Ely (England)

Ely is a small, historical cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, England. Ely's character as a tiny, isolated city remains largely untouched, and the "Ship of the Fens" dominates the surrounding landscape in much the same way it has done for most of the past millennium.

Understand
Built on a chalk hill, the city is thought to be named after the eels in the nearby River Ouse. The hill was once an inaccessible island in the middle of the Fens. It was also the last stronghold of Anglo-Saxon resistance, under Hereward the Wake who hid in the original cathedral until the Normans crossed the Fens in 1071.

The surrounding landscape has been transformed from watery marshland to fertile farmland, and nearby Cambridge is continuing to growth, but Ely remains apart.


 * Ely local information

By train
Ely has direct trains to London King's Cross, Stansted Airport, Ipswich, Norwich, Kings Lynn, Peterborough, and via Peterborough to Birmingham and Liverpool. You can also connect at Peterborough for fast trains to Scotland.

If you want to get to London, then it is quicker to go to London King's Cross (70 minutes) with the train running non-stop after Cambridge, although tickets to London Liverpool Street station are a bit cheaper. The latter journey will take about 90 minutes via Bishop's Stortford (transferring at Cambridge).

Trains depart Ely to both Liverpool Lime Street and London Liverpool Street Station. Be careful as they are 200 miles apart!

By car
Ely is situated on the A10, some 16 miles north of Cambridge, where it is possible to join the M11 for fast access to/from London (72 miles). Nearby roads may be flooded in the winter (typically the A1123 at Earith, and A1101 at Welney). Many of the smaller roads across the Fens have uneven surfaces and unguarded ditches, which lead to a number of fatalities each year.

By bicycle
For the more adventurous it is possible to cycle into Ely from Cambridge. The 16 mile journey follows the river and for an average person takes around an hour and a half, with the majority of the route being a designated cycle path.

Get around
Ely's small city centre can easily be traversed on foot. Local villages are served by buses running from Market Street, check the boards or tourist information centre for departures.

See

 * Further south: see Cambridge for Denny Abbey and Farmland Museum.
 * Further south: see Cambridge for Denny Abbey and Farmland Museum.
 * Further south: see Cambridge for Denny Abbey and Farmland Museum.
 * Further south: see Cambridge for Denny Abbey and Farmland Museum.
 * Further south: see Cambridge for Denny Abbey and Farmland Museum.
 * Further south: see Cambridge for Denny Abbey and Farmland Museum.

Budget

 * Tesco 24 hours from Monday 8AM to Saturday midnight, Sunday 10AM-4PM - next to the train station.
 * The Minster Tavern The Gallery. Nothing remarkable, but it's possibly the cheapest pub food in town and have "and beer" nights where you can enjoy a curry, grill or Sunday roast with a free pint depending on the day. Snacks from £2.
 * The Business Market Square, Thursday and Saturdays only. All sorts of sausage, burger, chicken, bacon, egg and cheese combinations. £2-4.
 * Streetcafe Coronation Parade (High Street), 7AM to 7PM daily. Very wide menu, ranging from full English breakfasts to Salads, Fish and Chips and some wonderful desserts. Expect to pay around £2.90 for a sandwich and a coke, up to £8.10 for a full English breakfast with toast and your beverage thrown in (Breakfast "C"). Very good food.
 * Ely Market  Market Place and Dolphin Lane, every Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, 8:30AM-4PM.  Wide range of street food from curries, samosas, curry goat, burritos, dim sum, Thai noodles, artisan roast coffee, chimney cakes and even traditional English.  Ely Farmers' Market (every second and fourth Saturday) also has a good range of vegan food.
 * Ely Market  Market Place and Dolphin Lane, every Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, 8:30AM-4PM.  Wide range of street food from curries, samosas, curry goat, burritos, dim sum, Thai noodles, artisan roast coffee, chimney cakes and even traditional English.  Ely Farmers' Market (every second and fourth Saturday) also has a good range of vegan food.

Drink



 * The Town House, On Market Street opposite the Hereward, the clientele and atmosphere of the pub is very variable depending on the day of the week. During the week, in particularly in summer it is a nice place to enjoy a drink outside. On Fridays, Saturdays and occasionally Sundays the pub is so busy it operates a one-in, one-out policy so expect a queue after 10:30PM, but in a group it can be worth it for a fun night. Great during events such as the World Cup with a BBQ outdoors and the beer festival in July is a must in terms of pub beer festivals.

Sleep
Various Bed & Breakfast establishments can be found in the city. A web search should turn up a vacancy. Most are within walking distance from the train station.

Go next

 * North to Kings Lynn on the A10.
 * East to Bury St Edmunds on the A142.
 * South to Cambridge on the A10.
 * West to Huntingdon on the A142.