We set off on our journey to Ely a little later than we had intended which, as well as the travel taking longer than expected, led us to change our plans and not pay a short visit visit to Cambridge. Instead we broke our journey for lunch in Market Harborough. Being a Sunday the nice tea shop had we enjoyed on our previous visit was not open so instead we settled for a sandwich in Greggs. Amply replete, we headed straight to Ely and checked into Peacocks B&B.
When we arrived at Peacocks tea room, which has rooms above, we were served with complimentary drinks and cake. I chose elderflower water and lemon and lavender cake, which was delicious. We were provided with a local map and shown where to find the local attractions.
We were then taken to the side access (which avoids walking through the teashop) and to our mini suite. The rooms were fabulous with a generous seating area, a bathroom with a roll top bath and a shower. In amongst it all, there were several bookcases full of books. My kind of heaven.
Rather than unpacking straight away we headed into Ely to make the best of the afternoon. As Mr C was moving his car into a non-restricted area, I stood and looked out over the river Ouse. A lady came a stood nearby and told me to mind my handbag. She then told me that she had been mugged and other various woes. All the while she was taking sideways glances at a couple of young men nearby and advising that Ely looks nice but it isn’t what it used to be. She then apologised for wearing dark glasses explaining that she had something wrong with her eyes that made them sensitive to bright light.
We took a walk along the river, through the Jubilee Gardens, past the Cathedral and then on to look for the two restaurants that we had pre-booked for evening meals. As luck would have it they were opposite each other. Just as we had located the second restaurant a voice piped up, “I am not following you”. It was the lady I had encountered just outside the B&B, this time without sunglasses and about to get in her car.
We returned to the B&B pausing to browse in Toppings along the way. Toppings has got to be the best bookshop I have ever visited. We spent some time relaxing in our rooms before making our way to The Poets House for dinner. I chose black seabream followed by pressed apple and elderberry sorbet. An elderly lady nearby was struggling with her menu choices. The first dish went back because it wasn’t piping hot and she opted for a different dish which, as it happened, was the seabream. When this arrived she didn’t like the way the meal was served. After our meal we stopped off in the Drayman’s pub before returning to the B&B for a nightcap.
Have you ever thought of writing a travel guide, Cherry??? Seriously, all these travels would make a great remembrance book for you and Mr. C.
I have been recently thinking about how I could record our travels in a book. Before digital photography and online sharing everyone always had photobook memories!
A sandwich from Greggs? I never thought I read such things for you. You’ll be going to McDonald’s for for your evening meal next
I missed the bookshop when I was in Ely just after Christmas but thoroughly enjoyed the Cathedral.
HaHa
Greggs do very nice filled rolls and Mr C is partial to their pastries. If the weather had been kinder we could have eaten out 
McDonald’s… No No No! I am not a burger kind of girl…
If you like books you really should visit the bookshop it offers free tea, but no cake… You should also visit Peacocks tea room for cakes, although you will have to plan your visit for a day when it is open.
I do like that old claw foot bathtub.
I enjoyed a long soak in it -)
sudh a fancy B&B to stay at Cherie… you are a lucky woman….peter:)
I am
But I am the one that has to do the research to find places to stay 
a fine post with lovely images. the cake descriptions alone sound very tasty and worth trying, CP. enjoyed your text too.
Thanks Ayush
Did you see the cathedral?
Yes, it is mentioned in my next post. There will be a follow up with photos.
The Old Grammar School in Market Harborough looks like it must have once been part of the open market. What an amazing building and, even more amazingly, they changed it into an educational institution for some long time.
It is a fascinating building. I would love to go inside
Ely is high up on my list of places to visit so it is wonderful to see your beautiful photos. The bed and breakfast looks good
We loved the B&B and Ely too.
We saw a building built like that when we were in Latvia. It was a modern square building but the sam princip. This house is much more beautiful.
The top photo is of the Old Grammar School. The building dates to 1614 and is Grade I listed.