names depending on precisely how far you walk. Trumpington Street, King’s Parade, Trinity Street, St. John’s Street and Round Church Street for example are all the same road). The centre of Cambridge is traffic free but there is an abundance of cyclists so please take care when crossing the street.
1. Trinity Street and the Backs:
From the Market Place turn onto Trinity Street at the Cambridge University Press bookshop and past some of the largest colleges on St John’s Street. Turn left at the Round Church onto Bridge Street, cross Magdalene Bridge and continue along Magdalene Street to traffic lights. Turn left. Follow Northampton Street to the roundabout. Turn left and take Queens Road along the Backs to the pedestrian crossing lights. Turn left along Garrett Hostel Lane with the big grassy gardens of Trinity College to your left. Continue over a sharp pedestrian bridge and turn right and left to follow Senate House Passage (where you should imagine you are Virgina Woolf on a bicycle) and back to the Market Place.
2. Jesus Green and the boat houses:
From the Market Place follow Market Street to Sidney Street and Bridge Street passing (or looking inside) the Round Church. Turn right along Portugal Place and then Park Parade and Jesus Green. Wander about a bit to the river. For a longer walk (or run) turn right along the tow-path and continue for up to two miles before returning. Or turn left along the riverside, to Bridge Street and turn left back the way you came.
3. The Kite area and King Street:
From the Market Place, head south past the Guildhall on Peas Hill, Bene’t Street and into tiny old Free School Lane (with the old Cavendish Lab, where the Braggs first confirmed the structure of crystals, and Watson and Crick discovered DNA). Turn left at Pembroke Street passing university museums and science faculties. This becomes Downing Street. At the top (John Lewis Department store) cross over to Emmanuel College and go in if allowed at the time. Wander round the college and gardens. Feed the ducks etc. Leaving Emmanuel College behind you turn right and round to the bus station behind which is Christ’s Pieces, another small green park. Deviate right to the Free Press pub on Prospect Row if at all possible and explore the surrounding streets of beautiful Cambridge terraced houses (eg Orchard Street). Otherwise, cross Christ’s Pieces and do a wide U-turn left and into King Street. At the end of King Street, cut through pedestrianised Sussex Street, turn left again and right into Market Street.