As exams come to an end, home friends vie to visit ‘the city of perspiring dreams’. But the tourist hotspots soon lose their appeal when faced with a battle through the tight jungle of tourists and selfie-sticks, endless afternoon teas at Fitzbillies and tours through the same-old colleges. Fortunately, Varsity is here to give you an alternative list, for an authentic tour of Cambridge that your standard guide can't deliver. The seekers of the obscure will not be disappointed by some of the city's best kept (and most reasonably priced) secrets.

Hidden spots on the Cam

If the sun is scorching, one of the longest outdoor pools in Britain is certainly a safe bet to cool down. But why not go a step closer to nature and dip a toe in the clean part of the river; take a poetic plunge in Lord Byron’s Pool (01) after a quiet picnic. There might be midges, save during a midnight skinny-dip in the moonlight, but joys abound in diving into the depths and following Lord Byron and, later, the likes of Rupert Brooke and Virginia Woolf. If swimming doesn’t rock your boat, then the woodland site by its weir lays claim to a lovely circular walk by the River Cam.

Sheep’s Green

While the wooden bathing sheds and diving boards that once shivered at daring somersaults are sadly no more, a solitary handrail of the Ladies Bathing Place still exists (02). The stone summerhouse, Hodson’s Folly, was built in 1887 beside the footbridge at Sheep’s Green as a father’s watch place over his bathing daughter. A perfect stop over on a jolly to Granchester.

Little St Mary’s gardens and the Corpus Leckhampton site

In theme with this thread of nature, the wild garden at Little St Mary's church (03) shelters in the shadow of Peterhouse without much of a second glance. But this secret and sacred site is a plot of pleasant surprises. The churchyard, first established in 1632, closed to the public a long time ago, but hidden gems are tucked away for temptation. The bird bath was built as a memorial to Burns Singer and stands proud in a plot of land reclaimed as a semi-wild garden, with rusted iron railings and crumbling gravestones that make for curious exploration. But if tombs are not to your taste, there are the secluded grounds of the Corpus site at Leckhampton (04), with sprawling wild gardens, shady trees, gorgeous flowers and even small deer. Cherry Hinton Hall park, Giant's Grave and the Lime Kiln, also East and West Pit nature reserves are other worthy tranquil picnic spots.

Eerie Cambridge

For the less faint hearted, head to Sidney Sussex’s Ante-Chapel (05) for a nod to Cromwell’s decapitated head, undertake some late night ghostbusting of Girton’s grey lady, Corpus’ Dr Butts or the hanged monk by Peterhouse’s Senior Combination Room. If you still have your wits about you, head to the Ascension Parish Burial Ground (06). The burial site boasts memorials and graves to many great scientists and scholars including three Nobel prize winners, Cambridge Apostles and members of the Darwin family. Finally, a mere short cycle away for the history enthusiast lies the UK’s only World War Two American Military Cemetery in Madingley.

Quirky touches

As quirky as Cambridge students may be, the town’s architecture is even more so. Look out for Clare Bridge's missing wedge (07), wrongly rumoured to be the revenge of a builder not being paid in full, or a bet between two fellows that went too far. Another fun activity could be a hunt for the old door of 10 Downing Street, donated in the 1960s and currently in use in a similarly-named college. In any case, it is the students and professors with their eclectic passions that makes Cambridge such a special and unique place, so visits should fully exploit this. On the way to a look at the UL, college and faculty libraries are a worthy addition to the tour; try the SPS library, which is located upon the old site of the Cavendish Laboratory, where the structure of DNA was discovered in 1953, or otherwise check out the impressive wooden clad splendour of Haddon Library, located on the Downing Site.

Food for thought

All this walking requires substantial refuelling and headspace to mull over the quirks and artefacts of the tour. What better way than a wander down Mill Road, an escape from the chain cafés and restaurants that crowd the city centre. Start with a short stroll across Parker’s Piece to Espresso Library (08), for a delectable morning brunch – then come full circle and end the day there with a gin and tonic as the café transitions to bar. Further along Mill Road is Bedouin, offering a delicious range of North African cuisine. Varsity particularly recommends the Tagine Beldi. Also situated on the edge of the Cambridge bubble is the café Urban Larder (09); come for the locally roasted coffee, stay for the local farm fresh delights and unpretentious atmosphere. And last, but by no means least, is the restaurant Tradizioni (10). The best Italian food in Cambridge, and certainly worth the walk over the railway bridge •