Grantchester
Grantchester is the village about two miles up the river from Cambridge, reached on foot across Grantchester Meadows or by punt, known for its tea garden and its literary associations. The walk along the meadows is one of the classic Cambridge outings.
In practice
The Orchard Tea Garden, where tea is served in deckchairs under fruit trees, has been popular with students and writers since the late nineteenth century. The poet Rupert Brooke lodged in the village before the First World War and wrote "The Old Vicarage, Grantchester", and members of the Bloomsbury circle visited him there. More recently the ITV detective drama "Grantchester" has made the village known to a new audience. The river above Cambridge is shallow and peaceful, and people swim in it in summer at their own risk.
Why it matters to newcomers
On a sunny weekend, walking or cycling from Newnham across the meadows to Grantchester for tea or lunch at one of its pubs is what half of Cambridge does. The punt journey upstream is longer and harder work than the tourist trips through the Backs.
Related
- Punt - one way to get there
- Granta - the name of the river above Cambridge
- The Backs - the stretch of river in town
Source: Cambridge City Council.