A day in Ely: Greater Ridgeway Day 27

A danger of long distance walks is that you are always walking, arriving too late and leaving too early to visit any places unique to a location. So I was not too upset by my unplanned day in Ely, famous for its cathedral. 

As with many medieval cathedrals its nave soars high up to the heavens. Stone carving is detailed, and delicate ribs interlace around an octagon in the roof at the centre of the building. As is common with today's smaller congregations, the functioning alter seems to have been moved into the nave from the chancel. In the Lady chapel, the Virgin Mary has quite a modern look, raising her hands in exhortation, not the meek and loving look normally associated with her images. In the gallery of the cathedral's nave is a Stained Glass museum. I particularly liked those associated with the Pre-Raphaelites and some of the modern works.

Nave of Ely Cathedral.

Octagon in ceiling of Ely cathedral.

The Virgin Mary behind the altar of the Lady Chapel.

Another site I visited was the house where Oliver Cromwell once lived. Its rooms briefly describe his life from a modest start through his success in the Civil War, to his period as Lord Protector, essentially the ruler of the country. Background information is provided on the times he lived in and the purpose of rooms in the house.

Ely has a lot of small shops, tea rooms and cake and coffee establishments. Consequently, I ate a lot of cake. My hair was getting increasingly unruly, especially in yesterday's wind, making me look like a mad professor. So I had a trim. The barber required me to wear a face mask. Some places insist on you wearing one, in others it is your choice. Despite the many cases with the current "Omicron" variant, the number of hospitalisations and deaths are down on earlier waves so I am hoping a return to "normal" is not far off...