A break in Ely

Peacocks Tearoom and B&B (our lounge window is in that
'gap' over the main entrance)

It seems that I return from a holiday or short break feeling more tired than when I went! This last short break to Ely in Cambridgeshire was meant to be relaxing. For once I didn't plan out everything, I just tried taking it as it came - hard for me. Actually, it was what I needed. There was a combination of walking, sitting around reading and looking at the attractions. We were only away three nights and I never sleep well in a strange bed the first night. In fact it takes me several days which means that by the time I'm coming home I've finally got the sleeping bit sorted!

Our B&B was owned by, and over the top of, Peacocks Tearoom by the slipway to the river, the Great Ouse. Often I had passed through Ely on a train. It looked so pretty and I was dying to visit, so when I was thinking about a quick break away I knew where I wanted to go.

We had a suite of rooms with a shared landing and fridge with the other set of rooms (vacant while we were there). Our suite consisted of a wonderful lounge with tea/coffee making facilities and TV, a pretty bedroom, bathroom and separate toilet. The owners used to live over the tearooms themselves, so upstairs only became a B&B two years ago. We arrived a little early (so keen was I to make the most of our time). They let us store our suitcase and we went off and wandered around the town, ending up in a cafe and while hubby had a burger I treated myself to a toasted teacake.

By the time we arrived back, our rooms were ready. We were given a choice of cake from the tearooms as a welcome and I chose Lavender cake (hubby had chocolate) and it was presented to our room under one of those glass domes with proper cake knives and chocolates in a cellophane bag.

Hubby knows how nosy I am - well I certainly reminded him as I explored every drawer there was, discovering everything there was to discover. The furniture, I suspect, came from the huge antiques shop next door. It spreads over three floors and sells everything you can think of. A good place to while away some time in, and we did! Our hosts had thought of everything down to a First Aid kit and a pack of painkillers, sanitary protection in the loo and of course the usual toiletries in the bathroom. It got the thumbs up from me over the shower - a decent sized one, not a square you can barely move in that gives me claustrophobia, to the extent that I have to work out in advance how the spray works and where it sprays - I need an escape route, it really is that bad with me.

In the corridor - more books and a shared fridge

Our lounge

Lounge

I'd forgotten to inform them when I booked that I only drank soya milk but they went out and got me some and put it in the fridge. They accommodated my weird eating habit - vegetarian in a place where the menu is highly meat based. Their breakfast menu was exhaustive (I'd already seen it online and had been mentally planning my breakfasts - see I had to plan something!) Two mornings I had pancakes with maple syrup,  minus the bacon. Instead I was supplied with plentiful fruit. Hubby was downing omelette with mushrooms and smoked salmon! We barely ate in the daytime. The breakfast kept us going and we only needed a snack until we went out to eat at night. There were plenty of pubs to choose from.

View from our lounge window - river to the left

Great Ouse

Ely Cathedral

After settling in we decided to go for a walk. We headed off down the riverside and entered Ely Country Park. It was a beautiful evening, no jacket required. The sun was still out and the sky was blue. The countryside is very flat in this area. No hills. Oh there is one in town, but generally everywhere is flat. We had to run the gauntlet of midges, annoying little insects, but they did not spoil the views. For most of the time we followed the railway line to other east coat destinations, and we crossed a busy level crossing. From one vantage point we had a lovely view of Ely Cathedral across the river. The river at one time never came as far as Ely. It ended about a mile or so away but later a channel was cut through and it forms part of the Fens. Ely has a private marina which is busy but the river itself is quiet, though I'm sure it gets busier further into the season. There are canal boats moored along by the many pubs and eating establishments; a few boats putter up and down and a few rowers glide by. Otherwise the river and its banks are the places for ducks and moorhens and herons.

Oliver Cromwell's House - the kitchen

Oliver Cromwell, Hero or villain - chance to choose!

The following day we walked up through Jubilee Gardens and the park by the cathedral to where the Tourist Information Office is. It is located inside the former home of Oliver Cromwell - he who, along with others, signed the death warrant for the head of Charles I. We explored the house with an audio commentary and followed the rooms round finding out about his life, the civil war and the New Model Army. Next door to the house is St Mary's Church Sadly the church was shut. From there we went to Ely Museum which is in the former Gael. This shows Ely from it beginnings with artifacts from the past, right up through both wars.

Jubilee Gardens, The Eel, where Ely gets its name

Later, I sat along the river front to read. In the B&B were loads of books. There was a bookcase in our lounge, even a few on the windowsill of the loo, and in the corridor between the two apartments. Even in the kitchen downstairs where we ate breakfast (part of the tearooms). I spent a good time exploring the books and ended up choosing one to read (even though I'd taken a book with me). I chose the smallest in the hope I'd finish it before I left. I did! It took it with me each day, so this was the book I read along by the river (The Orchard on Fire by Shena Mackay, set in the 50's). Afterwards I went back to the B&B, brewed some tea and had a nap! In the evening we went to a pub called The Lamb for dinner.

We had decided to visit Ely cathedral the following day. We were there quite early and decided to pay for what they call 'The Whole Experience', which included a visit to one of the towers, the stained glass museum, the chance to join a cathedral tour and a free drink in the cafe. We had our own personal guide up the West Tower (not for the faint-hearted and nearly not for me - my poor legs and lungs!) The first set of steps led to the stained glass museum (a stop for us on the way down). From the walkway we overlooked the entrance, the labyrinth laid out like the tower. Our guide pointed out the structural leanings of some pillars where in the past things were tried which were not possible - heavy stone on stone with insufficient support and the collapse of part of it. I've come across many things like this when visiting cathedrals - Winchester began sinking into a riverbed. It also reminded me of a book I read called The Spire by William Golding and another book which included the description of building the spire at Salisbury (probably the Edward Rutherfurd book Sarum) All had similar problems. I find it fascinating.

Nave roof

Labyrinth and way of life sculpture (the sculpture fills in where part of the cathedral collapsed!)

From the top.

Then we began climbing. Work was going on outside and our guide had to warm the workmen he was bringing up some visitors! We had a pause (and didn't I need it) to see these stone corridors which run around the cathedral near windows where lights are inserted and supports run through brick. No time to worry! I've never been so glad to reach the top of something but the view was worth it. We had a 360 degree view across Ely and Cambridgeshire. From here we could see all the old monastery buildings surviving (quite a lot). Sorry, I forgot to say that Ely Cathedral was a former priory built by St Ethelreda in the 7th century until the Danes destroyed it in 870. The cathedral has been through many changes including the destruction of much of its decoration during the reformation.

Prayer net - such a great idea. Tie on your own thread.

Painted pillars

Choir stalls

St Etheldreda

Just beautiful

Lady chapel

More wall painting in another chapel

Retracing our steps with my legs like jelly, we stopped gratefully at the stained glass museum, thanking our guide who had imparted such knowledge of the cathedral's history. I asked him how many times he had to walk up all those steps each day. They did six tours a day and he took three of them. He has my full admiration!

The stained glass museum followed the history of this craft from it's beginnings through to the present day with many examples. I loved the little models of workshops showing the different stages of making stained glass windows. There was also a short film showing the process. I could never do such intricate drawings, known as cartoons, but I wouldn't mind having a go at putting the glass into place with the lead strips.

The guided tour of the cathedral itself had already left by the time we reached ground floor level but we walked around on our own and I lit a candle at the shrine of St Ethelreda. There is certainly a contrast of building here from plain to the fancy 'piped icing' as I call it - rather over done Gothic style. In places you could see where pillars and arches were originally painted. We forget this, that a lot of the pillars were embellished with paint. In it hey day the cathedral must have looked so colourful. I was knocked out by the Lady Chapel - the largest one I have ever seen. It didn't surprise me to find that this chapel is the largest in the country. Before the reformation the windows would have been stained glass. Only a small section remains and once more there is evidence of how beautiful it once looked.

No visit is complete without a visit to the gift shop (where I bought a book about St Ethelreda) and then we went for our complimentary drink in the cafe.

Later, I took the opportunity of doing a little shop browsing! Hubby went off and left me to it - wise man! I'd been itching to get into Toppings book shop on the High Street. It's spread over three floors, so you can imagine that this was heaven for me. I spent time in the fiction section, the poetry and the how-to books on writing. I found a useful book on crime writing so I bought that. How I managed to get out of that shop with only one book is amazing but I don't count non-fiction in my book pledge because these are for learning! That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it. In fact my book pile is reducing considerably and there aren't many of us (from the Facebook group) who have held out this long.

Later, we went for another walk in the country park, taking a different route and ending with our final evening dinner, this time at The Minster by the Cathedral. We wandered around taking last photos in the extraordinary long shadows cast by the setting sun.

After one final breakfast we packed up and wandered along the river to the station. It was overcast, but already the sun was trying to break through. Ely is everything and more than I expected. I immediately felt at home there. It has a great atmosphere and a great history. My legs have just about recovered from climbing all those steps to the tower. Hopefully, those muscles are well and truly toned for my game of short tennis this morning!

We were right at the top of that tower!

Oliver Cromwell's House and tourist Information Office