Cam Music
Getting to concerts and festivals from Cambridge by train
Cambridge is one of the easiest places in the east of England to reach a concert or a festival without a car. The city has three railway stations: Cambridge, the main one south-east of the centre; Cambridge North, by the Science Park and the guided busway; and Cambridge South, the newest, beside the Biomedical Campus and Addenbrooke's Hospital. From them, direct trains run to two London terminals, to Norwich, to Ely and the Fens, and south towards Saffron Walden and Stansted Airport. Planning a trip to a festival weekend or an evening concert mostly comes down to three things: which station, how late the last train runs, and how to cover the final miles from the station to the stage.
The journey times below are typical patterns from the operators and journey planners; individual trains vary, and engineering works can change the picture at weekends. National Rail Enquiries has the live timetable.
| To | Operator | Typical journey | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| London King's Cross | Great Northern, Thameslink | fastest about 50 minutes; often around an hour | London concerts and arena shows |
| London Liverpool Street | Greater Anglia | fastest a little over an hour | East London venues |
| Audley End | Greater Anglia | about 15 to 20 minutes | Saffron Hall, Saffron Walden |
| Norwich | Greater Anglia | about 1 hour 15 to 1 hour 20 | Norfolk concerts and summer events |
| Cherry Hinton Hall (bus) | Citi 3 from the station | frequent daytime service, a short ride | The Cambridge Folk Festival |
Late trains after a concert
The question that decides most evening trips is the last train home. From London King's Cross, the last weekday trains to Cambridge usually leave after midnight, which makes a London concert followed by a train back perfectly realistic. Liverpool Street services finish earlier. Sundays and holiday weekends are the risky days: services start later, finish earlier and are the most likely to be replaced by buses during engineering works. Checking the last train before buying a ticket, rather than on the way out of the venue, saves a lot of trouble.
For concerts in Cambridge itself, the problem runs the other way round for visitors from the surrounding towns. Last trains to Ely, Royston or Audley End are generally later than the end of a typical concert, but encores and long programmes can push a late finish past them. The big venues publish finishing times on the day, and most are within a short taxi ride of the main station.
Getting to Cherry Hinton Hall for the folk festival
The Cambridge Folk Festival takes place in the grounds of Cherry Hinton Hall, south-east of the city centre, and it is one of the few major festivals in the country that can be reached on a city bus. The festival's own travel advice points visitors arriving by train to the Citi 3 bus from stop 2 outside Cambridge station, a frequent service that runs to Cherry Hinton Hall; fares are paid to the driver, and all Citi buses are wheelchair accessible. On foot, the walk from the station takes about 35 to 45 minutes. Taxis use a designated drop-off and pick-up point a short walk from the main entrance, and there are cycle racks for anyone riding from the city.
Getting to Saffron Hall
Saffron Hall stands in the grounds of Saffron Walden County High School, about two miles from Audley End station. The train from Cambridge takes around a quarter of an hour, and the hall has in the past run a minibus between the station and the hall before and after concerts; the Saffron Hall website lists the current travel options for each concert. Driving is the alternative, with parking on site, but the train is the relaxed choice for an evening concert with a drink in the interval.
Camping or a bed in town
For a festival weekend, the choice between camping and a bed in the city depends on the festival more than on the visitor. Most large festivals in the countryside are built around camping, and their tickets often include it, so going home each night is not realistic. City festivals and day events are different: a hotel or guest house nearby and a daily bus ride can be more comfortable than a tent, especially for families or anyone who sleeps badly in a field.
Cambridge itself fills up quickly on certain dates. Graduation days, May Week in June and the Christmas period push room prices up and availability down, and the folk festival weekend has the same effect on the south-east side of the city. Booking as soon as the dates are known is the simplest defence. Ely, Royston and Newmarket are all a short train ride away and are worth checking when Cambridge itself is full.
Accessibility and luggage
Train operators offer help at stations that can be booked in advance through the national Passenger Assistance service, and the station pages on National Rail Enquiries list step-free routes, lifts and staffing hours for each station. At festivals, accessible camping, viewing platforms and companion tickets are common, but the details and the application deadlines differ from event to event, so they are worth checking well before the weekend. Folding trolleys and wheeled bags make the walk from a festival bus stop or car park far easier, and a lot of people underestimate how far that last stretch can be.