Winter in England is typically a dreary time. The weather is wet and cold and miserable. It’s tempting just to stay at home. But at the Varsity Hotel we feel it is instead an opportunity to try new things outside of your normal comfort zone.
New Challenges
With Christmas out of the way we like to think we’re halfway through the winter. But it’s still a good couple of months before spring truly arrives. Rather than pine away for the scantily clad outdoor pursuits we can’t pursue during this time, better to explore the many and varied activities Cambridge has to offer. It is the season to try new things and see what works for you.
The classic endeavour at this time of year is simply to get back into shape after Christmas. A gym membership at the Glassworks Spa & Gym will certainly help you do this. You can work out solo or with encouragement from our personal trainers. Or join any of our many weekly classes covering disciplines from Yoga and Pilates to Zumba and other aerobic workouts. Or if you’re the type who needs a target to work towards, consider signing up for the Cambridge half marathon in early March.
However, many of us require a specific activity to focus on. Running for the sake of running or working out it a gym without set goals isn’t always enough. It’s often said that the best activity to boost someone’s health and fitness is simply the one they enjoy the most. As we are all more likely to do more of something we find enjoyable.
Finding an activity both healthy and enjoyable can be a challenge. But Cambridge has lots of such activities on offer, especially in the fields of dance and martial arts, and this is an excellent time for experimentation. Fancy learning to salsa, or begin a path in Argentine Tango? No worries. Or perhaps you’d like a taste of Tai Chi, Kung Fu, or the resurgent discipline of HEMA? Cambridge has something for you.
The Great Outdoors
However, despite the cold it is still a good idea to venture outdoors once in a while. Ironically, colder countries have an easier time of this, with the resulting snow and ice encouraging outdoor sports such as skiing and ice skating. And while snow can’t be expected in Cambridge, this does allow alternatives to be possible.
For example, there are the Winter Gardens in the Cambridge University Botanical Gardens. First planted and organised in 1979, this area of the gardens is specifically designed to look beautiful in the winter. It’s a subtle mix of winter flowers with plants and trees of coloured stems or bark and variegated foliage. A lovely reminder that there is still natural beauty in the wintertime.
Alternatively, you may feel that any communion with nature is incomplete without wildlife. In which case the Trumpington Meadows Nature Reserve organises a number of mindful winter wanders. These peaceful, silent walks through nature are wonderful for calming a troubled mind and spirit.
And at the end of it all, come back to the snugness and warmth of our lovely River Bar Steakhouse. Or instead arrange for a relaxing massage in Cambridge in the Glassworks Spa.
