Reset search
Satellite
Search this area

United Kingdom Ely

Discover travel destinations of travelers writing a travel journal on FindPenguins.
Travelers at this place
  • TravelerCambridgeshire; South District
    1

    Northstowe and neighbouring villages

    April 2 in England ⋅ ☀️ 12 °C

    Northstowe is a new town in Cambridgeshire; the site covers Oakington Barracks on the former RAF Oakington, a World War II airfield.  Northstowe is now a civil parish formed from Longstanton and Oakington and Westwick in April 2021; building first started in the early 2015, is ongoing, and forecast to have 24,400 residents in 10,000 homes long term. There are many new houses, but not many amenities, and, on the outskirts, there are small lakes

    It is convenient to start a circular walk from here from the Longstanton Park and Ride site here, and I do so with the Cambridge Rambling Club Wed A group.  We set off and walk close to the Park and Ride and one of the several small lakes here before turning off towards Rampton. The village is situated on the edge of The Fens and was well populated in Roman times before vanishing and reappearing in the Anglo-Saxon period.  The attractive Church of All Saints is one of a very few English churches with a thatched roof and one of only two in Cambridgeshire.  After stopping here, we pass the earthwork remains of a castle, known as Giant's Hill, are located to the east of the village by the church; construction started about 1140, but it was never completed.

    We now head south towards the parish of Oakington and Westwick, passing Westwick Hall, before diverting to Histon (to be covered in a future FP post). Later on, we rejoin the route and carry on to Oakington.  In 1940, a Royal Air Force bomber airfield, RAF Oakington, was constructed at Oakington covering 540 acres and this is reflected in the village sign; the site of the barracks is in the process of forming part of Northstowe.  In the 17th century, Oakington was considered to be a "hot-bed of religious dissent"; behind the churchyard of St Andrew's Church, there is a private burial ground containing the graves of three vicars who helped establish the non-conformist movement and various non-conformist churches in Cambridgeshire. Ejected from their livings, persecuted and imprisoned for propagating their faith during their lives, they became known as the 'Oakington Martyrs' in death.

    We carry on to the outskirts of Longstanton; the village was transformed by the opening of RAF Oakington in 1940, resulting in the building of three new housing estates in the village and a trebling of the population.  We passed St Michael's Church, situated towards the south of the village, built around 1230 and the second rare example of a church with a thatched roof in Cambridgeshire; it is now a Grade II listed building.

    We then follow the paths back to the Park and Ride, passing a cantilevered pillbox that was part of the RAF Oakington site, before seeing a bit more of Northstowe; it has been an interesting 12.4 mile walk.    Read more

  • TravelerThe River Great Ouse

    6. Stretham Ferry Bridge to Earith

    August 19, 2024 in England ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    This post covers two walks along the River Great Ouse; the first is from Stretham Ferry Bridge to Aldreth High Bridge (and back), the other a circular walk from Willingham via Aldreth High Bridge and close to Earith (Hermitage Marina).

    Starting from Stretham Ferry Bridge and crossing the A10, the Ouse Valley Way is along the north bank of the river; Chear Fen and its pumping station are on the south bank.  There are good views along the river and I soon reach the attractive Twenty Pence Marina; on the other side of the road here is Twenty Pence Cottage, formerly the Twenty Pence Inn that could be reached via a floating bridge.  There is a large solar farm en route before I see Smithey Fen Engine on the other side; this was originally built in 1842 as an engine and boiler house, scoop wheel, and chimney pumping station.  Further on is Aldreth High Bridge; the crossing here is part of the Aldreth Causeway, one of the ancient routes across the fens, running from Aldreth (a hamlet south of the village of Haddenham) to Belsar's Hill (the site of an Iron Age fort).  It is then a 3 mile attractive walk to Hermitage Marina, which is on the outskirts of the village of Earith.    Read more

  • TravelerThe River Great Ouse

    5 Pope's Corner to Stretham Ferry Bridge

    August 18, 2024 in England ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    This walk was included as part of a Stretham Circular Walk via the Ouse Valley Way.  After leaving the village, I eventually reach Pope's Corner, the confluence of the River Cam and the River Great Ouse. I cross the bridge here and follow the course of the river along the south bank (the Ouse Valley Way) and cross over the Newmarket Road towards The Stretham Old Engine.  This is a steam-powered engine, just south of the village, and was used to pump water from flood-affected areas of The Fens back into the River Great Ouse; it originally had a steam-powered pump to drain the fens - it is still in use today, although converted to electric power. It is one of only three surviving drainage engines in East Anglia and is a Grade II* listed building.

    From here I soon reach The Lazy Otter Marina, part of the Lazy Otter Meadows sited close to the Stretham Ferry Bridge; it was still possible to cross the Old West River (as the River Great Ouse used to be known) by ferry until 1763 when a Turnpike Road was opened with a toll bridge.  This bridge was replaced in 1976 when the road was straightened and the A10 bypassed the old bridge with a new one.

    Then it's back along the other bank of the River Great Ouse and up towards Stretham village; it's been a pleasant walk of 7.6 miles.    Read more

  • TravelerMy time in Cambridge
    Day 13

    Ely and the second week

    April 30, 2022 in England ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    This week was very fun apart from 22.5 hours of school. I mean Yes, I learn a lot and yes, my class which still consists of 80% German speakers is very cool and fun but its still school. We have some nice teachers which are quite chilled about talking, phones and not doing boring grammar but on the opposite side we’ve got some that think it’s a university auditorium and we are not allowed to have fun. And the thing that is most annoying is that Kanti Schaffhausen booked us extra lessons on Friday afternoon. WE ARE THE ONLY STUDENTS WHO ARE IN SCHOOL AT THAT TIME. The school’s student composition is also quite odd. There are only older and younger people but no peers (that’s one of my vocab).
    After the eager time in school, we always do something in the city. Yesterday we tried to get into the towns most elegant pub. They had a very strict security guards which didn’t gloss over the fact that we are underaged. We ended up playing billiard in a bowling centre.
    Today we visited Ely. Ely is an idle minute town next to Cambridge, which only earned the city name because of the impressive cathedral in its centre. That cathedral is wonderful. It’s a mix between gothic and roman architecture. Our guide told us a lot about the history and the myths of the cathedral and its bishops. No one dared to tell him that it was not as interesting as he might thought it would be. Next to the main cathedral is a smaller but still lovely church called the lady chapel. It was built to admire Maria. The guide told us that he thinks that the maria statue is ugly and has a push up bra. Personally, I think only the statue’s pose is weird, since it looks like she’s about to jump into a pool. Let me know in the comments what you think about it.
    After the long tour we walked through the small but pretty core of Ely. We were at a market and ended up eating the Sainsbury meal deal at the river ‘Great Ouse’. Finally we got back to the train station and took the train back to Cambridge where we sat down in front of kings college and enjoyed the great weather.    Read more

  • TravelerThe River Great Ouse
    1

    4. Ely to Pope's Corner

    October 8, 2021 in England ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    As I head south from Ely, there are views of Ely Cathedral - the "ship of the fens" - looming in the distance, as well as a few houseboats on the river.

    Further south, I reach Pope's Corner, the confluence of the River Cam and the River Great Ouse.  This is the site of the large Fish and Duck marina; the River Great Ouse flows from here down to Earith and St Ives in Cambridgeshire and then on to Bedford and beyondRead more

  • TravelerCambridgeshire; East District
    2

    Chippenham Park

    March 18, 2021 in England ⋅ ☁️ 6 °C

    This is a large, country estate in East Cambridgeshire; although privately owned, the house is used as a wedding venue and the gardens are open occasionally to the public - hence the visit.

    We enter the gardens and enjoy views of the house from the Millenium Fountain before seeing Basil the Boar, one of the many animal sculptures around the grounds. We proceed to Adrian's Walk and loop round the long, thin artificial lake with nice views of the other side to the outskirts of Hare Hall and its large walled garden, featuring a hare sculpture. After this, we walk along a box "tunnel" of trees and turn off towards the "Wilderness", a wooded walk with lots of snowdrops and aconites depending on the time of year. We reach the "Grand Canal", with an eagle statue at one end, and walk both sides of this before exploring the woodland further. On the way back to "The Bridge" we see a crows nest.

    A good place to visit and recommended.    Read more

  • Nolene DE LUCAItaly
    Day 33

    Wicken/Stretham

    August 3, 2018 in England ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    Hair cut day yesterday and a look around Ely visiting the Cathedral and the house Oliver Cromwell lived in which is now the (i) centre plus museum. Then a catch up with a relative, Jacqui, having not seen her for 20 years. How 20 years changes us!!!! Lovely time with Jacqui taking me to a couple of churches and grave yards then had dinner together. Found my 3rd g. Grandfathers grave with the headstone barely visible. Found a local historian who is a retired stonemason who is willing to clean and restore the stone, it really is in good condition despite it’s age. Today is library day. Weather is beautiful, temperatures in the late 20,s.Read more

  • TravelerCambridgeshire; East District

    Reach and Swaffham Prior Circular

    February 8, 2022 in England ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C

    The ancient township of Reach, or as it was previously known Reche, has been inhabited for over 2,000 years and is situated at the termination of the Devil's Dyke earthwork; the village was the centre of considerable trade in mediaeval times and was granted a charter to hold an annual fair at Rogationtide by King John (Reach Fair continues to this day, an event attended by the Devil's Dyke Morris Men who dance there annually).  

    We see the village sign - each side is different - and across the village green is the Dyke's End pub; this is close to the Church of St Etheldreda which was built in 1860 on the site of the former chapel of St John - the ruined perpendicular arch of the old chapel is visible behind the new church.  We leave the village and take a short detour through Reach Wood - volunteers from Reach and Swaffham Prior planted 3,200 young trees on this site in a single day as part of an initiative to create new woodland.  Much to our surprise, we see an emu in a farm enclosure.

    We walk up Barston Drove and turn right at the end to reach the village of Swaffham Prior; we see the village sign and the excellent Red Lion pub before reaching the twin churches that dominate the village.  The Church of St Mary and the Church of St Cyriac and St Julitta have served the parish since at least the 12th century, but in 1667 an act of parliament combined the churches under a single parish.  Swaffham Prior is also known for its two windmills; Fosters Windmill is still operating as a mill but the Smock Tower Mill, now a private property, is covered by scaffolding and undergoing extensive renovations for the new owner to return the mill to working order in order to generate electricity.

    We leave the village and head east for a mile to reach the Devil's Dyke earthwork and walk along the top to get back to Reach.      Read more

  • TravelerThe River Great Ouse

    3. Littleport to Ely

    September 6, 2021 in England ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    From Littleport railway station, I cross Sandhills Bridge and it is a 3 mile walk along the floodbank of the River Great Ouse to reach the hamlet of Queen Adelaide; this has three railway lines crossing its main street, each with a separate level crossing!  

    Further south, I divert to a factory area bearing right to Kiln Lane and the Roswell Pits; formerly a source of gault (aka Kimmeridge), an impervious clay, they are now a Site of Scientific Interest and a nature reserve.  There is an excellent view of Ely Cathedral from here.  I follow the trail along the river to pass Babylon ARTS, the leading arts organisation in Ely, and stop at Babylon Bridge for the magnificent view back; the bridge carries a private road to the various marinas that are on the other side of the river.  I pass the Jubilee Gardens and the Maltings (see Ely; the Eel Trail part 2) to reach Quayside, where there are lovely views of the marinas and various boats and barges mooring in Ely, before passing The Cutter Inn and walking to  Ely Railway Station.    Read more

  • TravelerCambridgeshire; East District

    Ely; the Eel Trail, part 2

    July 19, 2021 in England ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    As we walk along Quayside there are good views of the boats, barges and the marinas in Ely.  

    We turn left at the river and pass the Maltings (a Victorian brewery building beside the river that now hosts events, conferences and weddings) before walking up Waterside and Fore Hill to reach the High Street.  In the Almonry Wall opposite the Market Square is the magnificent City of Ely War memorial, taking the form of an arched and domed alcove within the rough stone wall.  There are beautiful old buildings further along up the High Street; after these we pass the Sacrist's Gate and Steeple Gate, both pedestrian entrances to the Precincts of the Cathedral. We then bear left at Minster Place to reach the Cathedral main entrance - the Galilee Porch - and close to where the Eel Trail started.Read more

Join us:

FindPenguins for iOSFindPenguins for Android

  • 2025© FindPenguins
  • Home
  • About us
  • Group Tracking
  • Press
  • Terms
  • Privacy Policy & Cookies
  • Help Center
  • Legal notice