Ely is a great place to stop and repose when walking either the Ouse Valley Way or Fen Rivers Way.
The city of Ely, also known as the Isle of Ely, might feel like odd epithets for a town-sized place surrounded by dry land, but they are both clues to its past.
Before the draining of the Fens, this kimmeridge clay outcrop was one of the few bits of sure ground where you could build a conurbation of any size.
Being surrounded by water was good for eel farming and some have suggested that might be how it got it’s name - however that remains disputed. These days, the river still helps provide prosperity through tourism.
The stand out feature of the town, sorry - city is its cathedral, a.k.a the Ship of the Fens. It’s hard to not be impressed ad worth a look inside, despite the admission fee.
Just as Huntingdon and St Ives have claimed ownership of Oliver Cromwell, so has Ely and there is a museum in the house he lived in for 10 years after inheriting it.
Ely is well connected (for its size) by rail to London, Cambridge, Norwich, Birmingham as well as, Downham Market and Kings Lynn. Departures