Girton Golf Club

The moment you pull into Girton Golf Club, you know you're somewhere proper. It's one of those courses that feels established without being stuffy - a solid 18-hole layout just outside Cambridge that's been here since 1895. The grounds are well-maintained, open enough to walk without feeling cramped, and the greens play fair rather than punitive.

You'll need to be a member or have an introduction from one, which is the traditional way these clubs work. It's not the flashiest course in Cambridgeshire, but that's rather the point. You get straightforward golf without the theatre - good practice for your game, genuinely enjoyable to play. The course sits on relatively flat terrain, which means it's accessible for golfers of varying ability levels, though the design still presents proper challenges.

If you're staying at one of the nearby campsites - Hempsall Farm or Fen End Farm are within five miles - and you're a golfer, it's worth ringing ahead to see if you can arrange a round. Non-golfers won't find much here, and that's fine. This isn't a tourist attraction in the traditional sense; it's a working members' club where golf is genuinely the point.

Allow a full morning or afternoon for a round plus refreshments. The drive from Cambridge is barely fifteen minutes, making it a logical day out if you're basing yourself near the city.