Living in Cambridge
Cambridge is a small but vibrant city with extensive facilities and services to offer those that live and work here. It is a delightful mix of old and new, with something for everyone.
Located in the East of England, 50 miles north of London, it is well served by road and rail links, and is within easy distance of the major London airports.
Accommodation
Cambridge has a wide range of accommodation, with many options for renting or buying. Properties are competitively priced and the areas to the west and south of the city tend to be more expensive than those in the north and east.
Accommodation in the south of the city provides the nearest access to LMB, but good bus, cycle ways and railway links mean that it is easy to commute from other parts of the city and from outside the city.
All members of the University of Cambridge, including postgraduate students, can use the University of Cambridge Accommodation Service to help them find suitable accommodation:
http://www.accommodation.cam.ac.uk/
Education
Cambridgeshire County Council is responsible for state schools and local education services for the City of Cambridge and the surrounding county. In Cambridge there is good provision across all age groups, from nursery, through primary and secondary to further education and sixth form colleges.
http://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/education/schools/websites/
Cambridge also has a large number of independent or private schools, from pre-prep to sixth form colleges.
http://www.selectschool.co.uk/select/site-welcome.asp
As well as the famous, University of Cambridge, the city is also home to Anglia Ruskin University (also partly at Chelmsford.)
Adult education and lifelong learning courses are provided by a number of educational establishments, centres and groups, covering a wide range of subjects from academic to leisure pursuits.
Transport
Bicycle
Cambridge has some of the best provision of cycle routes and lanes in the UK - and it is very flat! It is one of the easiest ways to get around the city for both day-to-day living and for sightseeing.
http://www.cambridge.gov.uk/public/docs/Cambridge%20cycling%20map.pdf
Buses
Cambridge is well served for buses, both around the city and for the adjacent areas. There is also an excellent park and ride facility into Cambridge from five main sites around the city.
http://www.stagecoachbus.com/cambridge/
http://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/transport/around/buses/
http://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/transport/around/parkandride/
Guided Bus
The primary purpose of the guided bus is to bring commuters into Cambridge from Huntingdon, St Ives and the surrounding villages. However it also offers transport links between Cambridge Regional College, the Cambridge Science Park, Cambridge Railway Station, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Trumpington and Trumpington Park and Ride. Opened in 2011 it is the longest guided busway in the world, measuring 40km in total, with just over 25km of guided sections.
Full details can be found here. There is a map showing this end of town which shows that our nearest bus stop is outside Outpatients on the main drive. All Stagecoach tickets can be used on Busway Routes A and B only, and the service runs from Monday to Saturday.
Taxis
There are two types of taxi services operating in Cambridge: Hackney carriages and private hire vehicles. For a full description of both see http://www.cam.ac.uk/local/travel/taxis2.html
Cars
Cambridge is not the most car-friendly of cities, particularly centrally where the old, medieval streets are insufficient to cope with the 21st century traffic. This has lead to restrictions, with central Cambridge ‘pedestrianised’ between 10am and 4pm, and reduced access on other roads. As in most places, at peak times Cambridge is very busy and traffic moves slowly. There are plenty of car parks available around the centre, but charges are quite expensive.
For specific information on access to LMB and the Addenbrooke’s site please see How to find us
Further information about staff travel can be found here.
Climate
Cambridge is one of the driest places in the UK. The climate is changeable from day to day but with occasional settled spells of weather occurring in all seasons. Cambridge is located in an area of level and relatively low-lying terrain that varies between 6 metres (20 ft) and 24 metres (79 ft) above sea level. This results in the fact that Cambridge gets a little bit of every type of weather, but does not normally get extreme weather conditions, although some areas (near the river) are vulnerable to mild flooding.
Amenities
Cambridge is well served with local amenities covering everything you could need – advice services, arts and entertainment facilities, healthcare services, libraries, parks and gardens, places to visit, recreation and sports facilities, restaurants and places to eat, retail facilities, societies and interest groups and much, much more.
For further information see:
http://www.localsecrets.com/
http://www.cam.ac.uk/local/council.html
http://www.cambridge.gov.uk/ccm/portal/
http://www.colc.co.uk/index.html
Recruitment 