CAMBRIDGE – TWO STATELY HOMES, A WEDDING AND A REUNION
Surprisingly, I have never been to Cambridge so, when we were invited to a wedding in the nearby village of Longstowe, we thought we’d make a full weekend of it. And what a weekend it turned out to be!
MADINGLEY HALL AND GARDENS
As we pootled down the long drive towards this historic house, I could sense we were in for a real treat. Emma had an inkling of what was around the corner, having stayed here in the course of her work many moons ago. I, on the other hand, had not, so I was in for a pleasant surprise.
This rather impressive structure was initially built as a grand hunting lodge over 400 years ago, but it now caters for multiple purposes, including education and learning. Most rooms here have single beds and are rented out to students. However, we had managed to book the very last double room available.
We got a great deal, unlike the Hall’s most famous guest in 1861, when Queen Victoria rented the entire gaff for her son, Edward, while he was studying just down the road at the University. They let anyone in nowadays, how the clientele has changed, eh!
We’d chosen this place as it’s quite close to the wedding venue and, quite frankly, most other places were either already booked or more expensive… and this place called to us (we were seduced by the adverts).
With the unseasonably warm period continuing, we experienced another balmy evening, an early taste of summer. So we took a slow wander around the grounds before heading to the nearby bistro pub, the Three Horseshoes, for a delicious meal.
The venue here is just stunning; it set us up for a great weekend. It has a long winding drive, its own church, a lake, huge gardens, including an exquisite walled garden, and the weather, well WOW, it was the icing on the cake.
I’d certainly recommend it as a place to stay if you’re visiting Cambridge too. It’s not so far from the city, but beware of phone network coverage; there isn’t any. The major road network is interesting too, to say the least.
THE WEDDING
We left one stately home and headed off for another, Longstowe Hall, which is almost certainly more geared up for weddings and just as lush and gorgeous as the one we’d just left.
Emma wore a dress that she’d last taken off the hanger over 20 years ago, and I dusted off a suit from the back of the wardrobe. We did our best to scrub up, as five days ago we were hot and smelly after a five-night music festival where I hadn’t showered for four days!
The trip here was for the wedding of Joseph and Charlotte, a lovely couple I have got to know over recent years at a series of events and celebrations. More on that later…
We initially joined John and Lin on the lawn where the fizz started to flow. The ceremony took place inside the main hall, accompanied throughout by a string quartet. Wow. What a setting!
Outside, the grounds were lush with manicured gardens and the most gorgeous lake, which was connected to the main hall by the most exquisite flower bed teeming with flowers and bees.
It was a ridiculously warm day, and after the ceremony we headed outside and sought shade from the trees. The wedding breakfast which took place in a huge marquee, was delicious, the toasts were delivered to perfection and then the partying commenced, which was, incredible.
Joseph and Charlotte looked amazing, with Joseph looking like the cat that got the cream all day. That smile was etched onto his face!
It’s been a bit of a mad and whirlwind introduction to this side of the family. I say family loosely, as the bloodline connection with this group of wonderful people is through Emma’s children. Long story, but I feel that I know these guys so well now.
They are unbelievably kind and welcoming, as well as being great fun. Understandably, we didn’t get too much time with Elizabeth and Ian, the groom’s parents, who, along with John and Lin, we know the best, so we’ll have to catch up with them over the coming months.
That said, it’s only been a few weeks since we all met up at John’s 60th birthday celebration, another boozy night! My liver always takes a hit with these guys!
There appears to be an epidemic of weddings at the moment, as, at the table, we were sandwiched between John and Lin on one side and Sarah and Phil on the other (embedded links to their weddings). Both couples are recently married, and we helped celebrate both in the past 18 months.
It really was a fun day and quite a raucous night, no doubt helped by the amazingly warm weather and lubrication!
As usual, Emma and Lin were throwing all kinds of shapes on the dance floor, along with everyone else, I might add. I hope no one took photos of me, as I was doing my best 1980s style of dad dancing, only permitted at weddings!
A REUNION
So, after breakfast and having recovered the car from Longstowe Hall, we headed into central Cambridge for a meet-up with John and his lovely wife Helen.
Now John and I go way back. We first met on 9th January 1984, when we ‘worked’ together in a cadet training centre in London. Neither of us stayed in this job very long, although John managed to stick it out for three years longer than me. However, arguably, we both ended up doing better ‘career-wise’ on our new paths.
I say ‘worked’, it was more like being a glorified Boy Scout where we spent a year living in a dormitory with around 30 other 18-year-old lads, keeping fit, swimming, climbing mountains, kayaking, hiking, doing martial arts, boxing, track and field, cross-country… I have never been as fit as I was back then and loved every minute of it.
It also taught me some much-needed discipline, with hospital beds, daily dorm inspections and morning parade drills. I learned how to use an iron, and not just iron, I mean properly iron without any trace of a tramline or crease where it shouldn’t be. Oh, and bull my boots. I also learned to march, and play the tenor drum (for a parade ground marching band).
For me, it was probably one of the best years of my life, and despite the passage of time, I forged friendships and bonds that will never break, and it gave me the discipline that has stuck with me for a lifetime.
Oh and believe it or not, that’s me and John below, the first two lads on the left in the line-up, when we had hair!
We spared Emma and Helen the pain of having to listen to the countless war stories we share. So John and I are just going to have to meet up again for a beer or three at some point.
What is interesting is that John and I still share the same love of adventure and travel, and Helen and Emma could get lost on the way back from the restaurant toilet! Hmmm… parallel lives!
John and Helen became our Cambridge tour guides both before and after the meal at the Chop House, which was the perfect spot to stop. We got the inside track, but only scratched the surface.
Below are a few photos of the day, an awesome end to a great weekend.
Hints and Tips
For us, this was a whistle-stop trip, primarily for the wedding and visiting friends. We only got a small glimpse of what this place has to offer, so we’ll definitely be going back to explore more.
Firstly, I’d say what not to do, don’t park in the centre. Parking is expensive (eye-watering airport parking prices), so use one of the three main park-and-rides. Indeed, we may come via Thameslink train next time, which, with a Two Together Railcard discount, looks attractive.
On our next visit, we will probably do a river punt, but explore online booking options as they appear to be cheaper than the dynamic pricing that happens on the day. We’d do this a few days beforehand after checking the long-range weather forecast. We’d also want to take in one that covers the iconic King’s College and Bridge of Sighs. Most appear to do that, but one we’ve been looking at is ‘Cambridge Punt Company’, which leaves from Jesus Green, although there are others.
One thing I’d recommend is a wander along the backs of the colleges from the other side of the river. We walked in with John and Helen from the Botanical Gardens (south of the city, near the train station), through the parks, and got an amazing view of King’s College from the east side of the River Cam. We had earlier crossed the river at Fens Causeway before heading into the centre via Garret Hostel Lane Bridge, which leads to the back of Trinity College. This walk was delightful, and there are lots of pathways to explore on this side of the river too. We’ve since discovered that the ‘Backs’ walk is highly recommended.
Had John not pointed it out, one place we would have walked straight past was the Corpus Clock, or Time Eater. It is a gold mechanical clock that devours time in front of your eyes. It’s worth reading up on and seeing. You’ll take your own meaning from it.
