retiredmartin

More highlights from my post-shop wander along the quaint cobbled streets of North Cambridge, taking in the only actual “High Street” in the city.

Who knows how many of the eight pubs and bars along the 0.8 mile route will survive the Lockdown.

Mark C will recall I did this walk, in reverse, in 2015 to prove that the public transport option encouraged by local CAMRA was a bit pointless.  Quite a thin blog post, but I’d only just learnt to write at that stage.

Nearly five years on, you get photos of another gorgeous Spring day, and all the pubs. Now that’s what I call progress.

2 months ago I’d have touched the doors of all eight, but that would be frowned upon now.

A) The Haymakers

Run by Milton Brewery for the pizza and pashmina crowd.  GBG regular. I saw Allo Darlin play here a decade ago.

 

B) Polonia Club

Polish members club, never been but I worked with someone who has and it sounds wonderful.  Lech served on gravity, possibly.

C) The Old Spring

The smart Greene King pub for ladies who lunch, and IT blokes. Beer was pretty good here in 2018, when the Punk IPA was £6 a pint (not a misprint).

D) Thirsty (top)

Off-licence-cum-Craft Bar that I thought I’d spend more time in than I actually have when it went Uber Craft a couple of years back. Cambridge goes Camberwell.

I celebrated City winning the League here in 2018.

E) The Waterman

Closest pub to the bridge and the Cambridge beer festival.  Used to be the “Jolly” Waterman when a tremendously plain corner boozer, but City Pubs Co (think an urban Brunning & Price) changed all that. I saw David Thomas Broughton play here, oddly.

F) The Portland Arms

More Greene King student pubbery, but this is the best live venue in town for folk who hate Coldplay AND Mumford and Sons. Actually, quite a decent boozer as long as you don’t get fobbed off with a plastic glass.

I saw Mammoth Penguins play here in 2017. (there’s a theme emerging).

G) The Graduate/Firkin/Tivoli/tbc

Truthfully, my favourite Spoons in the whole of Timdom before it, er, burnt down a few years back.

I spent Christmas Day lunch here with the family in 2014.

It’s looked like this for 5 years;

 

H) The Boathouse

“No results” says the search engine on my blog.  I saw some local folkies murder Richard Thompson tunes here in 1988, and I don’t think it’s changed since then.

Greene King are certainly preparing for the worst with their boarding up, aren’t they ?

There you go.  If/when they return, there’s eight pubs, at least six of them meeting Stafford Paul’s purity requirements. In truth, I’d start just off Mill Road.