The quiet Cambridge nature reserve with crystal clear waters and named after a famous poet

It’s one of Cambridge’s most beautiful places to walk amongst greenery and wildlife

Cambridgeshire is a county full of beauty spots that its residents can experience first hand. There are lots of nature reserves with flowers, greenery and wildlife bursting at the seams.

And with the beautiful weather we have so far had in summer, these make for the perfect places to walk. One beauty spot in Cambridge with “crystal clear waters” and where a famous poet once bathed is a must-visit.

This is Byron’s Pool Nature Reserve. There is a local legend that the famous English poet Lord Byron, where the reserve gets its namesake from, bathed in a weir pool in the reserve. This was during his university days at Trinity College during the 1800s.

It seemed to be the place for poets to go, as it’s also believed Rupert Brooke, another poet that studied in Cambridge, also bathed in the reserve waters.

The site is set over 4.5 hectares. It was once part of the Trumpington Hall estate, until Cambridge City Council acquired the nature reserve in 1949. It was officially declared a nature reserve in 2005.

The reserve is mainly a wooded area, but there are still a number of small ponds to discover and it also runs along the riverbank. It’s also home to lots of wildlife.

At this time of year, there will be purple and white-letter hairstreak butterflies fluttering around. The reserve is an easy place to walk around, with the paths being flat and also accessible for wheelchair users.

There are also platforms if people wish to canoe or fish. If anyone wishes to head to Byron’s Pool, it’s around an hour walk from Cambridge city centre.

To get there quicker, people can catch the A bus towards Trumpington for seven stops, and then walk 13 minutes.