Wicken Fen

There is a series of cycle paths that could take us from Cambridge to Wicken Fen, but at 13 miles it is longer than any trip we have attempted, so we took advantage of the car to explore this closer-to-home nature reserve.

The highlight was the birds we saw at the first hide, including a reed bunting...

 And a close-up view of a European goldfinch and a chaffinch:

 The scenery was nice too:

 The tower hide had a nice view, but no birds at that time of day:

After five hours wandering around the site, we were tired enough, and ready for a relaxing drive home in our brand new rental vehicle:

Wicken Fen and Ely

We rented a car so that we could drive to a few more out-of-the way places around the countryside. Our first stop was Wicken Fen, renowned for its birds, but on this early April day children on Easter break were more in evidence:

From Wicken Fen we went to Ely Cathedral, this time taking the West Tower tour, 288 steps and 215 feet up to the highest point of the cathedral:

 The view from the second landing:

It's already a long way down:

It was a beautiful, unusually clear day, and the view was superb. Here you can see the Octagonal Tower that we climbed on our last visit to Ely Cathedral:

Our guide was excellent--well-informed, enthusiastic, with an outstanding presentation about the history of the cathedral and the surrounding monastery:

 After the tour we enjoyed the cathedral in other ways--t. interpreting the ceiling, s. deep in a book:

Me, inspecting the Prior's Door: