Today we bicycled to Grantchester, for tea at The Orchard.
The Orchard, via flickr
It’s a pleasant bike ride, generally along (or within sight of) the Cam. I passed by the place on a ride a couple weeks ago, but decided not to go in: it was getting dark, and I figured it would be more pleasant to go in when I wasn’t alone, so today we decided to brave the winds (which have really been whipping around these last few days) and go.
On our way to Grantchester, via flickr
For those who aren’t familiar with it, The Orchard is tea garden (or tea house, or something) that’s been popular with Cambridge students and residents since the late nineteenth century. The poet Rupert Brooke lived on the property, and there are mentions of it in correspondence and memoirs of Virginia Woolf, James Watson, Bertrand Russell, etc., etc.. (The Orchard’s own Web site is pretty aggressive about promoting its history.)
It’s easy to see why the place was so popular, and why it continues to be: the ride from Cambridge south to Grantchester is very pleasant, and takes you through several fields or pastures that offer very nice views of the Cam, or look back to Cambridge.
It was quite popular today, with lots of walkers and bicyclists out.
Once you get to Grantchester, it’s down a narrow footpath that takes you past a couple other inns, some cottages with absurdly cute names (“Snug Cottage” was my favorite), then opens onto High Street, which is basically a winding road.
There’s a church across the street. If you stay to the left, and walk a few yard, you come to the rear entrance to The Orchard.
The Orchard, via flickr
During the spring and summer it must be pretty glorious; this time of year it’s nice, but nicer to be indoors.
The Orchard, via flickr
Even if you don’t know much about the history of the place– that is, if you manage to overlook all the copies of the “History of the Orchard” pamphlets, the postcards of Brooke and Wittgenstein for sale (the same ones you see on the Web site), the photos on the wall, the Rupert Brooke Museum, and just for good measure, the Brooke Room (popular with children)– you’ll still enjoy the scones, which were damn good.
Really good scones, via flickr
The idea that Rupert Brooke would “escape” here strikes me as vaguely absurd. It’s a pleasant half-hour walk from Cambridge, totally accessible, and a popular destination for Brooke’s friends. Then again, Thoreau managed to get away from it all by building a cabin a mile from town, so such distances are quite relative.
We spent quite a while there, enjoying the tea and the view, and learning about Brooke. When we started back, we ran across some cows.
Cows on the way back, via flickr
There are times when I’m out biking around Cambridge, and I’m struck by how absurdly beautiful it is here– it’s almost like a parody of the quintessential English landscape, except of course it’s real. Seeing the cows graze, and King’s College Chapel off in the distance (where we heard a great service last week), was one of those times.
Cows and King’s College Chapel, via flickr
We then came back to Cambridge, spent some time in town, got some food at Sainsbury’s, and came home. I have to admit, on the weekends I feel a bit superior to all the tourists: I’m on a bike, which means I actually am based here, which means I’m not really merely a visitor. Not a tourist, anyway.