Dodging the cyclists in Cambridge.

Sophie had today off and we'd made the decision to go to Cambridge for a change. The weather was supposed to have been wet but we were very lucky and saw sunshine and blue skies!

We set off at about 10.30am and had an easy journey on the updated A14. I wanted to do the park and ride, so we headed for Madingley Road car park, left the car and boarded a bus with a grumpy driver. Sophie asked for two adults and "an old man" and rather than chuckle, the driver demanded Keith's bus pass, which he doesn't have (and don't think ever will!). The last time he was on a bus was at the airport going to a plane!

Grumpy then charged us a reasonable £8.40 return for all three of us and we sat and waited for ages before he was sure there was no one else in a hundred-mile radius that wanted to board. The journey wasn't long and we alighted in the town centre, close to the river and lots of shops, pubs and cafés. 

First up was coffee, of course, and we chose Fitzbillies for a drink and a warm sausage roll. It was a lovely café, a bit on the pricey side, but the coffees and sausage rolls were delicious. They sold their own tee shirts, coffee, tea, preserves, biscuits and mugs and the range of food on offer was great.

There were a fair amount of students visiting and I noticed two girls carrying book bags - one emblazoned with the Shakespeare & Company logo (a famous bookshop in Paris) and the other with Daunt's books. I felt a certain amount of envy - how lovely to be a student at Cambridge studying English literature!

After our snack, we visited a nearby charity shop but Sophie was unimpressed. We then had a wander through the town centre, dodging the many, many cyclists who were speeding about. We really had to be on our guard as they were everywhere, and the worst ones were the delivery drivers using electric mopeds or scooters, which were silent. They would have done a lot of damage if they'd hit us as some of them were travelling at speed.

It hadn't really been our intention to shop but Cambridge is blessed with some lovely stores and there was a market taking place as well. The sun was out and it was a gorgeous day so we were very thankful!

All the church railings advertise local events

Gonville and Caius College

King's College Chapel

As Keith was with us, we didn't do any shopping but it was still lovely to look around. We found an Anthropologie store and just had to go in, but the prices were very steep! I was looking for a gift for Andrea as we are doing a Secret Santa the next time we meet in December, but even my £15 wouldn't have bought much!

After looking around the shops we decided to have a drink and called into The Bath House, tucked away down a side street. It was lovely and cosy inside with dark walls and ceilings and subtle lighting. We ordered two mulled wines and a pint of beer and took a seat overlooking a large group of people.

It was lovely to sit and relax for a while and Keith seemed happy with his beer, an IPA. We chatted and absorbed the lovely atmosphere, sipping our drinks and discussing where to have lunch. Sophie wanted to go to The Punter where we'd been on New Year's Day a few years ago so we checked how long it would take us and set off.

The sun was still shining, lighting up the leaves of a beautiful tree nearby:

More posters and bicycles!

We headed down to the river and crossed over a bridge. Although this was a footpath, the number of people on bikes was staggering - and they were cycling very fast. One wrong move and we would have been mown down!

We crossed over a road and took a path that skirted college grounds. Thankfully, the bikes here had to go on the road so we had a bit of a respite! The Punter wasn't far and luckily they were open and serving food until 3pm. There was no bar service so we were shown to a table by the window and our orders for drinks were taken. Sophie and I both had a half-pint of Guinness while Keith had the "strongest "beer available!

We had planned on having sandwiches, but the menu only contained meals so we chose fish and chips (Keith), burger (Sophie) and sausage and mash (me). I was having a very porky day!

The food and ambience were wonderful and we had a lovely late lunch sitting by the sunny window. Sophie and I managed to find room for pud - chocolate and orange mousse and an orange and almond cake served with mascarpone.

After our meal, we strolled back towards the centre of town and waited at the bus stop. We had about a fifteen-minute wait, plenty of time to watch the comings and goings of the locals, most of whom were astride bikes or scooters. And it wasn't just students riding them, people of my age were on them as well!

Back at the car, we gave Trish instructions to get us home and she took us on a winding country route to the A14, passing through the lovely village of Madingley. Unfortunately, she hadn't been updated so she was a bit unsure of how to actually get us on the busy road! We could see it, we were driving parallel to it, but we couldn't seem to get on it! Luckily, we soon saw signs and joined the very busy route west. It was getting dark and the road was a mass of car lights. Every now and again you can cross this hugely busy road, and I think anyone who does needs their heads examined!

It was bliss to get home, turn the heating on for a while and relax!