Ely to Cambridge: E2 Day 92

A riverside walk to an ancient seat of learning.

On returning to the centre of Ely I walked down to the River Great Ouse where I joined the Fen Rivers Way. For the next 17 miles I followed this trail first along the Great Ouse and then beside the River Cam to Cambridge. Unlike the long straight sections of the River Nene which I had recently walked beside, these rivers had been allowed to keep their gentle meanders, although their curves downstream of Cambridge were bounded by embankments that I walked on top of for much of the day. There were often flat areas between the river and these flood banks, which were marshy or flooded. On these transient waters there were modest numbers of waterfowl: geese, mallard, moorhens and swans. My passage disturbed a heron which took to the air before gliding to a more secluded spot on the opposite side of the river.

River Great Ouse.

Among the mixed farmland, trees were more common than on recent days. On the river bank willow predominated, some trees showing signs of pollarding. There was much twittering and cooing of birds in the trees. Several fields near Ely were covered in white sheeting for some unknown crop. A barge made such slow progress ahead of me that I kept pace with it for many hours until it stopped at a lock. There were several marinas containing various types of boat. The path was generally good, the coarse grass mowed in some stretches. Nearer Cambridge a gravelled towpath replaced it, along which men rode on bicycles coaching rowers in slender skiffs on the river. Maybe one of the rowers will make the crew for the annual Oxford and Cambridge University boat race, where students from the two ancient universities in England compete on the River Thames. Cambridge was a place of learning from 1209. Oxford University is slightly older at 1096 but the boat race has only been around in the last 200 years. I looked for the "dreaming spires" that characterise Oxford but saw no such collection as I approached the centre of Cambridge, maybe as the land was flatter.

Rowers practicing on the River Cam.

As I entered the more urban area I passed the Museum of Technology. Although closed except at weekends I peered in at two huge steam engines. Beside it the Kerb Collective sounded a suitably studenty place for coffee and cake, although the cake supply was meagre due to lack of baking that day. The city centre was full of people, and my loitering to view the streets and the new and old buildings around me was getting in people's way. An uneasy mixture I thought of old stone and brick colleges, closed to visitors, and modern shopping areas. As there seemed a preponderance of Japanese restaurants I had lunch of teriyaki chicken and rice at one such place.

Central Cambridge.

Outside the centre, having left the Fens River Way, the E2 wound a route through parkland and meadows. Cows were grazing on the grass on some of the green areas, confined by fences, pedestrian gates and narrow cattle grids designed for bicycles. There were many bicycles and electric scooters (which I had thought were illegal), some on the move, others parked up. Not only the preserve of students, bicycles were popular with families and people of all ages possibly because the traffic was exceedingly slow moving, with long lines of cars creeping forward at a speed rather less than a walking pace. Buses were not full even at "rush hour" despite the fares all being two pounds or less, perhaps because they moved no faster than the cars.

My campsite was in Trumpington on the south side of Cambridge, the name reminded me of a children's programme on television. To reach it I detoured through the enormous campus of Addenbrookes, Papworth and possibly other hospitals. The huge extent of their buildings perhaps reflecting the increasing amounts of money spent on maintaining our health and extending our lifespan. At 40 kilometres, today was longer than I expected and I was glad to lie down in my tent hoping that tomorrow's walk will be a little shorter. Fortunately there was a pizza truck on the campsite, so I did not have to walk far to get my supper.