June 30, 2022
In Ely: OAB to the west
The Fens evoke a fascinating image. Until they were drained just a few centuries ago, envision this vast area as a shallow, marshy wetland with a few scattered clay islands rising above it. Ely, the highest of these islands, rises about 80 feet above, the highest ground for miles around and approachable only by boat. The water teemed with eels, the alleged source of the city’s name as the ‘isle of eels’. Some miles off other low islands rise above the mire, crowned by smaller communities such as Coveney and Sutton. This article paints a vivid picture of life then and of the multi-century effort to drain the fens and open the region to large scale sustainable agriculture.
Towering above all of this and visible from far off in the distance is the enormous Norman cathedral of Ely, standing tall since 1083 when its construction was initiated by William the Conquerer not long after he conquered England. Known as the Ship of the Fens, its size and prominence reminds me of Chartres. As an aside, I especially like the detail that the cathedral was built with stone purchased from nearby Peterborough Abbey for the price of 8,000 eels per year.
Today’s reality though is less romantic: it’s mostly just a large, almost monotonous expanse of absolutely flat crop lands, broken up by green ribbons lining it’s numerous channels and rivers and punctuated by scattered low rises. Not the most compelling terrain actually, but if you find the right quiet roads through it makes for vey pleasant and restful cycling.
Today’s ride is a simple out and back west to nowhere in particular. Here are some scenes along the way.
Heart | 0 | Comment | 0 | Link |
Heart | 4 | Comment | 0 | Link |
Heart | 1 | Comment | 0 | Link |
Heart | 3 | Comment | 2 | Link |
2 years ago
2 years ago
Heart | 1 | Comment | 0 | Link |
Heart | 1 | Comment | 0 | Link |
Heart | 0 | Comment | 0 | Link |
Heart | 1 | Comment | 0 | Link |
Heart | 1 | Comment | 0 | Link |
Heart | 1 | Comment | 0 | Link |
Heart | 2 | Comment | 0 | Link |
Heart | 1 | Comment | 0 | Link |
Heart | 1 | Comment | 0 | Link |
Video sound track: Skippin’, by Yasmin Williams
Ride stats today: 43 miles, 1,000’; for the tour: 537 miles, 22,100’
Today's ride: 42 miles (68 km)
Total: 537 miles (864 km)
Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 9 |
Comment on this entry | Comment | 2 |
I May, I Might, I Must
by Marianne Moore
If you will tell me why the fen
appears impassable, I then
will tell you why I think that I
can get across it if I try.
2 years ago
2 years ago