ABC Wednesday, E

This is my submission to ABC Wednesday, letter E. There are some villages nearby that start with E, but for me that was only one place to go: Ely. This small city near Cambridge has one of the most impressive medieval cathedrals in England. Construction begun in the 11^th century and was completed in 1351. The cathedral dominates the low marshlands and it can be seen from miles and miles away. It’s known as the “Ship of the Fens”. The marshlands in these parts are known as “The Fens”.

To get to Ely from where I live it’s possible to use the National Cycle Network route 11: it goes along some single lane roads and farm tracks. After 14 miles of cycling I got to a place named Wicken from where I caught the first glimpse of Ely Cathedral in the distance, 7 miles away:

 

The area is very flat and the day was overcast. This next picture was taken much closer to Ely:

At this point I was following the path on top of the embankment, next to the Great River Ouse. To the right… onions drying in a field, the strong smell of onions was everywhere!

Getting closer: the Great River Ouse, the railway station and the Cathedral:

Flowers to welcome me J

The cycle path follows the river Ouse into the city, along the marina and the waterfront:

A glimpse of Ely Cathedral from the park:

It’s well worth visiting the Cathedral, but today I was just cycling and taking pictures. The city centre:

I took me 3 hours to cycle to Ely. I went back home by train: 30min waiting for the train… and only 15min for the train journey J