This post was written by Beth, aged 14, as part of our Children’s Writing Competition.
Recently, I visited the beautiful city of Cambridge and I enjoyed a lovely day out with my family. Cambridge is an incredible city and very historic. If you haven’t visited before, here is why you should go and where to visit.
If you are driving to Cambridge, it is easier to use the Park and Ride rather than driving into the city centre. We parked at the New Market road carpark, bought the ‘park and ride’ tickets and took the bus into Cambridge.
Where to go:
Once we arrived, my family and I walked down the main street and had a look around some of the shops. There were some clothes shops, a fudge shop and many others. I took some photos of the main street, featuring the ‘Olde sweet shoppe.’ We wanted to look round some of the colleges in Cambridge. The University of Cambridge was opened in 1209 and its colleges also date back mainly to the medieval period. There are 31 colleges in Cambridge. The city is home to over 15,000 students. While you are in Cambridge, you will see many students and residents cycling around the city centre.
Directly opposite the shops on the main street is King’s College, part of The University of Cambridge. The college is very impressive! It is a very popular college in Cambridge and has spectacular grounds and a historical chapel.
I would definitely recommend going to visit King’s College, just to see the Chapel. It is beautiful. It was founded in 1441 by Henry VI and is famous for its choir. It is also renowned due for its ‘A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols’ broadcast live every year on Christmas Eve since 1928. The choir has now established its reputation as one of the best choirs in the world.
King’s College choir has 16 choristers, aged 9 – 13 years old. The choir also includes 14 undergraduates studying for degrees in a variety of subjects. Many pursue a career in music and singing after leaving university. There are also two organ scholars. The Chapel Choir performs internationally at renowned venues throughout the world. The choir has been performing abroad on tours since 1936.
The King’s Chapel itself is splendid, with its beautiful stain glass windows and amazing architectural design. It is a definite ‘must see.’
By the back lawn of King’s College, is the River Cam. This is very popular with tourists, due to the traditional activity of punting which takes place on the River. There are many bridges where you can take photos of people punting, for example, from the lawn of King’s College. I enjoyed taking the photos. But unfortunately, I did not get the opportunity to go punting due to the bad weather. Nevertheless, you should definitely go punting if you visit Cambridge on a sunny day. It is something I certainly wish I could have done.
After lunch, we continued sight-seeing. We passed the Corpus Clock which is a large sculptural clock at street level. It was unveiled in 2008 by Stephen Hawking. He famously attended the Trinity Hall college in Cambridge. The clock is spectacular and popularly admired by tourists and residents. You must take a look at it if you pass the junction of Benet street and Trumpington street, looking out onto King’s Parade. We also took some photos outside some of the other colleges including St Catharine’s.
Later in the day, we passed the Great St Mary’s Church. Although we did not go to the top, we enjoyed taking photos from the outside. I would recommend you do go to the top (if you are not scared of heights!) for some great panoramic views of Cambridge.
To end our day trip in Cambridge, we looked around the Fitzwilliam museum. It is a very impressive building and home to 84 collections of artwork. It was established in 1816 and it is not too far from the main street, and a short walk from King’s College. If you are interested in artwork and enjoy visiting museums then I would definitely recommend this museum. Not only was the museum impressive, but it has also free admission!
I really enjoyed my day trip to Cambridge! I think it is a beautiful city and I loved visiting King’s College with my family. If I went again, I would look around more of the colleges, go punting on the River Cam and climb St Mary’s church!