3 days in Cambridge with Huxley

Between our house sits in France and Bramshill in the UK we had 4 days to fill in.

We normally use these ‘gaps’ as an opportunity to have a break from house sitting and have a ‘proper’ holiday. We were keen to go back and visit Cambridge, a lovely university town on the River Cam that we had briefly visited in 2016 when house sitting in Berkhamsted.

We booked flights to Stansted Airport, which is the closest airport to Cambridge, but before booking accommodation, decided to wait and see if a house sit might come up in Cambridge that fitted our dates. As luck would have it one did and the dates were perfect.

Our new temporary home was 3 storeys and undergoing some renovation. It was also a 15 minute walk into Cambridge, but the home owners had bikes we could use, which was perfect for us as we enjoy cycling.

We were caring for a gentle and beautiful 3 year old Ridgeback / Labrador cross named Huxley.  Despite his large size, he was easy to walk on-lead.

Huxley only required one daily walk each morning. It was a long one – 90 minutes, but there were plenty of walks and open spaces in the Fens that radiate off from the River to take him and let him off-lead.

We also arrived in Cambridge at the start of a heat wave (yes, you heard right) and the weather was warm and sunny for these morning walks.

After Huxley’s big walk, we could leave him alone in the house for up to 5 hours to go exploring.

Unknown to us, on this particular weekend the “May Bumps” were being held on the River Cam. This event has been an annual tradition since 1887. It is a series of boat races between the University Colleges. Eight crews are lined up at the start nose to tail with about 20 meters between each boat. The goal is to ‘catch’ (ie bump) the boat in front of you and not get caught by the boat behind you. It was a fun and interesting weekend and we sat on the banks of the river in the sunshine with some of the locals who were happy to explain the rules to us.

Our three days passed very quickly and we spent our final night in an AirBnB property before catching a bus to Reading to start our next sit.

What the home owner said – “…Glenn and Jacqui are a lovely couple. They immediately bonded with Hux and kept us informed during their stay. They left the house clean and tidy. They also left us yummy pastries when they left and sent great photos afterward of Hux’s time with them. I’d definitely contact them again to sit…...”

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