Cambridge first came to prominence in 1209, when a number of scholars moved here from Oxford. It soon became a center for learning, and by the mid-13th century Cambridge was firmly established and recognised as a university city with its own chancellor. The first college, Peterhouse, was founded in 1284 by the Bishop of Ely, and in the next two centuries eleven more colleges were founded. Today, the university has more than 10,000 undergraduates and some thirty colleges.
The walk starts at the Guildhall opposite the colourful stalls of the marketplace, and soon you pass the University Church of Great St Mary's. Just across King's Parade are the administrative headquarters of the university.
There are three colleges on King's Parade. The first on the route is King's College, founded in 1440 and housing a magnificent pinnacled chapel (sometimes open to the public and well worth a visit). Next is the early red brick of St Catharine's College, built in 1473, and over the road, the grey stone of Corpus Christi College, which predates it by over a century.
Down by the River Cam is Queens' College, founded in 1448. The famous Mathematical Bridge connects the two parts of the college; originally constructed in 1749, it was rebuilt in 1902.
Soon you come to one of the aesthetic highlights of the walk, an area known as "The Backs", where trees and graceful lawns slope gently down to the river behind east-facing college buildings.
At Garret Hostel Bridge, pause to look north to Trinity Bridge, framed in weeping willows, and south to Clare College and King's. You may even be tempted to try your hand at punting, as there are several points along the river from which you may embark. Just over the bridge stands Trinity Hall, dating from 1350, whose gardens are famed for their herbaceous borders.
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, just beyond Trinity College and St John's College (Cambridge's two largest colleges), is something of a rarity as one of only four round churches in the entire country.
Magdalene Bridge stands near the old Roman site and is the bridge from which the city takes its name.
At St Giles' Church, it is possible to take rubbings of the fine brasses found within, while nearby, housed in what was formerly the White Horse Inn, is an interesting folk museum.
As you walk alongside the river, you skirt the edge of Midsummer Common, where one of the largest fairs in the country has been held since the Middle Ages. Soon you cross Christ's Pieces, a delightful small green area with a wonderful display of flower beds in spring and summer. Parker's Piece is larger and accommodates several cricket and hockey pitches.
On Lensfield Road is the Scott Polar Research Institute, founded as a memorial to Captain Scott and his companions.
Further along the road is Hobson's Conduit, originally located in the Marketplace and the outlet for the city center's first drinking water supply (the water came from springs about three miles away). Hobson, a carrier, was one of several people involved in the project and is immortalised in the phrase "Hobson's Choice", meaning no choice at all — he had about 40 horses for hire, but refused to let out any horse except the one which had rested for the longest.
Old Addenbrooke's Hospital, no longer used for its original purpose, was founded with money left by John Addenbrooke, a graduate of St Catharine's College, and opened in 1766. The Fitzwilliam Museum, one of the best outside London, was founded in 1816 with a bequest from the 7th Viscount Fitzwilliam and houses several important collections.
Just past the museum is Peterhouse, the oldest college, and on the other side of the road is Pembroke College, dating from 1347, whose chapel was the first building designed by Sir Christopher Wren.
Further on in Free School Lane, the old Cavendish Laboratory was founded by the 7th Duke of Devonshire, and it was here that Ernest Rutherford did his early work on splitting the atom and other experiments which led to the development of nuclear physics.
The Saxon tower of St Bene't's Church (an abbreviation of St Benedict's) is the oldest surviving building in the city, probably built around 1025, with the main church building of a somewhat later date.
