Enjoy a lunchtime concert

In these cash-strapped times it’s reassuring to know that are ways to enjoy yourself that don’t cost a penny. The best things in life are free, as they say...

The 20th Century Gallery of the Fitzwilliam Museum

1 Visit the City museums

Here in Cambridge, courtesy of the university, we’ve got some of the best museums in the country, and the majority are free to get in. From archaeology to zoology you can find out about it in fascinating detail. Visit cam.ac.uk/museums

2 Get in touch with nature

Fly a kite on Gog Magog Hills

Paxton Pits Nature Reserve on the edge of St Neots is one of the best in the county. It was once a working quarry and has a variety of habitats making it a great place for all sorts of wildlife. There are nature trails and bird feeding stations and it’s one of the best places to spot an otter. Visit paxton-pits.org.uk.

3 Fly a kite on Gog Magog Hills

We may not have much in the way of hills in Cambridgeshire but the ones we do have tend to be windy, so for a fun-filled afternoon on a blowy day, grab a kite, pile the kids into the car and head for the Gog Magog Downs just south of the city on the A1307.

4 Watch the Bumps

An annual Cambridge traditon that’s not to be missed – well, it’s actually two annual traditions; you can choose between the University Bumps in May and the Town Bumps in July - it’s basically a frantic rowing race, where each boat tries to ‘bump’ the one in front of it to move up the pecking order.

5 Follow in Oliver Cromwell’s footsteps

The self-styled Lord Protector was born in Huntingdon and lived in St Ives and Ely. The Cromwell Museum is in Huntingdon, and his house in Ely is now the Tourist Information Centre. Cromwell studied at Cambridge and his head is believed to be buried at Sidney Sussex College (and to make regular ghostly appearances). Visit olivercromwell.org.

6 Enjoy a Friday lunchtime concert

There may be no such thing as a free lunch, but there’s such a thing as a free lunchtime concert. Every Friday during termtime at Kettle’s Yard the cream of the University’s rising talent perform. Visit kettlesyard.co.uk/music/lunch.html.

7 Keep the children out of mischief

On the first Saturday of every month the Fitzwilliam Museum sets up its Family Welcome Point, where you can collect drawing materials, activities and trails to use throughout the museum, exploring all sorts of themes. Visit fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk.

8 Hit an all-time low

Holme Fen is a part of the Great Fen Project and as well as being a great place to get out in the country and explore it’s where you can see evidence of how Cambridgeshire is sinking. The Holme Fen posts, once buried up to their tops in the peaty soil, now stand 15 feet above ground, owing to the drainage of the fens. Visit greatfen.org.uk

9 Get in touch with nature

Paxton Pits Nature reserve on the edge of St Neots is one of the best in the county. It was once a working quarry and has a variety of habitats making it a great place for all sorts of wildlife. There are nture trails and bird feeding stations and it’s one of the best places to spot an otter. Visit paxton-pits.org.uk

10 Do something a-maze-ing

Hilton village’s Turf Maze or Labyrinth is 55 feet in diameter with an inscribed pillar in the middle. Its design is similar to the famous pavement labyrinth at Chartres Cathedral, and kids have a great time working out how to get to the middle. Visit hilton-village.com.