The only way is up Castle Hill....

Cambridge, for those of you unfamiliar with local geography, is flat, like pancake flat, flatest, flatmost, flatfull in fact. This is great for cycling and I'm sure part of what makes Cambridge such a cycle city. Once in a while though you can have enough flat and start to crave lumpiness, bumpiness and all things upwards pointing. Pretty much your only choice for what passes for a vertiginous ascent in these parts is the Castle Hill. It's called Castle hill because it used to have a Castle on it, though these days you would be hard pressed to really notice any crenellated evidence to prove it.


In Anglo Saxon times there was apparently a settlement on Castle Hill. As the high ground around these parts you could see anyone coming from miles away and then do whatever Castley things were on your mind, shout insults, throw stuff, you know.

When the Normans turned up around 1068 they built their own castle there, apparently if you go North in a straight line there is no higher ground until you reach the North pole! Though how anyone knows this stuff you do have to wonder, every time I watch that Tony Robinson and his time team I'm torn between thinking it's pretty cool and the fact they could tell me anything and thanks to my pitiful lack of knowledge I wouldn't be able to disagree. You could tell me the King of Sandwich build a magnificent bready castle from loaves, cheese and ham to protect the magical celery forest and, while I may think you are talking toilet, I would actually be fairly hard pressed to disagree on any kind of factual basis.


When I get right down to it there are only three facts I can quote with relative certainty:

1) There is a hill.
2) There is no Castle.
3) It is called Castle Hill.

Still several historically accurate and vital facts short of a prize winning round on Mastermind I tend to think. Though possibly enough riveting facts to get me a guest spot on breakfast television.

Which is quite shameful, a all time low to match Cambridge's all time high. In celebration of reaching not only the very literal peak of Cambridge but also this metaphorical peak of ignorance join us at Cambridge T-Shirts with this special T-Shirt to celebrate our conquest of these great heights.

Go on reach for the stars!