The city of Cambridge combines the intimacy and pride of a small town with the bustle of sought-after city life. If Cambridge University is its heart, The River Cam, from which the name “Cambridge” is derived, runs like a cultural bloodline through the city’s center. Used widely for boating, the river hosts both university-based and non-college competitive rowing. Also recreationally popular is a type of boating called punting, in which occupants propel their boat by pushing against the river bed with a long pole.
Other popular sports in Cambridge include football (soccer), rugby, cricket, tennis and cycling. Many students may even opt to rent a bike and cycle to class, joining the decent percentage of Cambridge residents that cycle to and from work. As a university town lying on fairly flat ground with traffic congestion, you’ll find that some roads have been adapted for cyclists, even including separate traffic lights. In fact, the city has the highest level of cycle use in the UK; the 2001 census reported that 25% of residents travel to work by bicycle (a percentage that has almost certainly increased since).
Living in Cambridge will provide you the rare treat of historically and culturally relevant points of interest at every turn. Parker’s Piece, a 25-acre flat, square common with walking and cycling paths is a popular place for lounging and playing games today; in the mid-19th century it served as the birthplace of modern football, the first set of rules for which—called simply The Cambridge Rules—were drawn up by members of the university in 1848. Several annual fairs are unique to the town, such as the Cambridge Folk Festival, the Cambridge Beer Festival and the Cambridge Film Festival, and the Cambridge Arts Theatre is a traditional theater in the town center that attracts some of the highest quality touring productions in the country, holding only 666.