Long-time readers know I was lucky enough to call Cambridge my home for six years. But since moving to London 16 years ago, I haven't been back as often as I should. I decided to make the most of last Saturday's glorious weather by taking a day trip, exploring Cambridge's 'town' and 'gown' sides. Read on to discover my ultimate itinerary for a perfect day in Cambridge: things to do and places to eat, drink and shop.

Although one day isn't enough time to spend in many of the cities I visit, it's definitely a good start. And if you choose a day-trip destination that has a good or growing specialty coffee scene, you can combine sight-seeing with coffee-shop hopping.

Given the amount of time I once spent in various Cambridge libraries, the name of The Espresso Library, a cycling-themed speciality coffee shop on Cambridge's East Road, appealed instantly.  The Espresso Library has long been on my list, and several friends had recommended it (you can also check out Brian's write-up on his blog).

I studied and worked in Cambridge for seven years, arriving in 2002, spending four years studying linguistics and then starting my career in scientific publishing. By 2010, I was no longer living or working in the city and my visits became less frequent. My last trip was two years ago, when I went to second Hot Numbers on Trumpington Street in 2015, and the penultimate trip was in 2013, when I went to the original Hot Numbers and mused on the flutterings of change in Cambridge's coffee-shop culture.

I don't have too many reasons to return to Cambridge, the town in which I studied and worked for a total of seven years, these days, but a reunion lunch in my college yesterday brought a number of my friends back into town. After weeks of sunshine, the heavens opened almost as soon as the train passed under the North Circular, and as I had a little time to spare before lunch, I sought shelter in Hot Numbers' second branch on Trumpington Street.

In my capacity as a press officer for a scientific journal, I was excited last month to receive a phone call from the distribution company working on The Theory of Everything — James Marsh's new movie about Stephen Hawking and Hawking's first wife, Jane Wilde. They were inviting someone from our journal to the film's London premiere last month, but somewhat unsurprisingly, they were after one of our journalists and I didn't get to go.

Back in my relatively early days of coffee obsession, when I was at university in Cambridge, I would "treat" myself to a mocha at Nero if I had finished an essay or worked particularly hard. It wasn't as though there were that many other caffeine options at the time. Clowns, an Italian-run café on King Street was all right (better after the smoking ban kicked in), and CB1 on Mill Road (and its more restauranty sister CB2) wasn't too bad, although it was more about the cyber than the coffee.

I can't believe it's been two years since my last visit to Cambridge, but since Dr E moved to Australia, I don't really know anyone there. It's a shame because on a lovely summer Saturday, it's a lovely place. Yesterday was more autumnal, but it was nice to be back. I was meeting some friends and former colleagues for lunch, but I had half an hour to kill first, so I decided to re-caffeinate. When I lived in Cambridge, there weren't any decent independent espresso bars, but the internets pointed me in the direction of Hot Numbers, just off Mill Road, which I'll review in full soon. Spoiler alert: I was impressed.

Hot Numbers Coffee on Gwydir Street.