Back from the East - part 2

On the day I went to March (another of the 4) it was annoyingly grey and dull. I took a number of photos but the clouds showed no sign of breaking. March was interesting anyway with many fab buildings including a museum and a pub called the Ship Inn right by the canal. It also had a wrought iron and gaily painted memorial (I think for the queens silver jubilee) that was called the Fountain. It didn't seem very fountain like, until I found out that at some point the fountain bit that should sit in the middle of the structure had been sold many years ago to someone in a neighbouring village, and was currently sitting in their garden. 

 

March Museum

I also went to Whittlesey (the last of the 4 major fen towns) on the same day as March. The grey day didn't help all the grey stonework. But there were many interesting things to see, including the buttercross which is used as an undercover bus stop mostly, but still seems to be a hub of town activity. Also a pair of impressive churches and a pub by the canal called the Hero of Aliwal. After Whittlesey I trekked up to Thorney to check out the abbey, or rather the remains of it, which is mostly some buildings that are now private houses, the impressive church and a big and inaccessible field. After Thorney I took decided to go even further north and check out Crowland. It had started to rain so my day was looking less and less good for photos. This was until on the horizon I saw the monster that was ruined Crowland Abbey.

St Andrews Church, Whittlesey

I was really taken aback by Crowland Abbey, I was driving along and it suddenly loomed up and proceeded to play hide and seek with me behind trees and houses. It doesn't have the most delicate of profiles either, so it was quite a shock to appear so suddenly. It didn't even look ruined until I got to it, where you can see that part of the abbey has collapsed away. This has been a theme throughout the fens, the churches and cathedrals are some of the most ornate I've ever seen. Tiny villages have churches that date way back and far outstrip churches in my locality. 

Crowland Abbey

I went back to the B&B via a number of interestingly named farms, Gothic Hall Farm and Malice Farm. Other places I visited included; Welches Dam a RSPB reserve, Upwell, Outwell, Manae, Three Holes, Welney, Pymoor and Flag Fen, a Stone/Bronze Age reconstruction village.

Welches Dam RSPB reserve

All in all I had a lovely time. I can only praise Sean at Woodlands B&B in Witchford, near Ely for making my first stay in a B&B and first holiday on my own a good experience. I saw many new things, including a barn owl in the wild and many strange and interesting things. I really enjoyed being in a place where the countryside was only a stones throw away and where you often felt like the only person in the world. I also learnt how much I enjoyed just driving around, racing down empty roads, splashing puddles and getting mildly lost. I had hoped that it would sate my desire for the VW camper van and the idea of doing this on a much larger scale, in the end it only heightened it and after about 24 hours home with a good meal in me I wanted to be back out there.

Storm and sunshine

However home wasn't to be my destination for a few more days.....