A day with Chandlers at Ely

Today we finally got to catch up with Andrew, Suzanne, Kayley and Ryan. We've been trying since about Christmas. We all love travelling, and with Andrew's flying schedule, it seems it's been tough to get a day where the stars align.

We met at Harpenden about 11am. James immediately ran outside to see his cousins. Kayley organised a game of soccer (she's very good a looking after the younger ones!) and the kids ran around. Spring is here. On the way up I noticed the first of the spring leaves sprouting on the hedgerows. And of course there is blossom about. Welcomingly, the sun had a little warmth in it today.

Before long we bundled into two cars and headed off to Ely - just north of Cambridge. The satnav advised a 13:00 arrival - not ideal for the kids.

Its an easy drive on the M1, M25, M11 and the satnav guided us right to a car park in the heart of Ely. Being a Saturday the place was packed. We tried two car parks before deciding to head out to a park & ride. We usually go for these straight away and should have done so again today. There was hardly any cars there, parking was free, and the shuttle bus (again free) dropped us off right in the city centre. Too easy!

We were all hungry so it was off to a pub. Suzanne go the kids going with colouring whilst Andrew and I go stuck in to a few pints of ale. A nice way to spend the afternoon.

Sorted - we headed off to Ely Cathedral. Its an imposing building that sits in a commanding position such that it can be seen for miles. It was founded as a monastery in 673 by St. Etheldreda, a Saxon Princess from East Anglia and was subsequently destroyed by the Danes in 870. William the Conqueror rebuilt the Cathedral in the early 1080s.

You enter from the West Tower and are immediately confronted by The Nave. It was built by the Normans and is almost 80 metres long. The afternoon light lit the northern columns and allowed us to get a good view of the ceiling - painted in Victorian times.

Walking along the Nave you come to the Octagon. This replaced the central tower, which collapsed in 1322. It's a timber, glass and lead structure with exquisitely painted wood. A wedding was in progress in the Presbytery.

I think the kids were less impressed. Outside was a large lawn and they enjoyed running around and climbing on the stone walls. We retired to a cafe for coffee and then it was back to the bus for the short journey back to the car.

These past few weeks James has been pushing some boundaries. Driving home, I think he was playing opposites. He didn't like the car, then didn't like the music, then wanted to have the window open. We were all glad to be home!

Photos are here.