Chaely one

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Overall I really enjoyed walking this route. It is generally on well established paths or along relatively quiet country roads, and passes through some interesting landscapes. I walked from Ely to Chatteris and used a combination of a paper OS Explorer map and the downloaded route GPX file with the OS Maps app to plan and navigate the route. In general, the route was accurate and easy to follow, and it took me 6 hours in total from start to finish. I walked on a sunny Saturday in November.

The walk starts at the Oliver Cromwell House (see photo 1) in the shadow of the impressive Ely Cathedral, and initially follows a quiet residential street before crossing over the busy A10 which requires patience and fortitude (photo 2), then along a quiet-ish single-track country road. This is a very typical Fenland route with straight roads and 90-degree bends, big skies and open fields with just small stands of hedgerow and the occasional tree. Walking in the opposite direction would include being able to use the Cathedral as a landmark (photo 3).

Just before reaching the village of Coveney the route deviates to the left and follows a series of grass tracked byways before turning left onto a country road (photos 4 and 5). A short road stretch is followed by another left turn and some more byways of gravel and grass (photo 6) before joining a path beside the Catchwater Drain (photo 7). Some care has to be taken here to follow the correct route, but there are numerous options to end up at the same place without difficulty. This is a pleasant section of the route and follows the drain for some distance before crossing over on a footbridge (photo 8). A series of straight paths across various fields is followed by a road into the village of Mepal, and then a footpath across a field to the village church (photo 9). Turning right out of the churchyard takes you on a tarmac path to The Three Pickerels pub for refreshments as required.

At this point I deviated from the published route. Rather than crossing the bridge beside the pub over the New Bedford River and taking the path on the opposite bank, I passed through the gate at the rear of the pub and followed the path on the East side of the river. This deviation reduces the route distance very slightly, and I know from experience that the path on this bank is easier to walk. After crossing a meadow this route goes under a bridge on the A142 road with a helpful raised concrete walkway to avoid the mud and water (photo 10), then passes through a small woodland between the river and a marshy area before climbing some steps onto the raised river bank for views across the Ouse Washes (photo 11). This section is particularly atmospheric, especially in the period where the washes are flooded and I was lucky to see and hear a large group of whooper swans on the water and others flying in to join the group.

Turning right at the next gate you meet allows you to cross the washes at Sutton Gault, and even if the road is flooded there is a raised walkway (photo 12). There follows another section of mostly quiet Fenland road, before turning right and walking along some drove roads. These become increasingly wet and muddy (photo 13) and required some scrambling along the grass verges, which was a bit of a slog towards the end of the walk so a little unpleasant. Finally, you come out on the busy A142 road which you need to cross to get to a pavement, though it is in a poor condition and unpleasant with the cars coming towards you quickly (photo 14). After crossing back over to a pavement on the other side, the route soon comes to the left turn into Chatteris (photo 15). The final mile is a straightforward walk along the streets and through the town to reach the end point at the clock beyond the shops.

I would certainly be happy to walk this route again, or the more pleasant sections separately, and recommend to others. It is essentially safe apart from the busy A-road crossings and the route is accurate, though there are numerous paths that are wet and muddy that would be difficult to access using the route in a wheelchair. However, in many cases there are other options so it might be possible to follow the general route without using these difficult paths. Other than that, in terms of the Slow Ways methodology the route is fairly direct, easy to navigate, and the landscape is essentially flat fenland through arable farming areas. There is perhaps a little too much road walking, but this is hard to avoid in places and the roads are essentially quiet. The walking is mostly enjoyable and there are beautiful sights to see along the way including Ely Cathedral and the Ouse Washes. There are numerous refreshment and accommodation options in Ely and a more limited selection in Chatteris, but the only place on the route is The Three Pickerels pub in Mepal which does offer both meals and rooms. The two towns are joined by a direct bus which runs fairly regularly.

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