Ely to Littleport

This was not the most exciting of walks; there is a kilometre or so of road walking which was busier than we might have hoped, and most of the walk is on a raised bank along a straight section of the River Great Ouse, with the Kings Cross to Kings Lynn railway line to our left (though no trains today). We have walked the leg before (though in the opposite direction), on 28th February 2009, when we were walking the Fen Rivers Way. However the weather was very pleasant (mild and sunny) and it was nice to get out on Boxing Day without having to drive too far. Best of all, we managed to combine the walk with lunch at one of our favourite tea rooms!

We parked one car in a convenient dead-end of a road to the north of Littleport, just south of the A10 (TL577877) then drove the other one to the Barton Road car park in Ely (TL537501). Last time we were here there was no space in this car park, today it was almost completely empty. We walked through Cherry Hill Park, with the Cathedral to our left, pausing to pass the time of day with two dog-walkers. Then we meandered our way through Jubilee Gardens (the meandering path is meant to represent an Eel), past the band stand and the Maltings, with flowers in the gardens making it feel more like Spring than December. This part of Ely, much gentrified since Richard's mother lived in Ely as a girl, always makes me laugh because Richard's grandparents were models of respectability, but it looks as if the family moved here a few generations ago in order to work in The Maltings. We reached the river and turned left, passing underneath the railway line and with good views to the fens on the other side of the river. We parted company with the river briefly in order to walk around a factory, then returned to it via Cuckoo Bridge and the Roswell Pits.

We crossed the river on a bridge signed as the route of the Fen Rivers Way and the Hereward Way, but "Ouse Valley Way" did not appear on signpost at all today. We turned left onto the road and followed this to Queen Adelaide. Richard told me that Google Maps recommends this route when we are heading from home to the Newmarket area (and thus via the A11 to the M11) - it's not a road we have driven along very often, but perhaps we should try it; the number of cars passing us indicates that plenty of others come this way [Note four years later: we now drive this way very regularly - sorry walkers!].

At Queen Adelaide we crossed the River Great Ouse and took the path to the west of the river. We essentially followed this all the way to Littleport. There was a strongish wind behind us, so we made rapid progress, though swans and ducks attempting to swim and/or fly in the opposite direction had a more challenging time. We could hear and occasionally see cars on the opposite side of the river (on the Google-recommended route mentioned above); at "Branch bridge" where the River Lark joins the River Great Ouse we remembered that last time we were here the bridge was missing, but the replacement is well established now.

We passed Sandhill Bridge and the Swan on the River pub, and we realised that we could see Richard's car in the distance. Before we reached it there was some more walking by the river and some slightly complicated route-finding, through another garden and around the Littleport Boatyard, just by Littleport Station. We walked past The Gate House B&B and the Fen House Restaurant and then back to the car. Just as we reached it a boat passed us heading north, the first moving boat we had seen all day. We meanwhile drove back down to Ely to collect the other car, and used the excuse to have a lovely lunch at Peacocks Tearoom; right on the route of the Ouse Valley/Fen Rivers Way, but we had walked past before they opened this morning.

Following leg