The Tab rated Cambridge’s top eight Tinder date spots

It’s been a hard year, and no one has felt it more than the lonely hearts of Cambridge. The single life used to be good, you could go to a club with other like-minded singles and have fun. Romance is not so easy anymore. With endless lockdowns and tearful tiers, the students of Cambridge have had to use their world renowned brains to get creative in this new era of love and relationships.

The answer to these student struggles? Tinder. The app’s usage has surged in the pandemic, with 3 billions swipes in a single day back in March 2020, most of which we’re willing to bet were desperate Uni students.  Since then, that record has been broken 130 times, leading us to ask – how can we make the experience enjoyable?

Cambridge, as we know, is a beautiful city and sure has some lovely date spots. But, some are basic or expensive, so which is good enough to lead to a second date?

The official Tab ranking of Tinder first date spots:

8. Punting: 2/10

We weren’t lying about the good photo opportunity (Image Credit: Author’s own)

• Pros: This is a wholesome cute photo opportunity. There’s plenty of distractions, and cute ducks if your date is boring. If you’re any good at punting it’s easy to impress your date and if it goes really badly you can jump into the river and swim away.
• Cons: This one requires manual activity so someone has to punt, or more specifically, someone has to be good at punting or else you’re not going anywhere. It’s pretty embarrassing if you can’t control the punt, and with lots of people watching you, it’ll be awkward if you might fall in. While we currently have good weather that’s not a guarantee and the decision of who punts and gets sweaty and who just sits there is a little awkward.

7. Pub: 2.5/10

• Pros: Obviously, the nice drinks help make this one enjoyable with ambient noise meaning there are no awkward silences. Plus, you can get super drunk if your date was catfishing you.
• Cons: The eternal question – who pays? It can cause a bit of conflict, made way worse if you’re drunk. additionally, with COVID regulations you might have to sit outside, pubs in Cambridge are expensive and you usually have to book a week in advance (no pressure).

6. Dinner: 3/10

• Pros: This one has the same benefits as the Pub except you get a meal out of it (+0.5 points), it can be pretty wholesome, and there’s the takeaway option meaning you can extend the date outside of your booking. Also, bonus points if you take them somewhere really *cool* that isn’t just the Giggling Squid.
• Cons: Again there’s the payment issue – you know it’s expensive and you should split but you don’t know how to say it… Also eating in a restaurant seems a bit serious for a tinder date, so could scare them off. You’ll also have to book ahead (again, no pressure) and might have to sit outside.

5. Sit on King’s Parade: 4/10

We have to admit…it is quite pretty (Image Credit: author’s own)

• Pros: This place is iconic and easy to get to so there’ll be no confusion meeting them. There are also lots of people-watching opportunities so you might see someone you know who could join and save you if the date is going badly. 
• Cons: Sitting on the grass isn’t great fun and there’s not much to do so you actually have to speak to them. If you do see someone you know you’ll awkwardly have to introduce to your date. Plus with all the distractions is your date actually interested in your story about a party in Michaelmas term or are they listening to the group next to you? Impossible to tell.

4. Go for a walk: 5/10

• Pros: Constant movement encourages conversation with lot’s around you to talk about. Having a sense of purpose is also a good way to ensure the date works out and with less eye contact and your 10,000 steps a day it’s a win. Plus Cambridge is pretty nice in the sun so you’ll actually enjoy yourself.
• Cons: There’s the potential for a conflicting walking speed – what if they’re a Varsity athlete and you haven’t worked out since the first lockdown? It can get pretty tiring and worst case you might get lost. Also, it’s totally dependant on the weather so it’s not a sure-fire idea for every date.

3. Castle mound: 5.5/10

Scenes like this are sure to get you a second date Image credit: Evie Mollitt

• Pros: This is super wholesome and gives a cute photo opportunity. It’s not too busy, and gives a romantic background to the date.
• Cons: Agin this one is weather dependent and it’s windy up there. It’s also up the only hill in Cambridge – sweat patches from walking up the hill aren’t great for a first impression. 

2. Jack’s Gelato: 7/10

• Pros: It’s just very nice isn’t it? There are versatile flavours and you have choices on whether you walk and eat or sit and chill. It’s ideal for a character assessment from what flavour they pick and if the date doesn’t work out at least you got ice cream out of it.
• Cons: It’s pricey for what it is and a little basic for a first date. They also have to watch you eat ice cream (frantically if it’s melting in the sun) and vice versa.

1. Come into College: 7.5/10 (the highs are high, the lows are low)

This only works if you have a sexy college to show off (Image Credit: Author’s own)

• Pros: If your college is nice this is a win, your flatmates can save you if it’s going badly, and easy to give them a tour if you don’t want to take them back to your room. You also have the perfect excuse to cut the date short if you have a ‘library slot booked in sorry : (‘
• Cons: It feels super personal and porters don’t add to the ambience. If your college is ages away from them then it’s not ideal and pretty awkward if you have a small room. Also, you have to clean up beforehand and tell your flatmates to mind their business. 

With an average score of 4.6/10, the hopeful lovers of Cambridge are really going to have to rely on their own creativity to elevate that score to, at least, a 7 for a second date to be possible. Clearly, there’s a lot of thought to be put into your choice, maybe just leave romance till after exam term.

Feature Image Credit: Author’s own

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