Peaceful water meadows, an ancient cathedral and an interesting town that’s easy to walk round: Ely is a great car-free destination and could make an idyllic base for a holiday. Plenty of people living here don’t have cars – you can get around town on foot or by bike, there are good bus routes, and the riverside railway station is a bit of a hub for longer distance train journeys and trips to Cambridge. If you're planning a staycation in the area, scroll to the end for a few more tips.
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1. Walk to the cathedral
Arriving at Ely’s train station, there are lots of lovely ways to reach Ely Cathedral, which is visible at the top of the city. This majestic, octagonal-towered architectural marvel seems to float above the flat misty fields nearby. Benedictine monks built the cathedral in the 11th-century when Ely was just a tiny hamlet on an island in the fens.
- One really scenic route – less than a mile – up to the cathedral is to turn left onto Station Road and right onto Annesdale, leading to the pretty riverside with its choice of pubs and cafés. Turn left, with the water on your right, and left again through Jubilee Gardens.
- Cross Broad Street and keep straight up the tarmac path through parkland, with the old castle mound on your left and fabulous views on your right. A lane at the top leads right to the cathedral .
- Don’t miss the tower tours, especially the fascinating climb up inside Ely’s Octagon, a marvel of medieval engineering. There are incredible views from the cathedral roof and of the interior, down through the painted panels of the octagon itself.
- Unless you’re going to a service, you need to pay to get into the cathedral. There are joint tickets available with the Museum of Stained Glass and you can usually get 2 for 1 entry when you show your train ticket and a voucher (get the voucher online or pick up a leaflet in the station).
- At the Almonry café, you can have coffee and cake in the garden with a view of the cathedral.
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2. Cromwell’s House
Ely’s Tourist Info is nearby in a house that once belonged to Oliver Cromwell. Walk straight ahead from the cathedral’s entrance, passing a canon on the grass and turn left at the church to find half-timbered Cromwell’s House.
- It costs £5 to look round and there’s also usually a 2 for 1 deal with a train ticket and voucher.
- It’s a must for Civil War buffs, of course, but there are also lively reconstructions of everyday life in the 17th century.
- Round the corner is the shop-lined High Street. Turn right down it to find Ely’s historic market, open regularly with a farmer’s market twice a month. Try rich fruit cake from Covenham House Orchard, cooked with home grown nuts and cherries, and local apple juice from Pippin Tree Press.
- Nearby is Ely Museum in the old Bishop’s gaol. It has recently reopened after huge renovations and is worth a visit then to check out the multi-pronged eel spears, punt guns, peat spades and the stilts and skates that people used to cross the marshes.
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3. Explore the River
Don’t miss Ely’s vibrant riverside. You could spend an hour so simply browsing in the huge Waterside Antiques, East Anglia’s largest antiques centre. And don’t miss the wisteria-hung Peacocks tearoom nearby and the Babylon Gallery, with changing exhibitions.
- There are lovely walks in both directions. Turning right along the river, a short, sweet half-mile stroll leads past the water meadows back towards the station.
- Or you can go further, following the Fen Rivers Way a fifty mile long distance route between Kings Lynn and Cambridge.
- Turning left, there are six miles of waterside walking (sometimes rather overgrown) along this route, heading north to Littleport Station.
- The River Great Ouse shares its wide valley with a railway and minor road, but this straight stretch of the Fen Rivers Way is a big-skied waterside walk, full of wildlife.
- If that sounds too much like hard work, take a boat trip instead on the Liberty Belle. From 11am, there are daily half hour cruises in season.
- You can even take an evening fish and chip cruise to the Lazy Otter and other riverside inns, setting off at 6pm every Friday and Saturday from April to October and getting back after sunset.
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Buses and places to stay
Here is some practical info for people planning a trip to Ely or a staycation holiday
- The Plusbus ticket for Ely is good value and helpful for people who would prefer to avoid walking too far from the station to the museums and cathedral. Buy it when you buy your train ticket and it’s valid on the day you arrive by rail.
- Hourly bus 9, for instance, runs from Tesco, near the station, up to Market Street.
- Stagecoach also offer a variety of rover tickets for exploring the town and the wider area.
- Among a growing number of places to stay, three new studios have opened near the market (from £95/night). One stop along the railway in Littleport, The Gatehouse B&B is right by the station (doubles from £90) or there are rooms with a private deck at Swan on the River (doubles from £85, B&B).
