I’m not fond of eels…

…but I quite like Ely! The mooring situation is dire, though.

After a quiet night outside The Ship we pushed on this morning. The river downstream from Popes Corner (above which it’s called the Old West River for some unfathomable reason…) has been much modified over the years, probably since the 10th or 11th century. Although I hesitate to say boring, it’s wide, deep and straight, with high flood banks hiding any views.

Makes overtaking a doddle, though…

Littleport Boat Haven uses part of the old course for moorings.

The River Lark comes in on the left, east, bank.
We’ll definitely be heading up there at some point.

All the tributary rivers flow in from the high ground to the east, rising in a line from Bury St Edmunds in the south to nearly Fakenham in the north. The Wensum is the exception, heading from near Fakenham to meet the Yar at Norwich and thence to the North Sea at Yarmouth. The Nar is the northernmost to join the Great Ouse, but it’s not navigable and you’ll only see it’s mouth if you go all the way to King’s Lynn.

A first view of Ely Cathedral, partly obscured by the electric cables on the railway.

We started to see more boats about as we neared the city, from large launches to racing shells.
Apparently the Cambridge University boat crews train along here.

Ah, now there’s a better view.
I don’t think it really leans like that, does it?





We passed the “Welcome to Ely” sign on the railway bridge, then pulled in on the service wharf to empty the loo tanks. They were both full, so that was a relief! And, yes, Lesley. We did disturb an angler!







The favoured moorings along the park were full, as were those up to The Cutter Inn.
No, there was a space right at the end, below the pub’s outside seating veranda. Not ideal, but we grabbed it and had lunch. After eating I took Meg for a toddle a bit further on and spied a Seyella-sized gap just before High Bridge, so we dashed back, untied and motored around the corner to snaffle it.

Leaving the overlooked mooring…

…to secure a rather better one.

Grass for Meg, too!

I had a stroll around the city centre, stopping at Ely Chandlers and WH Smiths, and did a circuit around the outside of the cathedral. A pretty impressive bit of stonework, I’d say.
The cannon in the foreground was captured from the Russians at Sebastopol during the Crimean War.
There’s been a place of worship on the site since 670, but the present structure has it’s origins in the early 12th century.

As long as the weather stays fine, we’ll get Valery (now spelt with a Y, note, Val) out and we’ll have a look around the city. It’ll be a bit of a push up the hill to the cathedral, but it’ll be easier on the way back!

Locks 0, miles 9¼