Pub crawls 2026–2027

CUTwC runs a series of pub crawls throughout (mostly) the first two terms of the academic year, intending to visit every public house in Cambridge during that time. This is an excellent way to learn you way around Cambridge, so long as you don’t mind asking “what pub’s it near?” when being given directions.

If you are not obviously an old fart, please bring ID with you, since pubs seem to be more enthusiastic about checking these days. Refusal often offends, and more importantly holds up the crawl.

See also the 2025-2026 crawl.

Previous years: 2024-2025 2023-2024 2022-2023 2021-2022 2019-2020 2018-2019 2017-2018 2016-2017 2016-2017 2015-2016 2014-2015 2013-2014 2012-2013 2010-2011 1999-2000 1997-1998 1996-1997

For historical reference, there is a comparison of pubs open in 2022 compared with the 1996 crawl, the earliest recorded on this site.

Please note: the pub crawl map normally appears here, but there are significant changes this year. The updated map will be made available soon.

Saturday 17th of October: The Regent Street Crawl

Meeting in The Grain & Hop Store at 7pm.

Four pubs visited.

Note: This is an abnormally short crawl to ease you into things. It has still managed to go wrong in the past. The length of other crawl varies substantially, in part because of pub closures; please don’t get over-confident after this one. Non adsumus nos oblectandi causa.

Directions:

  • The Grain & Hop Store (formerly the Avery, formerly the Hogshead, etc.) is a large pub accessible from Regent Street via a small alleyway beside City Kebab. You can also enter from Parker’s Piece. Fortunately this time it’s at an end of a crawl; sometimes this pub has been in the middle of a crawl, and the two exits have caused Google Maps a lot of confusion. The Grain & Hop Store closes at 1am on Saturdays (well, Sundays).
  • Leave the G&HS via the Regent Street exit, and turn left, away from the entrance to Downing. The Prince Regent is, astonishingly, on Regent Street, on the left. If you get to a lot of traffic lights and a church, or what the web site maintainer used to consider “the thing on the corner that goes dong” when hostelled in Lensfield Road, you’ve gone too far. Don’t stop off at the other pubs on the way or you’ll be late — we’ll get back to them. The Prince Regent is a pub; you are encouraged to get a drink. Hopefully more experienced club members will demonstrate. The Prince Regent closes at midnight on Saturdays (well, Sundays).
  • From the Prince Regent, cross Regent Street, heading in the general direction of the thing on the corner that goes dong (that is, south). The Old Bicycle Shop, which was a bicycle shop for a long time but actually only fairly recently a pub, is on the right before the traffic lights, but it’s now decided to be a restaurant, so we don’t go in. Pass the Old Bicycle Shop to continue along Regent Street (hopefully you’re not getting lost yet), then turn right at the junction with Lensfield Road, which is where all the traffic lights are. Walk west for a while and cross the road to the south side, walking around (or through, if you’re athletic) the car park of the chemistry department. Don’t be distracted by The Tall Trees, which used to be the Snug (the Snug that was the Spread Eagle, not the one which was the Vine, which is why it has a bird on it) — it’s not a pub. If you get to the roundabout on Trumpington Street, turn back, you’ve gone much too far. Instead, turn south down Panton Street, which should be a clue to which pub is next. The Panton Arms is on the left just after Coronation Street (not on the telly); go past it and turn left to get in. The Panton Arms closes at 11pm.
  • Leaving the Panton, turn left onto Panton Street and soon after left againt to be heading east on Russell Court. The Alma is on the right. I recommend you drink at it. The Alma closes at 12am on Saturdays (well, Sundays).
  • Obviously you want a curry, so head north and opposite from the Alma and from the footpath onto Coronation Mews, then turn right onto Coronation Street (not the one on TV). Head east until you hit Hills Road; don’t go into a church. Instead, turn right, which ought to get you to the Golpo Bengal. The bad news is that the Golpo Bengal (formerly the Rajbelash, formerly the Saffron Brasserie, hence in CUTwC circles the Saffron Brassière) closes at 10:30pm, so probably get on with it. For your entertainment, you may wish to learn that you’re near the Raspberry Pi Foundation, but a pie will take the edge off your curry.
  • Should you tire of curry, there is no hope for you, so you may as well turn left out of the Golpo Bengal to head northwest along Hills Road, passing, as it happens, where the web site maintainer’s office would once have been if he actually went to it. If you keep going you’ll find the thing on the corner that goes dong again, and can continue to Regent Street. Since this is where you started, hopefully you can work it out from here, although if it goes badly wrong you could cross Parker’s Piece to the police station if you really need help. It won’t do you very much good, since it’s now on skeleton crew, and probably closed because the main police station has moved to watch people stealing catalytic converters at the Milton Park & Ride. Besides, you can’t trust a special like an old time copper if you can’s find your way home. But it’s probably easier to ask the porters of Downing, at least if you can get past the gate.