Ely Cathedral : Cambridge, 2017

Photos by H. Bailey

Let's hear it for the fourth and final church/cathedral of our Cambridge trip - Ely Cathedral! Four in four days... my family obviously really likes religious buildings. I think this one was actually my favourite, although the person at the welcome desk was a bit grumpy and there were, once again, building works going on making quite a noise - we seemed to have bad luck with that on this trip. This, combined with the fact that we were now four days into the holiday, meant I had to go into zoned out mode (sunglasses on, not taking much in) quite a bit more here than I would have liked.

Exterior Detail. Photo by H. Bailey.

Photo by H. Bailey.

Photo by H. Bailey.

However, a few things made this cathedral stand out - number 1: they had little cards dotted around that you could collect which had a little bit of info on specific features of the cathedral, particularly works of art. I love collecting things like this and very much enjoyed doing so here. Number 2: they had an interactive screen which told you about different aspects of the cathedral with little animations and I found this a great way for my brain fogged mind to take in some of the information. And number 3: The Lady Chapel. This is set just to the side of the main building, and most people seemed to miss it, but we happily ventured in and I fell in love. It was bright and open, and the noise of the building work didn't reach in there so I was able to relax a bit more. It wasn't particularly ornate, at least in comparison to the main body of the cathedral, but I loved it.

Ceiling Detail. Photo by H. Bailey.

'Mary Magdalene Recognises Jesus', sculpture by David Wynne, 1963. Photo by H. Bailey.

Photo by H. Bailey.

 

Photo by H. Bailey.

Detail from the Lady Chapel. Photo by H. Bailey.

Detail of the Lady Chapel. Photo by H. Bailey.

Ceiling Detail. Photo by H. Bailey.

Ceiling Detail. Photo by H. Bailey.

Accessibility (1 = not very good; 5 = brilliant!):

Wheelchair 4/5: I can't remember any specific difficulties, but have taken a point off just in case because I was rather brain fog-y during this visit and might well have completely forgotten. 

Sensory Input 3/5: When there aren't any building works it's probably okay noise wise. As usual though, cathedral = lots of architectural detail which can be a lot to process. 

Food & Facilities 3/5: There are toilets on site, and I believe there are also a couple of cafes. It is also very close to the town centre. 

Travel 3/5: There are a few disabled parking spaces within the cathedral grounds - it is recommended you contact them in plenty of time to make sure one will be available.

Overall 3.25/5: Visit length was around one hour, with a travel time of thirty minutes.

CAMBRIDGE TRIP DAY ONE: ST ALBAN'S CATHEDRAL

CAMBRIDGE TRIP DAY TWO: KING'S COLLEGE CHAPEL

CAMBRIDGE TRIP DAY THREE PART 1:  THE FITZWILLIAM MUSEUM

CAMBRIDGE TRIP DAY THREE PART 2: GRANTCHESTER  

CAMBRIDGE TRIP DAY FOUR PART 1: OLIVER CROMWELL'S HOUSE

  

*I currently have moderate ME, meaning I use a wheelchair pushed by someone else, and a walking stick. Please take into account your own physical capabilities when planning a trip, if you need to start small then start small. Look into what you can see nearby for when you're ready. Although, when at my best, I may be able to post every 1-2 weeks, that does not mean I am well enough to travel that frequently! Many of my posts come from a backlog of trips taken over the past few years.