Trip 6:
Braham Farm, Little Thetford, Ely, Cambridgeshire.
The Sat nav took us around Peterborough and down to Ely. It seemed a long route but it was easy driving although there was an abundance of roundabouts.
I had looked on Google Earth to get a visual of the farm entrance and it was easy to spot. We followed the farm road upto the main buildings and we parked up. A lady came out to greet us and tell us where everything was. The campsite pitches are actually on the lawn in front of the main farmhouse.
We could park anywhere so we chose a spot that looked fairly level and set up camp. We had electric and we were close enough to the water to fill up using our hoses. The sun is still shining although rain is forecast later, so we timed it to perfection. As we arrived the farmer had just finished mowing the lawn.
After a quick sandwich we walked over the railway to the River Great Ouse, and followed the path on the flood bank towards Ely. We came across a muntjac deer on the path but it saw us and was gone. The plan was to have a look at the river but we then decided we could do a circular walk. Unfortunately there was another railway in our path and no way across it.
Instead of continuing into Ely we turned around and headed back to Iona. On the way into the farm we found ourselves walking through a swarm of bees. Thankfully they were not interested in us and we got by without being stung. We came across another Muntjac as we rounded a corner into the farm.
We spent the rest of the afternoon sat outside the van in the intermittent sunshine. Sue made us a cup of tea with some biscuits. She had not been sat down very long when she was stung by a wasp. Not long after that she saw a owl fly low across the campsite behind Iona. I wonder what the third thing will be.
Day 2:
Today we walked into Ely via the riverside.
We followed the path to the marinas and we passed a rather good pub that was recommended to us, but it was only 11am so we reluctantly walked by and carried on along the river before heading up a hill into the city centre.
We passed a postbox decorated for the coronation.
We made our way up into the city, the centre is focused around the Cathedral. Although a relatively small city, there is a large variety of shops and cafes. We walked around the centre and headed for the Cathedral to take some photos.
We found Oliver Cromwell’s house which is now the Tourist Office and we passed a huge cast iron Russian Cannon that was captured in the Crimean war and given to Ely by the Queen.
We stopped for an ice cream near the river and watched the world go by. I had this idea of going to the park to eat our sandwiches so that was our next stop before heading for home.
This time we took a different route on a path that took us across the playing fields and out into the countryside, we came across a nature reserve with a pond. The path continued through some woods
until we came to the farm road back to the campsite. The total we had walked was just over 8 miles.
Tonight we had thunderstorms, heavy rain and then sunshine and rainbows. We saw a muntjac deer walking across the field in front of our pitch and then we watched a Barn Owl hunting over the grass field margins.
Day 3:
Walking again into Ely, this time it is market day. We had a good look around the market and Sue bought some broccoli to go with our tea.
We found The BrownBread Bakery stall which had a great selection of products. We walked past it once but on the second time I succumbed to the temptation. We bought two large Lamb Samosas, a Cornish pasty and a Feta + Spinach ‘sausage’ roll. I went back for an olive focaccia to go with our tea tonight.
We walked back down the hill to the river and found a seat where I ate the Cornish Pasty and Sue had the ‘sausage’ roll. We people watched for a while and then headed for home. We stopped at The Cutter Inn for a pint to help us on our way.
Back at the van we ate the Lamb Samosas which were superb,spicy but not too hot. We sat outside reading until the wind got up and it got cool.
Tonight we saw a Barn Owl and a green woodpecker. The focaccia went well with the fish dish tonight. There was nothing on TV tonight so we watched Top Gun Maverick which passed the time.
Day 4:
Today we walked to the next village, Little Thetford, apart from finding a nature reserve outside the village there is little to see. We crossed over the railway heading for the River Great Ouse.
It started to rain as we climbing onto the flood bank and the wind speed had increased. On the bank there was no shelter so we turned back. Once at the railway crossing we went straight over, there are no trains today due to strikes.
We found an alternative footpath that would take us back to the campsite. Luckily we were sheltered from most of the wind but the rain still got us. We did come across a Fallow Deer in an adjacent field, it kept an eye on us until we entered a wood.
Once back at the motorhome we settled in for the afternoon, we found we can get on a BT wifi hotspot if we sit in the bedroom. The wind got worse and apart from leaves we had a bit of a branch crash onto the roof. I managed to look out of a skylight and it was only a small piece of deadwood that sounded far worst as it bounced off of the fibreglass roof panel.
Finally at 16.00 the 35mph gusts of wind died down and there was just a steady breeze for the rest of the day.
Iona’s Travels 