June 2024. Cambridge.
A Sunday night back in Waterbeach, where Mum & Dad have found a new gardener, one less task for me.
We squeezed in a quick trip to Cambridge, where the 800 year old Midsummer Fair (looking a little slimmed down compared to its 1298 peak, I thought) was wrapping up.
Newmarket Road has lost many of its boozers over the last 20 years,
I can’t believe the Zebra (Bass here in 2001) is still derelict.
Oddly, the local Cambridge clickbait rag was asking the very same question the next week;
Happier news at the St Radegund, your first stop on the King St crawl where town meets gown.
Four years of post-Covid renovation have transformed Cambridge’s once scruffiest pub into a bare boards craft bar.
I admired the soundtrack,
Mrs RM, not an obvious fan of scruffy pubs, recalled raucous nights on Polish vodka under graffitied walls.
“What have they done !”.
That may be a bit unfair, the newly christened “Rad” is possibly exactly what Cambridge needs beer wise, but the seating is possibly going to wind up Stafford Paul.
Young Cambridge CAMRA love the place, the staff great, the cask Green Devil was good, and the keg decently priced,
but, fearing I’d find the toilets now fit for human habitation, I gave the walk down to the Gents a miss.
retiredmartin 
“but the seating is possibly going to wind up Stafford Paul”.
No, I’ll make sure that venue’s not on my itinerary this autumn.
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I knew you’d say that.
20 years ago it would have been one of your favourites, but suffered horribly after Terry left us.
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It’s almost as if the pub owners have gone out of their way to make things as uncomfortable as possible for their customers.
Don’t they want people to stay?
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I believe some people, perhaps younger than ourselves, prefer that style of seating, Paul.
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I guess the Nelson is football free, otherwise you might have a hard task !
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I wouldn’t be a great fan of that seating either but if the beer was good, I’d put up with it.
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I’d have stayed for the music, friendly staff and beer.
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when we went on Kite runs in the late 70s, the Zebra was our starting point. A fairly undistinguished Greene King pub, but better than some of what followed up the Newmarket Road…..
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Did you go in the Druids or did that come afterwards ?
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I think it was later. I don’t suppose you remember a Tolly pub called the Five (or was it Six) Bells just over the East Road roundabout? We did a number of Friday night runs and never saw anyone else in it.
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Five Bells Nmkt Rd, Six Bells Covent Gdn just off Mill Rd.
I went in the Five Bells the once in the 90s, fairly grim; pics from another blog below;
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Five Bells it was. And I remember Maypole as a keg Tolly pub. Raise me another disaster..
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I give you the Cow & Calf.
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I’d very much take the Cow and Calf, great pub. The Hare and Hounds of Cambridge.
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I remember a Saturday evening there when some of us had won a few bets ( what was the bookie in King Street called?) . The Irish landlord had scored as well. At my time of life you tend to wallow in nights like that.
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Just remembered the name of the bookies in King Street; Harrups!!
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Doesn’t ring a bell. King Street meant Parrots and Garon classical records for me!
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Five Bells now replaced by “The Bird or Worm”. No cask when it first opened, will not be going back.
Cow and Calf had fabulous Beamish. Closed down soon after Les left.
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I quite like the seating there! I never got to go to The Zebra, I can’t even remember seeing it open.
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