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
-
Everything you need to know about Hampstead: The real star of 'Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy'From Protestant Dissenters to Dame Judi Dench, Hampstead has long been synonymous with liberal values and prosperity — which is what makes it different from other parts of London. Now, it's stealing hearts the world over in the latest Bridget Jones film.
-
Guess the country house price, David Stirling and the King without a moustache: Country Life Quiz of the Day 19 February 2025Have a go at Wednesday's Quiz of the Day. Good luck!
-
The week in property statistics: Service charges reach record highPlus, how first-time buyers prop up the mortgage market, why you need to move north if you want to live by yourself, and house-price growth slows
-
A seven-bedroom oast house for sale in East Sussex, where your dreams can run riotUnlisted, yet full of character, this property in the High Weald National Landscape is an eccentrically furnished family home that screams fun.
-
Character, history and comfort combine in a four-bedroom farmhouse in NorfolkWillow Farm near Southburgh is that rarest of things — a perfect combination of period charm and modern elegance in some of England's best countryside.
-
A Grade I-listed Georgian townhouse that's part of the fabric of Bath's historyWith 5,500sq ft set over six floors in the centre of Britain's most architecturally rich city, there is much to love here.
-
17 delightful homes for sale, as seen in Country LifeOur round-up of some of the best houses to come to the market via Country Life this week includes a wonderful Cotswolds home and a happily affordable cottage in the West Country.
-
'This is the most money you'll spend on anything ever': The things that really matter when buying your first home in LondonIt’s easy to dream of what the ideal first-home in London might be, but when the cost of living in the capital is this expensive, being near a Gail's isn't as important as you think it is.
-
Get lost in the whispers of a running stream at a one-bedroom Cornish cottageFormerly the studio and retreat of renowned artist Lamorna Birch, this small home near Lamorna Cove is a delight in every single way.
-
How the high street can change for the betterThe high street might not be dying, but it's definitely changing and in some places, it's changing for the better. So, what can the centre of town in the 21st century look like?
