Ely - Early Autumn in the Fens

This weekend had been planned to celebrate The Luck of Sallowby that was set in the Fens and published 60 years ago.

We explored parts of fenland that featured dramatically in the book where the story was based on the severe floods of 1947. The programme was designed to suit cyclists, walkers and others who just like meeting up for for a social occasion. It was also modular, enabling members who were unable to attend for the whole weekend, to come along and enjoy part of it. Best of all, the event was blessed by fine weather throughout.

Our first rendezvous on Friday evening was The Lamb Hotel at Ely, for an informal supper followed by the showing of clips from a DVD called The Winter of '47. This was a locally-produced documentary, made in 2007 to mark the 60th anniversary of the floods, and it contains some fascinating archive footage filmed at the time.

On Saturday the energetic cycling contingent completed a route from Wicken Fen to Ely whilst the more leisurely 'tourists' enjoyed conducted tours of Oliver Cromwell's House and the cathedral, before both parties met up for a picnic lunch on Ely's riverside. Then as the cyclists set out for the return trip, the tourists visited The Fen Drainage Museum at Prickwillow where the highlight was a demonstration run of a pumping engine that had actually been in use in 1947. In the evening, both parties met up for drinks and a meal at Ely's award-winning Cutter Inn and Riverside Restaurant.

Sunday's programme included the option of a lie-in before driving straight to the pub for lunch but commendably, no-one chose it. Thus it was that over 30 of us met up at Downham Market and walked the Fen Rivers Way to Denver Sluice where the man-made Bedford Rivers re-join the Great Ouse. The sinister Anglers' Rest in The Luck of Sallowby (where one of the teenage heroes was taken after being abducted) was possibly modelled upon an earlier building where the modern Jenyn's Arms is now situated, and this is where we enjoyed our carvery lunch.