Out and about in Cambridge you can’t help but notice the abundance of beautiful blackberries weighing down the branches.
Blackberrying or brambling, whichever you prefer, is a great family outing. Plastic containers and the promise of jam or pies keeps everyone motivated.  One of my favourite fruits, my heart leaps with the thought of just how many I will manage to eat before the season ends. The only problem is eating more than you collect.Â
Our seven favourite blackberrying sites in Cambridge
The weather is warm, the light is gorgeous, the colours are vibrant and the blackberries are bountiful. So, where to find them?
- Wimpole – Harcamlow Way, South of Kingston
- The Roman Road – North of Little Abington
- The hedges enclosing the Coton Nature Reserve
- The dog walk track around the Magog Downs
- The hedgerows north of the Grantchester Road
- Quy Fen
- Coldhams Common
Remember, if you’re out foraging only take what you need, as nature will enjoy these autumn delights as much as you.
Blackberries … did you know?
- The blackberry has been foraged and enjoyed for a very long time, at least 8,000 years
- There are now as many as 2,000 varieties of Rubus fruticosus worldwide
- Blackberries and apples are best friends forever and are frequently combined with early apples for a taste which is the embodiment of the changing seasons.
- Blackberries are perfect for jelly, jam, compote, tart, pie, iced desserts, syrup, liqueur and ratafia.
- They are a good source of vitamin C, and also dietary fibre in the multitudinous tiny seeds.
Author: Dawn Giesler, founder of scuseme, has lived and worked in Cambridge for over twenty years. She loves blackberries.