After we finished yesterday's blog, Christine took a walk up the bank alongside the river to see what lay the other side. Most of the land is extensive arable crop production. Seems a little odd that most of the time effort had to be applied to pumping out the water to keep the Fens from flooding but then, during the dry spells, the farmers have to pump water back into irrigate their crops.
Mike scheduled our departure this morning so that we would arrive in Ely around 11. The hope was that boats leaving would by then have done so and not too many would have arrived, looking for an overnight stop.
It was grey and not very warm when we left but there was a promise of a return to sunshine by the afternoon. Once again, this proved to be correct.
There are several larger boats at the marina at Popes Corner - including one that looks large enough to perhaps have made it over from Holland!
In a few day's time we expect to be turning right here but for today it was left, back the way we came some days ago.
Quite frequently, a line of electricity supply poles indicates the location of a pumping station or controlled sluice gate. Often they are less than upright (shall we say!) but these two look dangerously close to toppling over.
As we came into Ely itself we were looking both carefully and somewhat anxiously for moorings. There were some at the first section, just after the hire boat bases but these are right outside a popular pub. As we were looking at the moorings there was an enthusiastic wave from Jen on nb Cyan - we both read each other blogs on a regular basis but, unlike us, they are continuous cruisers. A particular interest arose because they were a bit behind us coming down the Nene, Middle Level and the Great Ouse so our relative experiences were interesting to compare.
We continued anyway as we wanted first to visit the service point for the sani station, water point and rubbish bins. As we completed these tasks we could see that the popular locations for mooring were quickly filling up. Although we have seen few boats on the move on the stretch beyond Popes Corner this was by comparison like a motorway!
However, our main reason for wanting to stay here overnight is that we are scheduled to meet up tomorrow afternoon with the family from Windsor. Alice is staying for a week, whilst Jess is going back with Adrian and Joanna on Sunday. The latter are booked into a hotel in Ely for the night and their original plan was to do some cycling but will the weather be too hot for this?
In the end we opted for the last space beyond the service block next to the railway bridge. It is quite a busy line with a number of container trains as well as plenty of passenger services on the two lines to Peterborough and Kings Lynn. So far it has not been too disturbing. The main reason for choosing this spot was because it is very close to a local road and also a car park. At the time we had to make the choice we were unclear how close cars might be able to reach at the moorings further back.
By the time Christine had walked to the nearby Sainsburys and returned with some fresh bread it was just about lunch time.
After a lengthy break we finally stirred ourselves enough to shut up the boat and walk in to the city centre. The area close to the river is a mixture of elegant older buildings with sympathetically inserted new and restored properties. Ely is a city because of the cathedral but in reality it is a small country town with a good collection of small shops with very few large chain stores. We took a brief look at the cathedral but this is one of the few that still charge an entrance fee to visitors - we hope to come here with Alice on one of the days we pass by so we left it until then.
Outside is an unusual statue - with no interpretation board we could not figure out what or if it meant something particular but it seems that it is part of a larger exhibition which has just started inside the cathedral self. Christine even climbed inside to see if she could work it out but ended up no wiser.
The space at the front of the cathedral may well be thought of as the Green but it was very dusty brown at the moment.
The historic building next to the cathedral is the former bishop's palace but is now part of the cathedral school sixth form.
Mike was on the hunt for some additional pairs of shorts. On the boat he rarely wears them, partly because of the weather but also trousers provide some limited protection around locks and bridges. After trying several shops, Christine was pleased to report that she had tracked down something that looked possible in M&Co. Indeed Mike opted for two pairs and at the same time Christine spotted a pairs of cropped trousers that she had been looking for.
We wandered back down to the river with the plan of sitting close to the water with an ice cream each from the van that we noticed on our way into the shops. Luckily it was still there and we enjoyed the sunshine as well as the treat.
After finishing them we walked along the rest of the river embankment where we spotted this sculpture close to the water.
We continued until we reached Cyan near the far end. At first we thought that no-one was aboard but then Jen poked her head out and she and John invited us in for a cup of tea and a chat. Jen had not found the Great Ouse thus far to be especially interesting but we think that we have persuaded them that what lies ahead is an improvement and they will at least try it as far as St Neots! (But if you really want to know, check out their blog!)
Rusty also gave us a keen welcome but that was probably because he could smell either our fish for tonight or the pork pie we picked up when at the shops! Alas, he was on a no-food day for his diet.
Time disappeared and it later than we had expected by the time we returned to the boat and set about preparing the vegetables and cooking the fish!
Whilst waiting for the meal Christine took a look to see if there was anything interesting beyond the railway bridge along the riverside walk. Not a lot but she took a few pictures.
4.1 Miles - 0 Locks
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