Cambridge

Cambridge: history & character

Cambridge, founded around the 9th century at the ford (cam-bridge) on the River Cam, owes its global fame to its university — established in 1209 by clerics who fled Oxford. Over the centuries, 31 colleges rose along the Backs — the riverside lawns that form the city's signature view — including King's College Chapel (completed 1547, perpendicular Gothic), Trinity College (where Newton taught) and St John's. More than its rival Oxford, Cambridge has kept a compact medieval core ringed by open commons (Jesus Green, Midsummer Common, Coe Fen, Sheep's Green) where cattle still graze in summer. For travellers with a dog, this is one of the most accessible British city-breaks: a walkable centre crossable in 25 min, vast off-leash meadows 5 min from the colleges, pubs and terraces tolerant by default, and direct Greater Anglia trains from London King's Cross in 50 min.