Running in Cambridge

Just south and west of the city centre, close to Cambridge railway station and the Fen Causeway, Sheep's Green and Coe Fen form a roughly 17 hectare local nature reserve split into two halves by a braided arm of the River Cam. The meadows are still grazed by cattle, and sometimes horses, from April through October, an unusual sight so close to the middle of a city and a scene that echoes the grazing cows already found further upstream near Grantchester. Because the ground floods regularly in wet weather, the reserve has stayed undeveloped for centuries, leaving open grassland criss crossed by footpaths and small wooden footbridges over the old stream channels. Waterfowl including herons and kingfishers are a regular sight along the banks, adding to the sense of being well outside the city despite being minutes from the colleges.

For runners, Coe Fen and Sheep's Green offer a shorter, more central alternative to the full run out to Grantchester, useful for an easy recovery loop or a warm up before a track session. The paths link directly to Lammas Land and the towpath, so it is easy to extend a short loop into a longer run toward Grantchester Meadows without retracing your steps. The flat, grassy paths can turn soft and muddy after heavy rain, so trail shoes are worth considering outside of summer. Because the area sits so close to the city centre, it is one of the easiest ways to get a genuinely rural feeling run without leaving Cambridge at all.

The Backs is the name given to the green space and footpaths where Cambridge's oldest colleges, including King's College, Clare College, Trinity College, and St John's College, back directly onto the River Cam. A string of bridges and open lawns connects the route along the river, running past college chapels, libraries, and gardens that most visitors only ever see from a punt. It is one of the most photographed stretches of parkland in England, and for good reason, the combination of historic architecture and open riverside green space is hard to find anywhere else on a flat, runnable path. The route sits right in the city centre, within easy reach of both Jesus Green to the north and Coe Fen to the south.

Running the Backs early in the morning, before the tour groups and punt traffic build up, is one of the most distinctive short runs in Cambridge and a genuine highlight for visiting runners. The paths are flat and well maintained, though narrow and shared with pedestrians in places, so an early start also means more room to actually run rather than weave through crowds. Because the route is so short, most runners use it as the scenic middle section of a longer loop, joining it to Jesus Green, Midsummer Common, or the towpath toward Grantchester. It is a reminder that in Cambridge, some of the best running is also the best sightseeing, with no need to choose between the two.