Most small cities are good at offering a healthy lifestyle, but Cambridge is great. Not only is it small and easily-navigable, it’s also flatter than a pancake that’s been in a trouser press all night. As such, cycling is not just practical but also non-daunting for non-expert cyclists – a key factor when considering whether you’ll actually go ahead and do it. The fact that so many thousands of Cambridge’s residents already get around on two wheels only adds to that feeling that it’s doable. And if it’s raining? Well, there’s a very good bus service too.
The city’s other attractions – beauty, culture, decent pubs – are well-known, but in particular it’s a haven for music lovers. From lunchtime concerts to chamber music, festivals, opera recitals and choral Evensong, there’s music to enjoy almost every day of the week in Cambridge. An annual highlight is the summer music festival, which attracts world-class participants.
The word is out, however – it’s becoming an increasingly popular place to live and work.
‘Twenty years ago, Cambridge was fairly sleepy,’ says Richard Freshwater of Cheffins. ‘However, these days, university lecturers have been joined by savvy employees of large tech and bio-tech corporations, who have brought higher demands for the city centre. The result is that Cambridge has become an increasingly cosmopolitan place to live.’
As well as increasingly cosmopolitan it’s also increasingly expensive, with prices that make many a London suburb look affordable. A budget of between £800,000 and £1 million will buy a two- or three-storey house with off-street parking within the city, such as this four bedroom house on the market with Strutt & Parker for £1 million.
Those with a higher budget can search for charming houses scattered among charming university colleges, such as this lovely home just a mile from the city centre, on sale with Strutt & Parker for £1.95 million.
Cambridge is not at a loss for those looking to spend a little less - one can find charming townhouses for under a million, such as Halo, on the market with Savills for £780,000.
Three marvellous homes in the idyllic city of Oxford
Credit: Savills
Three gorgeous homes in the delightful city of York
York is a city whose restaurant scene ensures that no metropolitan exile will miss the culinary delights of their former
-
Can't you hear me S.O.S? Our treasured native dog breeds are at risk of extinctionDo you know your Kerry blue terrier from your Lancashire heeler? A simple lack of publicity is often to blame for some of the UK's native dog breeds flying dangerously low under-the-radar.
-
'There are architects and architects, but only one ARCHITECT': Sir Edwin Lutyens and the wartime Chancellor who helped launch his stellar careerClive Aslet explores the relationship between Sir Edwin Lutyens and perhaps his most important private client, the politician and financier Reginald McKenna.
-
If heaven is on earth, it might be in this home with a converted chapel that is now a swimming pool5 Wood Barton Town House is part of an exclusive 80-acre development in Devon that also comes with fishing rights on the River Avon and four bedrooms.
-
The sounds of spring and stained glass in an Arts-and-Crafts masterpiece in DorsetWith 35 acres, more than 10 bedrooms, a swimming pool and tennis court, Winterfield has it all.
-
An eight-bedroom wonder in East Sussex where the outdoors are an adventureThe interiors of Old Middleton are pretty good too.
-
A lakeside farmhouse on the market in the beautiful heart of PembrokeshireA lake, streams, 15 acres and five bedrooms. Rogershook might have it all.
-
An idyllic countryside home that's light, spacious and comes with a Grade II-listed follyHagg House is a gorgeous family home that just happens to have a miniature castle in the gardens. Annabel Dixon explains more.
-
A historic villa for sale on the Via Nomentana worthy of Rome's rich historyThree floors, lots of balconies, and a private garden in one of Rome's loveliest neighbourhoods.
-
Eight bedrooms of unlisted Edwardian elegance with sweeping views of SomersetAshton House sits near the market town of Chard and comes with a wealth of amenities both inside and out.
-
A waterside cottage in Devon with a private quay, idyllic views and the prettiest summerhouse we've seen in yearsRight beside the picturesque Yealm Estuary, No 1 Noss Mayo is an idyllic home that feels like an escape from the world. Annabel Dixon takes a look.
