We’re coming up to the end of March which means that Winter is officially over. Spring has most certainly sprung. And although it will take time to get up to balmy summer temperatures, the change of the hour over the weekend is the official beginning of the long evenings of summer. But here at the Varsity Hotel Cambridge it has a very special meaning. Our iconic Roof Terrace is now open for business.
Roof Terrace
Our open-air Roof Terrace is incredibly popular, and we’re understandably very proud of it. Come by the Varsity Hotel on a summer weekend and you’ll find a queue outside the hotel itself. All waiting to get up to the oasis high above the streets. And for those who consider the roof of a six storey building a modest vantage point, remember that Cambridge is a low-rise city. You can see for miles around from up there.
Yet its greatest strength is also an obvious weakness. When the sun is shining, the Roof Terrace is packed. But rain, too much wind or cold weather makes it a lot less appealing. And we are still based in England, with its notoriously stereotypical weather. Indeed for nearly five months each year over the winter, the Roof Terrace remains closed.
So this time of year is always a time of joy here at the Varsity. The time when we can finally shrug off the last of the Winter torpor and get back to doing what we do best. True, Spring weather can also be uncooperative, and the evenings aren’t that long just yet. But every day it gets a little bit better. Which is always a great feeling.
Easter
But, of course, this final weekend in March is also important for other reasons. First off, it’s Easter Weekend. Meaning that there’s plenty of chocolate and baked goods going around. And since Easter Monday is a bank holiday, many enjoy a long weekend of leisure by taking extra days off work on either side. Although with the hour changing this weekend, we’ll be losing an hour but gaining a day. A fair compromise.
This weekend also features the annual Cambridge vs Oxford Boat Race, on Saturday March 30th. Held on the Thames in London, this rowing race is perhaps the most famous sporting event in the entire world raced by amateurs. Not to say that the crews aren’t excellent – they always are. But simply that each participant is an active Oxbridge student first, and a Boatie second. Pretty much every other high profile sporting event in the world (with the exception of city marathons) is contested by professional athletes. Making the Boat Race yet another quirky oddity of our nation.
We at the Varsity Hotel Cambridge look forward to greeting you this Easter weekend. And are happy to begin another epic season of the grand saga that is the Roof Terrace.
