Ely (Friday) - NOT amateur radio

 

We did a nice walk in Ely on Friday. My wife made this collage. We had all sorts of weather!

The world famous university boat race between Oxford and Cambridge was held near here last year. It is usually held on the River Thames.

Ely Cathedral - NOT amateur radio

Ely cathedral is very very old. There has been a religious building here for well over 1000 years. Ely cathedral can be seen from miles away, much like the cathedral at Chartres in France.

Ely - NOT amateur radio

The BBC weather app was forecasting full sun yesterday for today, so we decided to go to Ely this morning. It snowed!! ☹️ The photo shows the view of the River Ouse. 

Needlework exhibition - NOT amateur radio

Ely Cathedral currently has a needlework exhibition on. I didn't go, but my wife did.  The photo does not do it justice.

See https://www.elycathedral.org/ .

Ely station - NOT amateur radio

For a rural station, this is surprisingly busy. Many lines converge here, so there always seem to be trains coming and going.  

Lines go to Norwich, King's Lynn, Cambridge, Ipswich and Peterborough. All converge here. There are also goods trains trundling through as well. The photo shows the station just as a train is leaving for Cambridge and ultimately London. 

It is possible to get right across the country without changing from here. Destinations include Liverpool, London and Birmingham. 

I love train rides: just sit back, relax and let the world go by. If you prefer, just read.

The ship of the fens - NOT amateur radio

Like Chartres Cathedral in France, Ely Cathedral can be seen from miles away like a boat on the horizon. It is a magnificent building. 

Ely market - NOT amateur radio

The photo shows the market square in Ely not too far from here. Sadly, there are too many 1960s buildings around, which would not be allowed today.  I suspect if they had been developing the square today they would have chosen designs much more in keeping.

The famous Ely cathedral is very close to this spot.

Ely Cathedral - NOT amateur radio

This is sometimes called "the ship of the fens" as it is often seen floating over the fens. There has been a church here for well over 1000 years. It is magnificent site both inside and out, especially the octagon tower.

Ely Cathedral Octagon - NOT amateur radio

This image (or one very similar) has been on the blog before, but I make no apologies. 

The very heavy wooden octagon replaces the original tower that collapsed centuries ago. The octagon dates from 1342. 

Imagine designing and constructing this back then!

See https://www.elycathedral.org/events/octagon-tower-tours .

Ely in autumn - NOT amateur radio

These photos were taken in Ely yesterday. Although most leaves are still on the trees, it is looking more like autumn. This is the famous Ely cathedral.

Ely Cathedral - NOT amateur radio

We are a short drive from Ely. It has a magnificent cathedral as the photo shows. It is very old. 

Ely Cathedral - NOT amateur radio

It is not called "the ship of the fens" for nothing! 

We are lucky to live just a short drive from Ely.  The cathedral, like Chartres in France, may be seen from miles around. As far as I am aware, it is the highest point in Ely.

See https://www.elycathedral.org/ .

Ely - NOT amateur radio

The Covid-19 pandemic is far from over, but it is good to see and feel life returning. The photo shows Ely yesterday.

Lunch with a view in Ely - NOT amateur radio

The Almonry, where we ate lunch, was first serving meals in the 1100s. This is Ely Cathedral in the background.

I think our sandwiches were not medieval! They were freshly made today and were very good.

Almonry, Ely - NOT amateur radio

Yesterday, we went to Ely with my wife's brothers and wives. We had a snack in the Almonry, which has been serving drinks and meals since the 1200s.  I suspect the scones are not as old! 

This photo was in the Almonry Garden.

See https://www.elycathedral.org/visit/the-almonry-restaurant .

Ely with sibs earlier - NOT amateur radio

This photo was taken earlier in Ely and shows my wife with her brothers. Ely Cathedral is in the background, 

Visit Ely - NOT amateur radio

Ely is about 12km north from here. 

Recently a free booklet has been produced called, "Visit Ely" promoting Ely as a good base to explore the area. 

The world famous university boat race took place here earlier in the year and it has a wonderful cathedral. It makes a good base.

See www.visitely.org.uk. 

Webcams - NOT amateur radio

There are vast numbers of webcams around the world allowing locked-down people to travel the world virtually. One of these is the webcam of the peregrine falcons at Ely Cathedral in Cambridgeshire, UK.

See https://www.elycathedral.org/welcome/peregrines-nesting-in-the-cathedral .

Bishop's Palace, Ely - NOT amateur radio

Right next to Ely Cathedral is the Bishop's Palace, used as such until the early 1940s. For a while it was a hospital (my dad who was a Pathfinder in Lancasters had his appendix removed here as a precaution). Later it was a Sue Ryder home. Now it is the 6th form centre for the King's School, Ely. It was built in the 1400s.

Ely Cathedral earlier - NOT amateur radio

As it was sunny this morning, we did a walk around Ely. The cathedral is very very old and stands on a hill and can be seen for miles, a bit like Chartres in France. Centuries back the central tower collapsed and they replaced it with the wooden octagon.

Flags are at half mast as the Duke of Edinburgh died last week.  All the flags we saw were at half mast.

Last weekend the university boat race was held at Ely for the first time since 1944.

It is a nice city.