Life in Cambridge

Maps

Here's a map of Cambridge, showing the IoA site in relation to the city centre: 

This is a more detailed map of the IoA site:

Travel & transport

Buy a bike!

Many people buy their bikes from 'The bike man' in the main market square, although he can be rather pricey.  Other options are the bike shops scattered around Cambridge, or Gumtree (an online second-hand selling site), Tesco, or Halfords.

Cars

Some people feel the need to have cars here -- whilst it's not essential if you're living in the centre, it may be useful for exploring the countryside, shopping, etc.  You can rent cars by the hour via Zipcar.  Probably best to ask around for tips on how to buy a car, along with getting your car taxed, MOT'd (the UK safety inspection) and insured.

Rail

The British population is heavily dependent on the rail network to move about the country for work and play.  If you rarely leave Cambridge, you need not fuss with the details. Otherwise, it might be worth considering a few websites.  First, and essentially, you can cut the price of all your off-peak journeys in the southeast of England, including to London, by up to 33% by purchasing a "Network Railcard".  Alternatively, if you are 30 or younger, you can purchase a 26-30 railcard valid for journeys across all of Great Britain (not just in the southeast).

You can book rail tickets on many websites, but the standard one is here. However, that site leaves out a lot of information: if you want a very clear listing of all possible fares between two points, then use this.  If you want to know what the intermediate stops are (with times) between two stations, use this.  Finally, if you want to hop on and off trains at will in a particular part of the country, then a "rover" or "ranger" ticket is for you -- see here.

Buses

There are 4 public buses that stop close to the IoA:  the Citi 4, the 905, the Madingley Road Park & Ride bus, and the U.  The charge for the U is just £1 with your University staff card.  Maps and timetables for the first three buses, which are operated by Stagecoach, are available here. Maps and timetables for the U, which is operated by Whippet, are available here.

Air

Fly into Stansted, if you can.  It's the closest and very convenient by train.  Gatwick, Heathrow & Luton are also reasonable, although you'll have to connect via London when travelling via train. See Arriving in Cambridge for travel options to and from these airports.

Meeting people

• The Postdocs of Cambridge (PDoC) email list is handy for announcements of events, Junior Research Fellowships and other college appointments, and random postdoc-related stuff. Sign up here.

• There are a wide variety of local social groups advertising on Meetup.com: book clubs, walkers, cinema groups, artists, just about anything you can think of.

Pubs

There are lots.  The closest to the IoA is The Castle Inn on Castle Hill, so you'll probably end up there a lot.  Pubs close around 23:30, but there are some late night spots in the centre of town.  The postdocs typically go to the pub on Friday evenings -- keep an eye out for emails.

Activities & sports

Some people join colleges to use their facilities (e.g. Churchill has a small gym that's close to the IoA).

University Sports Centre

Cambridge Uni has recently opened a new sports and gym facility, ~10 min walk from the IoA.  Membership stars from £37 / month.  Details can be found here: https://www.sport.cam.ac.uk/membership/cambridge-sport-membership 

Punting

The essential Cambridge experience! You can rent a punt and have a punt yourself, or go on a guided punt. The punting companies at Magdalene (pronounced Mor-da-lin) Bridge or at Silver Street Bridge will provide either.

If you rent a punt from above the lock at Silver Street then you can punt down to Grantchester for tea and scones at one of several tea shops. The Orchard is a good one with deck chairs to snooze on. Alternatively there is a nice ~45 minute walk to Grantchester along the river. A Cambridge must-do!

**David add info on discount**

Botanic Gardens

**Add info**

Tennis Court

**Alireza add info**

Cambridge Terms

There are three Cambridge Terms: Michaelmas (beginning of October to the end of November), Lent (mid-January to mid-March), and Easter (mid-April to mid-June). During summer, the IoA quietens down a great deal -- there are far fewer talks, and the Wednesday bread and cheese lunch doesn't run.

College Affiliation

Some people like to be affiliated with a Cambridge University college. There are three basic types of college affiliation:

• 1. Ones that pay you (stipendiary fellows)

  2. Ones that don't pay you, but provide meals and other privileges (non-stipendiary fellows)

  3. Ones that you pay for

Each college operates a separate system for recruiting postdoctoral fellows. The PdOC society keeps track of all the different systems, and updates postdocs on opportunities via their mailing list. Their PdOC College Affiliation Guide is here.

If you are interested in college affiliation, we suggest you get on it soon after you arrive in Cambridge. Opportunities come in waves, and frequently require that an applicant be funded for at least 2 years at the time of their application.

A faculty contact who might be able to advise on these matters would be a college fellow who is actively involved in their college, such as Chris Tout (Churchill College).