A Year in Cambridge: Paradise and Beyond Nature Walk

M* and I were walking in Grantchester Meadows a week or so ago, and we saw a flier for "Paradise & Beyond" walking tour around the Grantchester Meadows area of Cambridge, tagged as a 'Town not Gown' tour: Cambridge history for local residents.

"Follow in the footsteps of Pink Floyd, Rupert Brooke and Lord Byron to discover what lies beyond Paradise! Local experts will be guiding people through one of the most picturesque areas in Cambridgeshire and telling them about the wildlife, its past, and how important it is that these areas are managed properly. Walk through wet woodland and riverside meadows, glimpse kingfishers (hopefully), hear numerous fascinating facts about the history of this part of Cambridge, learn about the management of nature reserves, see one of the earliest church brasses in England, muse on sites that inspired world famous poets, and wonder 'Is there honey still for tea?'"

These cows all sported the coolest yellow earrings.

Thought the red circle might help you find the grey wagtail

We convinced our friends, James and Manuela, to accompany us on the four hour, three mile walk. I must say that I didn't gain as much added insight to the area as I was hoping. We did not see the colorful kingfisher, and much of the information disseminated by the guide from the local nature reserve was a bit too sciencey for me (and I'm married to a fella who loves geeking out on science). In the beginning of the walk, he pointed out a green plant and told us to pull it out when we saw it, as it was a non-native species. Now to my flora-differentiating-challenged eyes, it was indistinguishable from eighty percent of the ground cover along the river, so I decided to pass on the weed pulling as, if let at it, there would be no green leafy plants left along our route.

Manuela, James and M*

We're glad we went on the tour, as we found the history guide, Allan Brigham, to be very entertaining; we had never walked through the tranquil, tree covered area surrounding Byron's Pond; and we totally felt entitled to an afternoon nap upon our return home.