Ensuring that we offer the best possible events for our clients is of utmost importance to us. So, with a client event due to take place in Cambridge next month we naturally took it upon ourselves to do a dry (!?) run.
Well, there wasn’t as much of an emphasis on the conference and meeting elements, although we did manage to fit in a site visit to Hilton Cambridge City Centre. There was some focus on the off-site activities and evening entertainment, so the occasional drink was involved… and the weather wasn’t on our side either, so it wasn’t a completely dry run. Not an obstacle for us though, as our always prepared event team had thought of everything in advance and arranged rain ponchos as a wet weather contingency. A good look!
The itinerary for the day was a closely guarded secret, with the majority of the team only being given a meeting point, near Robinson College where we would be staying overnight. On arrival we were each presented with branded rucksacks, containing water, treats and our soon to be needed rain poncho.
After transferring our belongings to the rucksacks, we set off in anticipation to Parkers Piece where our first activity was to be revealed. Here we met our guide from Cambridge Bike Tours who was to escort us on a gentle 6 mile round trip out to Grantchester. By this point the rain had begun, but undeterred we set out on our bikes, taking in the sites and scenery along the way.
Not to exert ourselves too much we made a pit stop at the famous Grantchester tea rooms in The Orchard, where the likes of Rupert Brooke, Virginia Woolf and A. A. Milne have all dined. Even sitting under the trees to shelter from the rain, it was a beautiful setting.
Back in central Cambridge the theme continued with a delicious private lunch at the Old Bicycle Shop restaurant, which was conveniently located just down the road from our 2nd activity (as if someone had planned it that way). Having mildly tested our physical abilities, the fabulous Lockhouse escape rooms was now to be a test of our mental strength, communication and team work. We took on different mission rooms; over-turning objects, re-arranging items, completing puzzles and deciphering cryptic clues. There was a clear winning team (…featured below), but not wanting to undo our team bonding we diplomatically declared everyone a winner as all completed their mission and escaped within 60minutes!
Following a celebratory toast, we had a short turnaround at the accommodation before enjoying a relaxing private chauffeured punt, courtesy of Granta Moorings. The rain briefly returned but our guide was on hand with umbrellas so it didn’t dampen our spirits. We finished the day with a superb three course meal at The Galleria restaurant before sampling a few of the many bars in the city.
Our conclusion - that Cambridge has a lot to offer with the picturesque backdrop of iconic colleges and the river Cam, a range of excellent local activities and a plethora of restaurants and bars to enjoy in the evening, many of which can be reached by punt – perfect!
