5.30pm - 6.15pm

The Eagle
8 Bene't St, Cambridge CB2 3QN

(#1 on map)

- We start at what used to be my local (literally, I used to live above it!) This pub is one of the oldest in Cambridge, although not continuously. However, it is world renowned as far more than a drinking den. Popular with scientists due to its proximity to the University’s Cavendish laboratories, it was the place that the first announcement was made that DNA had been discovered. In 1953, Francis Crick and James Watson burst into their local pub and announced they had discovered the ‘the secret of life’. Also, the RAF bar at the back of the pub contains signatures burned into the ceiling by air force members during World War II. Hopefully, we'll able to grab a table in the charming little courtyard.

6.25pm - 7.00pm

The Pickerel Inn
30 Magdalene St, Cambridge CB3 0AF

(#2 on map)

- It's a bit of a walk to the next group of pubs but it's a pleasant stroll along Kings Parade, past Kings College and the Senate House, down Trinity Street and St John's Street and up over Magdalene Bridge. The Pickerel claims that it's the oldest pub in Cambridge. At over 600 years old, it may well be. A former coaching inn, it doubled as a brothel for a while. However, now, it's a charming pub which has kept its "olde worlde" look. It has a good choice for the real ale fans. Hopefully, we'll be able to find some space in the beer garden at the back.

7.00pm - 7.45pm

The Mitre
17 Bridge Street, Cambridge CB2 1UF

(#3 on map)

- This old pub has been modernised since my student days. It is perfectly pleasant and does a good range of food – it might be a good place to stop for a bite to eat.

7.45pm - 8.15pm

The Maypole
20a Portugal Place, Cambridge CB5 8AF

(#4 on map)

- I used to like this one. In fact, I was obviously so drunk every time I went that on the research trip, I couldn't actually find it. Beerintheevening.com and Fancyapint.com both confirm it still exists and the reviews suggest not much has changed, so let's see if we can find it!

8.20pm - 9.10pm

The (mini) King Street run

Once upon a time, the King Street Run was a Cambridge institution. There used to be eight pubs on King Street (we're talking quite a long time ago now) and the challenge used to be to drink a gallon of ale in each  If you completed the course in under an hour, you would be awarded a tie. The crawl was banned by the University proctors in the 1950s but has since been re-started as an annual event run by a local athletics group. Because there are now only five pubs, three are visited twice.

Unfortunately, the five pubs are (with one notable exception) not the best any more – one has been turned into a wine bar. However, it is on the way to the last cluster of pubs and so I thought it was worth visiting.

We'll go to the best of the pubs, the Champion of the Thames (68 King Street, CB1 1LN - #5 on map) This charming pub, which doesn't really feel as though it's in a city centre) has a bit of a rowing theme – rowing, in Cambridge, surely not (it's curious that a Cambridge pub should be named after the river going through the Other Place). Don't worry, that doesn't mean it's full of oarspersons. Instead, they have a few interesting beers and ciders.

Neither the King Street Run or the St Radegund looked particularly appealing on the research trip but if people feel short-changed, you can always pop into one of them for a quick half. The St Radegund in particular is well-regarded for its range of beers although some reviews suggest that it is not the friendliest of welcomes.

Whatever you do, however, leave plenty of time for the next trio of pubs.

9.15pm - 11.00pm

The Elm Tree
Orchard Street, Cambridge CB1 1JT

(#6 on map)

The Cricketers
18 Melbourne Place, Cambridge CB1 1EQ

(#7 on map)

The Free Press
7 Prospect Row, Cambridge CB1 1DU

(#8 on map)
- Hidden away down some quiet residential streets, we come to three pubs within a peanut's throw of each other and they're all gems. They all serve an interesting range of ales.

The Elm Tree has been recently renovated but thankfully it's not been turned into a gastropub. There were 10 real ales on the day of the research trip and they usually have at least 1 guest cider. Just across the road is the Cricketers', which, unsurprisingly, has a bit of cricketing theme. Finally, stumbling distance down the road is the Free Press, a quirky little pub with a decent range of beverages.

Anyone who is catching the train back will, unfortunately, have had to leave us here – it is about 20 minutes' walk to the station from here.

11pm - closing

The Clarendon Arms
35-37 Clarendon Street, CB1 1JX

(#9 on map)

- According to the internet (which, as we know, is never wrong) this pub stays open until 12 so it can be our final stop for the evening on the way back into town. I have deliberately not put any of the main town centre pubs on the crawl as they can get a little "lively" on a Saturday night, finishing off instead at these four "local" neighbour pubs. It is actually a B&B, in case anyone's interested.