Grantchester Meadows
River meadows linking Newnham to Grantchester, used for walking, picnics and the classic punt-to-the-pub trip.
Grantchester Meadows are open fields to the south of Cambridge, along the Cam's western side, running from Grantchester village to Newnham Croft. They are the upstream end of a chain of floodplain spaces that continues through Skaters' Meadow, the Paradise reserve and Sheep's Green and Coe Fen into The Backs.
Ownership and care
King's College owns the meadows. Since February 2025 they have been managed by the conservation charity Cambridge Past, Present and Future (CPPF). The charity, in its earlier form as the Cambridge Preservation Society, raised money so that King's would accept legal covenants guarding the land from building, and in the 1930s it successfully opposed a proposed ring road. Red Poll cattle graze the fields from April to October.
Walking, punting and swimming
The meadows are used for dog walking and picnics, and a classic summer outing takes you from the city, on foot or by punt or paddle, to the pubs and tea garden at Grantchester, such as the Green Man, the Blue Ball and The Orchard. Swimming in the Cam here has a long history, but in 2021 King's installed signs forbidding it from the meadows, citing safety and risk to life.
Practical notes
Cattle are present for much of the year, so keep dogs under control. A 1969 song by Pink Floyd takes its name from the meadows.