Contents
Route map
Route details
At Ely the Ouse Valley Way combines with the Fen Rivers Way and heads along Sandy’s Cut to past the town of Littleport, which is useful for any provisions not acquired in Ely and on towards Brandon Creek, where the Great Ouse is joined by the Little Ouse.
The Ship Inn is a good option for food and drink.
courtesy of Ship Inn
courtesy of Ship Inn
The path continues along the Great Ouse which, if you are wondering how long this stretch of modified river is, is also known as Ten Mile River. It leads to the village of Ten Mile Bank with its modest church, which oddly predates the 19th Century village by six hundred years…
Walking along the Ten Mile River drives home how flat the Fens are and only offers a vague glimpse into what the area may have been like before reclamation.
Finally, the path reaches the Denver Sluice where it is joined by the New and Old Bedford Rivers.
The Sluice is a key part of the great system of fenland water control. The river, combining with the Old and New Bedford Rivers which were last seen at Earith, is then split between a tidal and non-tidal flow and the path passes between the two.
A little further on is the pleasant town of Downham Market, which these days is as much commuter town to Cambridge as it is a market. Unfortunately, the distinctive Castle Hotel is now private residences, perhaps for some of those Cambridge commuters…
courtesy of Uksignpix
courtesy of FromMorningToMidnight
Audio downloads
On the Gingerbread Trail
Discover Downham volunteer, Kathleen Wiseman, takes us on a tour of Downham to find out why it's known as the Gingerbread Town. It's also a chance to meet the dedicated volunteers who have been determined to save the artifacts and share the stories of their town.
Discover Downham
Hanse House
We're in a couryard where in medieval times people would have been talking German. Let's talk to Dr Paul Richards to find out why.
Hanse House
Public transport
There are trains every 30 mins Between Ely and Downham Market. National Rail
Next leg: Downham Market to Kings Lynn
Back to overview