A couple of years ago, I visited the Orchard Tea Garden in Grantchester and I have wanted to go back ever since. Is there anything more quintessentially English than sitting in a deck chair in an orchard, tucking into a cream tea? I think not! Then, when I discovered that the University Library was holding an exhibition about 20th Century Crime Fiction, with a particular emphasis on the Golden Age of the detective novel (one of my favourite genres), a return visit to Cambridge was bumped high up on my to do list for this summer.

Unfortunately the only day that we had free before the exhibition finished was not looking great weather-wise, and after an awful lot of dithering – mostly on my part – as to whether it would actually be nice enough/dry enough to sit outside and make the most of the surroundings, or whether it would be a waste of an expensive train fare, we decided to risk it.

I always worry about having made the wrong decision, so it was comforting to get to Kings Cross and discover that the Cambridge train was full of people who obviously hadn’t considered the weather a bar to a good day out, and I started to relax.

The walk from the station to the town centre is a lengthy one, but once there we set about finding the start of the walk that would take us to Grantchester. This resulted in a bit of tension when my daughter discovered that I hadn’t brought any instructions along – although it hadn’t occurred to me to bring any because I just assumed that a) we would remember and b) we would just follow the river – completely forgetting that there was a confusing bit at the beginning which doesn’t follow the river at all and requires navigation around suburban side streets. A quick download later – thank you Saturday Walkers Club! – and we were back on speaking terms and happily on our way.

Although it was warm enough to be sitting outside, the overcast day meant that the orchard was very quiet and we had plenty of spots amongst the apple trees to choose from. I love a scone and I love the concept of a cream tea but in fact – whisper – I don’t actually like tea! I drink fruit teas and I am trying to like mint tea, but ‘normal’ tea is just too leafy and undrinkable for me, which means I can’t indulge in the full traditional cream tea experience, and today I had a hot chocolate. There was a choice of plain or fruit scones and a selection of different jams, although it’s strawberry all the way for me (and definitely the Cornish way of jam first and cream on top!). If I am being really picky, the scones were a little over-baked, but jam and cream hide a multitude of sins, and overall it didn’t disappoint.

Afterwards, we stopped to look at the church

which had a very beautiful chancel

and which some may recognise from the television series ‘Grantchester’.

Back in Cambridge, we made our way to the University Library for the Murder by the Book exhibition, which celebrated the British crime novel, tracking its development from the end of the 19th right through the 20th century. Agatha Christie’s dictaphone and typewriter, and Wilkie Collin’s writing desk (he liked his friend Charles Dickens one so much that he commissioned an exact copy to be made) were on display, along with almost 100 first editions of some of the most famous and influential detective/crime novels.

It was absolutely fascinating, and after pouring over the plot synopsis of each of them, I came away with quite a list of books that I would now like to read. As I had recently been given a Waterstones voucher, I immediately bought a copy of ‘Green for Danger’ by Christianna Brand (a 1944 detective novel which caught my eye because, not only did it have a very intriguing story line, but it was also set in a Kent Military Hospital) when we went for a browse in Heffers Bookshop afterwards, but the rest will have to wait until I get through the already very large ‘to be read’ pile on my bookcase!

We had a bit of a wander, watched the punting, and then before leaving we called in at Fitzbillies, well known for their Chelsea buns, to buy one to keep us going on the train journey home. It was the end of the day and the last few original versions in the tray were looking a bit sorry for themselves, so we opted for a chocolate and salted caramel one to share instead. And as we can’t visit a town that has a Knoops without buying one of their delicious chocolate drinks (I love the idea that you get to choose the %/variety of chocolate that you would like from their large menu selection), we came away with 80% chocolate milkshakes as well. A bit of a sugar overdose (in a day decidedly lacking in nutrition and definitely not the norm!), but it was just what I needed to get me home after an enjoyable but exhausting trip.