'You're going to Cambridge - now what?': Advice from Team Peterhouse

On the subject of bikes - having spent her life being made to wear a helmet, is it the norm in Cambridge these days?

Please please please ensure she wears a helmet.

My son wore his the entire 4 years he was there, thank goodness. And it seems most people do.

By the way, the biggest danger really is unwary overseas tourists, looking the wrong way, or (more likely) not looking at all.

So at least that hazard should be reduced for the moment.

I find the second biggest danger is parents dropping off their kids, unused to all the bikes and driving around a new city. I try to avoid cycling on these days! It's mayhem.

Yep, and also the weird cycle lanes going against the main traffic - e.g. the Hobson Street one-way for normal traffic but two-way for bikes. Deadly for pedestrians, and therefore cyclists.

When I ask my son which way to cycle from the Maypole back to Hills Road, he always reminds me to assume that car drivers on Hobson Street aren't expecting bikes to be going the other way.

I haven't had to look on Google Maps to find where any of these streets are, promise...

Lol! @Christ's Admissions will be disappointed about Hobson St!

I forget that Christ's essentially faces onto Hobson Street and therefore for some people it's not just another back alley.

I haven't had to look on Google Maps to find where any of these streets are, promise...

See? Pedestrians! Even 8 year veterans wander around, deep in thought, no idea where they are in the world!

The other thing to note is that nearly all JCRs will run a scheme where you can buy bike lights and a helmet and then get some discount (about £10) off the price, paid back by the JCR. There is usually some scheme to encourage helmet and light take up in the first term, especially as the nights draw in quickly.

I did ask on another thread but checking here.... i presume O2 is the preferred network for mobiles? We are all on Three and its shocking in Cambridge. Say a 120GB deal for £20. Thanks

I did ask on another thread but checking here.... i presume O2 is the preferred network for mobiles? We are all on Three and its shocking in Cambridge. Say a 120GB deal for £20. Thanks

O2 is what the university use, so I presume must have good coverage. I'm on EE and have had no problems, unless I'm inside a concrete block. If your daughter struggles with signal for phone calls, I would highly recommend wifi calling (as long as you don';t ask me to explain how it works!).

Thanks. I think the days of actually making a phone call on her phone are long gone ... it’s all about the Snap

Thanks for that though. I’ll check EE as well.

O2 is what the university use, so I presume must have good coverage. I'm on EE and have had no problems, unless I'm inside a concrete block. If your daughter struggles with signal for phone calls, I would highly recommend wifi calling (as long as you don';t ask me to explain how it works!).