In its origins, Cambridge was to Oxford what Medina was to Mecca: a place of safety for a persecuted minority. The university of Cambridge was founded in the early thirteenth century by students fleeing the violence of town and gown rivalry in Oxford.

For many centuries it has been part of the world’s most famous educational double act – though in truth only some twenty per cent of Cambridge’s population is made up of members of the university.

Travel From London to Cambridge

Since it is located within fifty miles of the capital, it is easy for those based in London to visit Cambridge in a day. Only a fraction of what it has to offer could be appreciated in so limited a time, but if the schedule is tight, even a day trip is well worth while.