Cambridge

One of us grew up in Cambridge, and went back for a birthday: one night in late January, without the children. January is the city at its plainest, the coldest and quietest month, grey over country so flat there is no hill in sight. Most of our list for Cambridge happens outdoors, and wants summer.

Summer has its catch. From early May to the end of June most colleges close to visitors while exams are sat, with King's College Chapel and the Fitzwilliam Museum among the few exceptions, and July and August are the busiest, dearest months of the year. The river does not sit exams, though, and nor do the commons, so a summer visit barely notices the closure. For the colleges themselves, September and early October are calmer, with term back and the weather usually still mild enough for the river.

Start at the Mill Pond by Silver Street, where Laundress Green fills up on a summer day and the punts set off along the Backs. The college gardens run down to the water beside you, under the Mathematical Bridge at Queens' and on to the Bridge of Sighs at St John's. Beginners are advised to practise on the pond first, away from the bridge, which says a good deal about first attempts. The next day, walk two miles south across the water meadows to Grantchester, about an hour, with a picnic for Grantchester Meadows and a towel for the Cam, which in summer is for swimming in. The Orchard Tea Garden is at the far end, for anyone who would rather stay dry.

Several things on the list come with a date. Strawberry Fair has filled Midsummer Common on the first Saturday in June since 1974, opened by a parade of samba bands and kept free by its stall fees: the hippy side of Cambridge, and an interesting one. The Literary Festival comes twice a year, in April and for a weekend in November. The Junction, a short walk from the station, puts on concerts in a venue that opened in 1990 on the site of the old Cattle Market.

We stayed in the City Centre, a minute's walk from the Mill Pond, and enjoyed the hotel's cocktail bar. It is the base for a first visit, with most sights a walk apart. Chesterton, across Jesus Green and Midsummer Common, is villagey and suits families. Mill Road is for eating, from independent cafes to food from around the globe, and our dinner was there, at Fin Boys, and a great one: British fish off the day boats, caught that day, and seats by the pass to ask the chefs where.