70 miles from source to sea along the river Cam, through Cambridge and out to the North Norfolk sea. But just doing it once would have been too easy, so, of course, I did it 3 times; once by bicycle, once by foot and once by stand up paddle board (SUP) (here is where the ‘of sorts’ comes in, I didn’t fancy swimming it!). This trio of methods made it 180 miles in all. By far the furthest distance I had traveled thus far on an adventure.
While I completed the walking leg solo, I was joined by a great friend Chantell on the cycling leg who, along with 7 other friends and a dog joined me for the SUP section. The adventure was in aid of MacMillan Cancer Support who had recently supported my mum through treatment for breast cancer.
Find out more in the blogs below or watch the video of my cycling leg.
About The Cam
Winding it's way through 2 counties, the Cam river is most renowned for being peppered with punts as it traverses past the historic colleges of Cambridge University. But there is much more to this river and it's 70 miles has plenty to offer.
Starting life in Ashwell, Hertfordshire, the Cam is runs north east through the farmlands of southern Cambridgeshire for 12 miles. After this point the river comes to the picturesque village of Grantchester, most recently made famous by the BBC drama of the same name. Robson Green and James Norton can be seen frolicking along the banks of the river and even taking a dip!
Despite the likelihood of me bumping into Robson and James during my adventure being pretty small, there will nonetheless be plenty of eye candy as the river and surrounding fields are particularly lush and green at this point. Think quintessentially British picture postcard style scenes - the perfect opportunity for a dip or to stop to enjoy the lovely local ice cream while chatting with the locals.
Beyond Grantchester the river sways up into the Backs of Cambridge. If you look hard enough you can spot the remains of a submerged towpath - the riverside Colleges weren't welcoming of barge horses on their land and forced them to wade through the river pulling their cargo behind. This section is the most well-known tourist section of the river and in the height of summer you'll find it full of people enjoying a relaxing punt among the beautiful architecture and lapping up the fascinating history of the City.
Cambridge has been an inland port since before the draining of the Fens and in 1643 the river become officially regulated for trade use. Since 1702, right up to the present day the river has been managed by The Conservators of the River Cam who are charged with keeping the river navigable.
Beyond Cambridge the river heads due north straight up through King's Lynn where it opens up to the North Norfolk sea.
