Friday 3rd of March: The Cherry Hinton Crawl

Meeting in the Red Lion at 7:30pm.

7 pubs to visit.

• The Red Lion (20 Mill End Road)
• The Robin Hood (1 Fulbourne Road, crossroads with Queen Edith's Way, Cherry Hinton Road and Cherry Hinton High Street)
• The Queen Edith (Wulfstan Way)
• The Med (59 Perne Road)
• The Rock (200 Cherry Hinton Road, by the junction with Blinco Grove)
• The Earl of Derby (129 Hills Road, between Brooklands Avenue and the bridge over the railway)
• The Great Northern (1-3 Station Road, at the junction with Hills Road)
• The Flying Pig (106 Hills Road)

Directions:

• This crawl starts at the Red Lion in Cherry Hinton (not to be confused with the Red Lion in Grantchester). This is quite a long way from the centre of town - give yourself time for the walk, or take a taxi. The Red Lion is on Mill End Road (not Mill Road or Mill Lane...), slightly off Cherry Hinton High Street. The simplest route when walking is to head south out of town along Hills Road, turn left after the railway bridge onto Cherry Hinton Road, continue until you see the Robin Hood at the junction with Cherry Hinton High Street (where you should turn left), and then veer left at the mini-roundabout onto Mill End Road. But seriously, it's a long way, and the crawl back is three miles.
• Turn left out of the Red Lion onto Mill End Road, then continue south at the mini-roundabout with the High Street. The ("Eating Inn") Robin Hood is on the left just before the crossroads. Historical incidents of people throwing benches around in the car park seem to be a thing of the past since it got flooded with affluent ARM employees (ARM is just down Fulbourn Road), for better or worse.
• Leave the Robin Hood and head diagonally across the crossroads, which should leave you at the corner of Cherry Hinton Road and Queen Edith's Way. Cherry Hinton Road is the route for people who want to skip the Queen Edith; instead, you should head southwest (and follow the road as it veers west) until you have the opportunity to turn right, to head north onto Wulfstan Way. The Queen Edith (relatively recently refurbished, and therefore possibly not looking like the above photos) is on the right, a little way back from the road.
• Turn right out of the Queen Edith (once you're back at Wulfstan Road) and head north until you hit Cherry Hinton Road. Turn left (west) and cross over. You'll want to veer north onto Perne Road, so you might want to cut through the car park of Budgens. The Med is on the left of Perne Road as you head north.
• Turn right out of the Med and return south along Perne Road to the roundabout with Cherry Hinton Road. Then veer right onto Cherry Hinton Road, heading west. (Alternatively, if you don't like retracing your steps, there's a pedestrian path beside the Med which will take you to Lichfield Road, where you can similarly turn left and return to Cherry Hinton Road, where you should turn right.) Cross over Cherry Hinton Road to the south side. The Rock (the "Hotel" is a new thing) is just before the corner with Blinco Grove (yes, again, Google maps is a little confused).
• Turn left out of the Rock to continue west along Cherry Hinton Road. It's possibly easier to stay on the south side of the road to avoid the Clifton Road and Junction complex. Do cross once you meet Hills Road, and head north on the east (nearer) side of the road, crossing the railway bridge. The Earl of Derby is on the right as the railway bridge flattens out, just before and opposite the junction with Brooklands Avenue. Historically, the live music volume has been more comfortable in the toilets than in the bar, but there were more snails.
• Turn right out of the Earl of Derby to continue north along Hills Road, crossing over once you're past Brooklands Avenue. The Flying Pig is on the left (west) side. If you've got as far as Station Road, you've gone too far.
• From the Flying Pig, turn left to continue into town along Hills Road. The Saffron Brasserie is on the left, vaguely opposite St Paul's Church.
• To get back to colleges, turn left out of the Saffron Brasserie (or pass it if you don't like curry, heathen) and continue north along Hills Road. Continuing past the crossroads will take you onto Regent Street and St Andrew's Street, by which point, if you don't know where you are, you drank too much on the crawl.

Thursday 16th of February: The Occupation Road Crawl

Meeting in the Old Spring at 7:30pm.

8 pubs to visit.

• The Old Spring (Between Hamilton Road and Ferry Path, near Chesterton Road)
• The Haymakers (54 High Street, Chesterton)
• The Green Dragon (5 Water Street)
• The Wrestlers (337 Newmarket Road)
• The Corner House (231 Newmarket Road, junction with River Lane)
• The Dobblers Inn (184 Sturton Street, junction with Fairsford Place)
• The Geldart (1 Ainsworth Street, junction with Sleaford Street)
• The Alexandra Arms (currently trading as The Alex) (22 Gwydir Street, junction with Milford Street)

Directions:

• The Old Spring is on the south side of Chesterton Road (to the east of Victoria Avenue), next to Hamilton Road. You can also access it via the pedestrian footpath near the Fort St George.
• Leave the Old Spring to head east along Chesterton Road. At the roundabout (you can use the car park route on the side of the road), cross Elizabeth way to continue along Chesterton Road, then continue to Chesterton High Street (turning right through the road furniture) to keep heading east. The Haymakers is on the right, opposite Union Lane.
• From the Haymakers, turn right to continue east on Chesterton High Street and follow the road as it wiggles. Turn right (south-east) onto Ferry Lane, and follow Ferry Lane round to the left. The Green Dragon is on the left (north) side of the road.
• From the Green Dragon, turn right and cross the pedestrian Green Dragon Bridge. Continue south (rather than following the side of the river) to meet Oyster Row. At the junction with Garlic Row, turn left to follow Garlic Row southeast to Newmarket Road. Turn right onto Newmarket Road to head southwest. The Wrestlers is on the right (northwest) side of the road, just after Cheddars Lane (the entrance to Tesco's).
• From the Wrestlers, turn right to continue southwest along Newmarket Road. The Corner House is on the right, just before the traffic lights with Coldham's Lane, on the corner with River Lane.
• From the Corner House, cross Newmarket Road south, veering southwest, and continue south onto Coldham's Lane. Take the first right onto New Street, continue on New Street (which is a left turn but effectively a straight line), and keep heading southwest to the roundabout. At the roundabout, turn left onto York Street, then turn right to head south to cross St Matthew's Piece diagonally to the south, then veer left onto Sturton Street. (Alternatively keep on New Street to the next roundabout and turn left onto Sturton Street). The Dobblers is on the left (east), just after Abbey Walk.
• Keep heading south along Sturton Street to the junction with Sleaford Street, then veer left (east). The Geldart is on the right, immediately before the junction with Ainsworth Street.
• From The Geldart, return west along Sleaford Street and turn back to the right to return north along Sturton Street. Take the next left to head west on Milford Street. The Alex is on the left, just before the junction with Gwydir Street.
• From the Alex, turn left and head south along Gwydir Street, past the Cambridge Blue, and continue until you hit the crossroads with Mill Road. For curry, turn left and cross the road; the Curry Queen is before the Devonshire/Kingston road crossroads, roughly opposite the White Swan. To head back to town, head the other way (away from the railway bridge) northwest along Mill Road until you hit Parker's Piece, then cross diagonally past the Reality Checkpoint. This will take you to Regent Street and civilisation.

Thursday 9th of Feburary: The Victoria Bridge Crawl

Meeting at the Carpenter's Arms at 7:30pm.

Up to 9 pubs to visit.

• The Carpenters Arms (182 Victoria Road, by French's Road)
• The Portland Arms (129 Chesterton Road, near where Milton Road meets Mitcham's Corner)
• The Boathouse (Chesterton Road by Mitcham's Corner, opposite Croft Holme Lane)
• The Charred Remains (formerly The Tivoli) (16 Chesterton Road, by the Boathouse)
• The Waterman (32 Chesterton Road, junction with Victoria Avenue) this may be dead
• The St Radegund (129 King Street, junction with Jesus Lane)
• The King Street Run (86 King Street)
• The Champion of the Thames (68 King Street)
• The Cambridge Brew House (13 King Street, near Malcolm Street)

Directions:

• The Carpenters Arms is on the north side of Victoria Road, on the junction with French's Road, next to Histon Road Cemetary.
• Turn left out of the Carpenters Arms, east along Victoria Road and continue until the junction with Milton Road (you will have passed Staples and a Lloyds on the right); the Portland Arms is on the left.
• From the Portland, head straight ahead, south across the loop of Milton Road to Chesterton Road; turn right to head west. The Boathouse is on the left near the Croft Holme Lane traffic lights (where the one way system loops back up to Victoria Road).
• The Tivoli, if it's risen phoenix-like from the ashes, is adjacent to the Boathouse to the east (on the right as you leave the Boathouse - not the left, Google is wrong at the time of writing).
• Head right out of the Tivoli (or continue east along Chesterton Road). The Waterman, should it be alive, is on the right, at the corner of Chesterton Road and Victoria Avenue.
• Turn right out of the Waterman (or pass it) and turn right to head south down Victoria Avenue. Take the third exit from the roundabout at Maids Causeway/Jesus Lane/Short Street, to join King Street. The St Radegund is on the right (northwest) near the roundabout.
• Turn right out of the St Radegund to head west along King Street, and cross the road. The King Street Run is on the left (south) side.
• Turn left out of the King Street Run and continue west along King Street. The Champion of the Thames is on the left (south) side. (Useful tip: You can get here from Christ's Pieces via a back route if you're taking a short cut from the Grafton Centre. Not that you should be at the moment.)
• Turn left out of the Champion of the Thames to head west, and cross over King Street. The Cambridge Brew House is on the right, at the junction with Malcolm Street.
• The obvious curry is the Curry King: turn right out of the Cambridge Brew House and head north up Malcom Street. Turn left to head west along Jesus Lane. Turn right at the lights to head north on Park Street. You can get to the Curry King either by heading down Round Church Street and turning right (it's between the Mitre and the Baron of Beef), or by cutting through the car park and leaving by the back route.
• The Curry King is approximately on Bridge Street/Magdelene Street. Head south to reach most colleges.

Friday 25th of November: The Grafton Centre Crawl

Meeting at the Burleigh Arms at 7:30pm.

6 pubs to visit.

• The Burleigh Arms (18 Newmarket Road, opposite Christchurch Street)
• The Hopbine (11-12 Fair Street on the corner with Salmon Lane)
• The Elm Tree (Orchard Street, Elm Street/Eden Street, opposite the Cricketers - trust the arrow, not the label on the map)
• The Free Press (Prospect Row)
• The Cricketers (Melbourne Place/Prospect Row)
• The Clarendon Arms (28 Clarendon Street)

Directions:

• The Burleigh Arms is on the north side of the bit of Newmarket Road that's behind the Grafton Centre (that turns into Maids Causeway), roughly opposite Christ Church (and Christchurch Street).
• Turn right out of the Burleigh and cross the road. Keep heading west onto Maids Causeway, and take a left onto Fair Street. The Hopbine is on your left (the east side of the road). Alternatively you could turn off Maids Causeway down Fitzroy Lane (the Grafton West car park entrance), and you can get to the Hopbine behind the car park - there are even stairs if you want to go through the car park itself.
• Turn left out of the front of the Hopbine and continue south down Fair Street, passing Fitzroy Street (the pedestrianised bit that leads to the Grafton Centre) and New Square Park (traditional place for throwing up curry). The road continues to become New Square and Jesus Terrace, then Clarendon Street. Turn left at your choice of Elm Street (easy to remember but scary for a certain generation) or Orchard Street next to it - the Elm Tree is at the other end, between the two.
• Leaving the Elm Tree, don't be distracted by being opposite the Cricketers, because we're coming back. Instead, head south-east in the same direction as you left Clarendon Street to continue along Prospect Row (this is what Eden Street turns into as it turns a corner in front of the Cricketers). The Free Press is on the left. Silence your phones.
• Turn right out of the Free Press and return up Prospect Row. The Cricketers is on the left, entered from Melbourne Place (the pedestrian bit that goes past Parkside Community College).
• From the Cricketers, head back to the Elm Tree and turn left along Orchard Street to backtrack to Clarendon Street. Turn left to head south-west. The Clarendon Arms is on the right, just after Victoria Street.
• Continuing down Clarendon Street will get you to Parkside, from which I hope you can find your way home. Curry is harder, after the closure of the Bengal that used to be on Fitzroy Street. One option is to cross the diagonal of Parker's Piece (say hello to Reality Checkpoint), cross Gonville Place, and turn left onto Hills Road (heading towards the station). The Saffron BrassiereBrasserie is on the right, roughly opposite St Paul's Church.

Saturday 5th of November: The Arbury Crawl

Meeting at the Fort St George from at least 7pm, with a view to leaving for the Milton Arms as soon as the fireworks (which start at 7:30pm) finish.

6 pubs to visit.

• The Fort St George (near Victoria Avenue, on the river at the corner of Midsummer Common)
• The Milton Arms (205 Milton Road)
• The Golden Hind (355 Milton Road, junction with King's Hedges Road)
• The Jenny Wren (St Kilda Avenue, junction with Campkin Road)
• The Ship (Northfields Avenue, by Cameron Road and Aragon Close)
• The Carlton Arms (53 Carlton Way)

Directions:

• Make your way to the Fort St George. This is on the river at the corner of Midsummer Common near Victoria Avenue, by the pedestrian bridge which links to Pretoria Road, and at the junction of several paved paths across Midsummer Common. It is traditional to do this crawl on November 5th, which provides the opportunity to watch the fireworks on Midsummer Common. In this case, it is a good idea to get beer at (or outside) the Fort St George early - there is likely to be a long queue - and be near the pedestrian bridge when the fireworks finish, so as to beat the rush. You will be able to watch the fireworks from this position.
• Turn left (southeast) out of the pub, away from Victoria Avenue, and cross the Cam at the pedestrian bridge. Walk up Pretoria Road, turn left at the end onto Hamilton Road, and follow it round towards Chesterton Road. The Old Spring is on the left. After fireworks, this will be heaving, so don't go in.
• Turn northeast along Chesterton Road (away from the Mitcham's Corner one-way system), cross Chesterton Road at the pedestrian crossing and turn left down George Street. Continue to the T-junction with Milton Road (a main road) and turn right. Cross Milton Road and follow it northeast, crossing the roundabout junction with Elizabeth Way. Continue past the traffic lights at Arbury Road, and the Milton Arms is on the left (northwast) side of Milton Road.
• Turn left out of the Milton Arms and continue northeast down Milton Road. Continue to the major crossroads with King's Hedges Road. The Golden Hind is opposite, on the north corner of the crossroads.
• Turn right out of the Golden Hind, up King's Hedges Road, and cross over. Turn left (southwest) onto Campkin Road, following it round the bend as it turns northwest. The Jenny Wren is on the right (northeast), just before the junction with St Kilda Road.
• Turn right out of the Jenny Wren, down Campkin Road. You then have two choices:
  • The simpler route is to continue down Campkin Road and turn right at the second mini-roundabout, up Northfields Avenue. Stay on Northfields Avenue as it veers northeast. Just after the roundabout with Cameron Road, the Ship is on the right, with the entrance near Northfields Avenue.
  • The shorter route is to turn right off Campkin Road up the pedestrian route from the car park near St Kilda Avenue. Follow the path as directly northwest as possible, keeping buildings to the left (and mostly open ground to the right). When there are trees instead of buildings to the left, follow the path through them to the left (west, then southwest) and continue where the path rejoins the road (Cameron Road). Continue southwest down Cameron Road; The Ship is on the right, near the roundabout junction with Northfields Avenue; you will probably have to walk to the northwest edge of the building to find an entrance. If looking at this on an on-line map, it's worth using a satellite view, because the pedestrian route is separate from roads. It is inadvisable to take this route except in a group, especially after dark - it is poorly-lit and hidden from the road, and Arbury has traditionally contained a population with some anti-university feeling, so it is unwise for lone students to expose themselves to danger. It is also easy to get lost in this back route. If not in a group, the Northfields Avenue route is safer.
• From The Ship, turn left (southwest) down Northfields Avenue past the roundabout with Cameron Road, then veer right at the next roundabout onto Roxburgh Road. Turn immediately left (souwthwest) into another part of Roxburgh Road and continue southwest to the end, where it becomes Hanson Court. A footpath will take you to the Nicholson Way, which you should cross over to reach the (parallel) Arbury Road. Cross Arbury Road and turn right (northwest), then take the next left onto Mere Way at the roundabout. Continue southwest along Mere Way, over a roundabout, as it turns into Carlton Road. The Carlton Arms is some way down, on the right (northwest) side after Perse Way (on the right) and Metcalfe Road (on the left). If you reach Gilbert Road, you've gone too far.
• To get back to the centre of town, turn right from the Carlton Arms and walk to the crossroads with Gilbert Road. Turn left, southeast, down Gilbert Road, then right at the bottom, which will turn you southwest along Milton Road. Walk to Mitcham's Corner and cross southwards to Victoria Avenue (the main road across the river). Walk down Victoria Avenue, then take the second, third or fourth exit from the roundabout to get to Short Street (for Emmanuel etc.), King Street (past the St Radegund, for Christ's, King's, etc.) or Jesus Lane (Jesus). If heading to the north of town (Murray Edwards, Fitz, Churchill, etc.) you may prefer to turn right at the crossroads between Carlton Way and Gilbert Road, then left onto Histon Road, which will take you to the Histon Road/Huntingdon Road/Castle Street/Victoria Road junction. One can cut a corner by continuing from Carlton Way to Stretten Avenue instead of turning at Gilbert Road, then veering left at Harvey Goodwin Avenue and then right at Victoria Road, but this is a less main road route if navigating alone. There is no curry opportunity obviously close to the Carlton Arms - the Maharajah on Castle Hill or the Curry King at Jordans Yard near Bridge Street (between the Mitre and the Baron of Beef) may be the nearest options.

Tuesday 25th of October: The Hither Mill Road Crawl

7 pubs to visit.

• The Tram Depot (Dover Street)
• The Duke of Cambridge (Adam & Eve Street/East Road)
• The Snug (was The Vine) (East Road/Burleigh Street)
• The Blue Moon (2 Norfolk Street, junction with Staffordshire Street)
• The Cambridge Blue (23-25 Gwydir Street)
• The Kingston Arms (33 Kingston Street)
• The White Swan (107-109 Mill Road, corner of Kingston Street)

Directions:

• The Tram Depot is on Dover Street, which is the short street connecting Adam and Eve Street to East Road. From the centre of town, the least confusing route is to walk diagonally across Parker's Piece (past the Reality Checkpoint) and continue out of town north-east along East Road. Dover Street is on the left roughly opposite Broad Street.
• From the Tram Depot, get back to Dover Street and turn left onto East Road. Continue north and the Duke of Cambridge is on the left before you've gone very far (or got to a KFC). Old farts may remember it as the Baker's, the Baker's Yard or the Baker's Arms. You can also get in from Adam and Eve Street.
• Leave the Duke of Cambridge onto East Road and turn left to continue north. After East Road splits into a dual carriageway, take the left onto Burleigh Street. The Snug (Grafton) is on the right. This is the one that used to be the Vine, not the one on Lensfield Road, in case you're lost.
• Leave the Snug and turn left to return to East Road. Cross the road (carefully) and continue onto Norfolk Street. Veer left at Staffordshire Street to find the entrance to the Blue Moon.
• From the Blue Moon, return to Norfolk Street and continue East to Gwydir Street. Veer right to head south, past the Alexandra Arms (unless you're very thirsty). The Cambridge Blue is eventually on the right (west) side of the road.
• From the Cambridge Blue, continue south until you reach the junction with Hooper Street, at which you should veer left. Turn right rather than heading through the pedestrian section at the end of Hooper Street to join Kingston Street by heading south. The Kingston Arms is on the right (east) side of the road.
• From the Kingston Arms, veer right to continue south down Kingston Street. The White Swan is on the right at the junction with Mill Road.
• The obvious curry is the Curry Queen, which is on the opposite side of Mill Road from the White Swan and slightly farther out of town (so veer left). To return to town, head east (away from the railway bridge) along Mill Road until you get to the swimming pool, then walk back diagonally across Parker's Piece to get to Regent Street.

Saturday 8th of October: The Trumpington Street Crawl

8 pubs to visit.

• The Red Bull (11 Barton Road, by the junction with Hardwick Street)
• The Granta (14 Newnham Terrace, near where Newnham Road runs alongside water)
• The Anchor (12 Silver Street, beside the Silver Street Bridge over the Cam)
• The Eagle (8 Bene't Street)
• The Bath Ale House (3 Bene't Street)
• The Pint Shop (10 Peas Hill)
• The Mitre (Bridge Street)
• The Maypole (20A Portugal Place, by the Park Street car park)

Directions:

• The Red Bull is on Barton Road, by St Mark's Church. If you've started on Grange Road, head south to the junction with Barton Road, turn left and cross over; the Red Bull is on the right (south) side. If you started on the A603 somewhere (Fen Causeway, Queen's Road, etc.) then keep heading towards the M11 and the Red Bull will be on your left; if you reach the Grange Road pedestrian traffic lights you've gone too far.
• Turn right out of the Red Bull and follow Barton Road round to the left at the lights. Cross the roundabout (first exit) onto Newnham Road. The Granta is on the right.
• Turn right out of the Granta; turn right at the junction with Silver Street, alongside Darwin College. The Anchor is just across the Silver Street Bridge on the right.
• Turn right out of the Anchor and head east alongside the Anchor on Silver Street (don't go down Laundress Lane behind the Anchor towards the Mill - wrong crawl!) At this point, crawl professionals will turn left after Queens' College along Queens' Lane, then go right through the tunnel between St Cat's and King's, after which they can turn left onto Trumpington Street. Those who don't like dark alleys that smell of urine might prefer to continue along Silver Street to the junction with Trumpington Street, then turn left. From either route (both of which head north on Trumpington Street), turn right onto Bene't Street. The Eagle is on the left.
• This one's tricky: From the Eagle, turn left to head north-east on Bene't Street. The Bath House is on the left. Do not go to the actual Bath House on Gwydir Street, which is both a long way away and not a pub.
• From the Bath House, turn left along Bene't Street and cross the road. The Pint Shop is on the south side, roughly opposite Peas Hill.
• Leave the Pint Shop and head up Peas Hill, then follow the side of Market Hill north. Veer right away from Great St Mary's along St Mary's Street and turn left onto Rose Crescent (past a jeweller's). At the end of Rose Cresent (note the presence of the Gardenia but don't stop or it'll take the edge off your curry), turn right onto Trinity Street and head north past Trinity and St John's. At the end, veer left to head north-west onto Bridge Street. The Mitre is on the right.
• From the Mitre, turn left along Bridge Street and head down the little covered lane next to the tapas bar. This will take you to the pedestrian entrance of Bridge Street Car Park. Head through the car park to the car exit, which is on Park Street. Turn left and the Maypole will be in front of you. If you have a phobia of car parks, you can also leave the Mitre north-west along Bridge Street and turn right onto Portugal Place, which eventually (if you veer right and don't follow onto Portugal Street) also brings you to the Maypole.
• The obvious curry opportunity is the Curry King, which you may have noticed in the alleyway by the car park entrance - so heading back through the car park is the quick way to get there. To get back to town, return to Bridge Street and head southeast: if you stay on Bridge Street you'll get to Sidney Street and eventually St Andrew's; if you veer right along Trinity Street you'll get to King's Parade and Trumpington Street. If you're based in one of the colleges north-west of the river, head the other way along Bridge Street to get to Castle Street, Chesterton Road, etc. If you're still lost, call a taxi, because I can't help you.