UK 1: Stansted to London (via the northeast)

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Stansted to London

This ‘travelogue’ describes that part of our journey from arrival at Stansted Airport (nth London) to our ‘entry’ to London (some 6 days later) via Cambridgshire, Norfolk (East Anglia) and Suffolk.

As always, if you want to 'see' more detail in an accompanying picture,
click it to enlarge.

In Flight

We departed KL airport about an hour late - around 4pm. The AirAsia A340 plane had been procured from Air Canada and was pained in the livery of a Canadian football team (doesn‘t quite look right at KL airport). The pilot announced we’d be travelling over Iran, Khazekastan (or one of those ’stans), the Black Sea, Holland and into Stansted. He advised that the flight would take 14 hours, and most would be in daylight (sadly he wasn’t too good on that one). We swept along the Malaysian west coast, across the Gulf of Thailand, and over Phuket, then towards Sri Lanka before heading north to Iran (what a dustbowl that place is). By now, the light was fading fast, and that allowed us to usurp the monotony by taking some naps. The seats were a little larger and a bit more comfortable than the GC-KL plane (A330), and reclined well. Wwe both were awake as we headed across the Black Sea area - WOW are those people electricity users!!! The whole foreshore was really lit up - much more so than Holland or the UK. At one stage we watched a fireworks ’event’. Interesting to see the fireworks head towards you before exploding in a shower of colourful light.

Arrival

We landed at about 10pm local time and the efficiency of getting us through customs, etc., was inspiring. It took us a total of 9 minutes from when we left the plane to when we departed immigration (and entered the UK). Makes the Australian immigration people look seriously backwards.

Brrrr, it was incredibly cold - especially to two people who’d the day before been sweating in a tropical jungle. We found where we had to get the shuttle bus to our pre-arranged hotel, and saw we had to wait a while. So, we headed for a café and both had a deeply warming hot chocolate. Once finished, our bus arrived, and took us to the hotel, and a great nights sleep.

Day 1

Morning heralded a grey sky, and (for us a bitingly cold breeze). A hearty breakfast helped prepare us for the cold day ahead. Back on the shuttle to Stansted Airport to catch an inter-city bus to Cambridge. As we travelled, the landscape reminded us of parts of New England and Victoria (Australia). After a short ride, we entered Cambridge and had to pinch ourselves to ensure the Tudor (and older) style architecture was for real. Judy says it is like driving through a history picture book. There was nothing ’history’ as we departed the bus into a cold cloudy day. With the aid of directions, we got ourselves to our pre-booked accommodation - only to be told that they charged extra for those that arrive early, and NO, there was no place to leave baggage! Our cold, but dreamy, journey just got a whole lot colder. Can we use the WiFi? NO, we only sell internet access! Blah, blah, blah!!! Judy stayed in the foyer with a good book, and Bruce went in search of internet access. Once provided with a room, we then both headed into town.

We were gob smacked by the sheer number and arrangement of the old buildings. In the main, Cambridge CBD is a pedestrian focussed city centre. Cars are few in number and must defer to pedestrians. Other than shanks pony, the principle mode of transport is either the bus or the bicycle. It really is a ‘friendly’ feel when the car is removed. We meandered amongst the populace, awestruck at the ‘antique‘ nature of the place! Little character buildings are stuck into corners here, big grand buildings wedged there, churches seemingly everywhere, etc., etc. We stumbled on a little church with a fascinating garden - right in the centre of the city. There, before us were cyclamens, hollyhocks, roses, all in flower: and more waiting their turn. Further down an alley and across a square with a market in full swing, we came across buskers making everyone’s life enjoyable. We were about to head into what seemed like a large quadrangle via an archway, when we were asked our intentions. We’re tourists - Sorry, Kings Chapel is about to close, but if you want to come back for evensong… So, we headed for a coffee to later return. With others in the queue, we entered the grand old lady for evensong. The evensong service was (to Bruce) high church Anglican, and ((to Judy) the choir sublime. What a start to our British adventure: Mum & Dad going to church what power lies in this country called Britain!!!.

After our religious ‘contemplation’ and spiritual ‘reflection’, we found a restaurant offering ‘traditional’ English faire: Judy enjoyed the pork bangers and herb mash, while Bruce engaged with lamb chops & greens. We both enjoyed Treacle Pudding!!! The brisk (and brusque) walk back to the accommodation removed many of the calories.

Day 2

After a delayed start (trying to sort out internet access), and with a weather forecast suggesting rain the following day, we decided to hike to Grantchester; a quaint little village some 3 miles from Cambridge. Though we could have taken a bus, we’d felt we needed exercise and decided to walk. We’d read and heard about how the British maintained public walkways across the country. Until now we knew not what this actually meant - doesn’t every country have public ‘walks’? What we experienced was beyond or comprehension. From the CBD of Cambridge, there exists a wide ’common’ land along the banks of the river courses. This land is now publicly accessible for walking/riding. Just outside Cambridge is a series of commons (wide open land used some 200 yrs ago by commoners for agriculture). There also exists ‘rights’ given to walkers to traverse privately owned farmland - especially where that land is on or near rivers, or between established walking trails. So, Britain is riddled with all these walking trails - one can walk just about everywhere via some form of pedestrian access. And, while many of these pedestrian paths are paved, many are not.

So, after leaving Cambridge CBD, for a while we followed a path beside river till we entered a commons, which abutted a formal park, which led us to a paved footpath aside a public road, that opened up onto a little bush reserve, before leading us to join onto a path traversing farmland. After negotiating our way around cow pats, brambles, and various bird habitat (all within the farmland), we were channelled into a laneway to enter the picturesque village of Grantchester. After all this walking, we needed a drink, and found a (seemingly medieval) pub. Judy had found the ales a bit heavy, and there ’discovered’ the joy of cider.

After refreshments, we tootled off through hill and dale towards another village. We marvelled at the trees in these woodslike pathways - oaks, elders, elms, ash’s, and more. And, most in wonderful autumnal finery. We were also struck by the fact that landowners made hedges out of these trees, and the hedgerows were also displaying autumn tones. As we progressed, we came across a little forest reserve aside a stream that held the honour of having pools (ponds?) where Byron swam - having studied his work, Judy was impressed. Eventually we found a main road and caught a bus back to Cambridge CBD for dinner, and eventually a bed to rest our well worn feet.

Day 3

Despite the early prediction for rain, the day opened with fog - to be followed with patchy sun. We decided to continue our pedestrian exercise by hiking around the Cambridge ‘campus’. Again, we were surprised at the space given over to parks and vegetated walkways. Though each campus college comprised a substantial area of historic buildings, and each had ordered lawns/gardens, the area between nearly always consisted of wonderful landscaped park gardens. While we could have spent the whole day visiting the colleges, we decided the am was sufficient.

When we bought a netbook, we assumed that WiFi was ’everywhere’! How wrong we were. We’d learnt that while it was widely available, most ’connections’ required a monetary contribution of some sort (ei, buy a drink, pay a fee, etc). With this ‘experience’, we went searching for a ‘paid’ access contract. After an hour, and 30 quid, we had a dongle.

We’d wanted to visit some British ‘heritage’, and decided to take a bus to Anglesey Manor (about 20k from Cambridge). Oh, what luck, a double-decker bus - not only the buzz of same, but also we had a raised position to view the Cambridge streetscape.

While the ‘house’ style and contents of Anglesey Manor were sort of predictable, the gardens were beyond our expectation. We were confronted with acres and acres of a large parklike ‘estate’ full of magnificent trees bearing autumnal foliage. We delighted in the sweeping lawns, fringed with colourful Oak trees, or formal lawns enclosed in Beech, etc., etc. The Dahlia gardens were a delight, as were the Rose gardens (we’d forgotten how aromatic roses smell in the temperate climate). On the grounds was a water driven (flour) mill. There we learnt the original meanings for ‘putting one’s nose to the grindstone’, and ‘coming to a grinding halt’. It was a with a sad (almost melancholy) heart we had to depart this magnificent estate. We both felt that we'd stumbled on an amazing garden, one that reflected an unbridled passion for both space and order.

Reflection: as a city, Cambridge was a surprise to us. Yes, there are old buildings - this year, Cambridge University is celebrating its 800th year since inauguration - and Yes, there are modern buildings nestled into older facades. But, what really ‘got’ us was that the city itself is really compact (ie no urban sprawl), and there is so much greenspace in and amongst the city. And, the greenspace is not filled with lawn and trees merely to ‘look at‘, it is both aesthetically pleasing and useable. Cambridge shows why British planners visiting Australia just roll their eyes when Australian planners talk of greenspace. Australians might talk of a British heritage, but they clearly didn’t pick much up about caring for social issues in urban design.


[h3 left]Day 4


Today was car pickup day and by 9am we had the keys. The first place to visit was an old Roman road. Here we were, walking along a gravelly track, slightly mounded above the surrounding landscape, just as Roman soldiers had done so long, long ago. As Australians, reference to such history is normally unavailable. The challenging bit was not walking along a road built by Romans, but that the British people cared enough about their history to keep it intact. In Australia, it would either become part of a pay-to-enter tourist ‘theme park’, or have been destroyed by developers!!!

Our next destination was the Wickham Fen (Nature Reserve). We’d heard these were of considerable importance and perhaps the best example of a Fen in Britain. We learnt that a Fen is a wetland, where marshy reeds grow. In fact, the Wickham Fen is a peat bog of several hundred acres. Here, the lands have remained (largely) untouched for over 800 years. At that time, locals constructed a series of channels (called Lodes), and used wind mills to drain surface water into the Lodes. The marshy grasses (called sedge) were used for thatch in house roofs. This harvesting of sedge kept out tree growth, and provided habitat for a variety of birdlife (providing food for locals). This Fen is also used as habitat for a breed of ancient shaggy cattle, and an ancient pony breed. While it was an invigorating walk, we enjoyed the different visuals, the (relatively) warm sunshine and the wide open spaces.

After a warming cuppa, we headed for Ely - the home town of Oliver Cromwell, and location of the spectacular Ely cathedral. The Cathedral is huge - a 12th century structure - with a soaring roof, cut lunch length nave, and incredible decorations. The floor is a series of large stone engraved ‘pavers’ that are tombstones. The walls are plastered with monuments to past celebrities. And, the irony is that Ely is (and always was) a small town (15000 ppl).

We stayed the night in a B&B in Ely. This was our 1st instance of a British B&B, and was bizarre. The bar, the ‘front’ lounge, the dining room, AND the staff all seemed (to us) to be straight out of Coronation Street (and, to us, they appeared to speak the same way - if not the accent, the content).

Day 5

After Ely, we headed for Norwich (leaving Cambridgeshire for Norfolk ). On the way, we drove through a large forest. Here, the forest comprised native trees like Oak, Beech, Plane, Lime and Ash, etc. And, the autumn colours were spectacular. For us, it was like driving through an advertisement, or one of those pictures on a chocolate box.

We found our way into Norwich and parked in a carpark under the castle. First stop, Norwich Castle. This is a huge square block of a building some 4 story’s high set on an elevated (constructed) mound surrounded by a massive moat. It was built in the Norman (12th century) era as a keep (ie protected dwelling) for the King and his tribe. By the 15th century, the building was used as a gaol, and continued as such (with additions) till the 19th century. We’d hate to be a prisoner in that cold rat infested hole. Maybe the elite preferred such cruelty to destroy souls rather than have to proceed with the very public executions that otherwise occurred.

Seeking an alternative ‘attraction‘, we went in seek of Norwich Cathedral. This was a bit of a hike away through the Norwich CBD. The Norwich elders have decided all the CBD be a pedestrian space. In the active retail areas, the decision is infinitely sensible. In otherwise ’dead’ corners, markets and artisans had reign. What a success! We really enjoyed the convivial atmosphere generated in the town centre without cars. This is not just a mall, it’s the whole CBD. What we really liked was that people weren’t rushing anyplace. We figure that with a lack of cars in the locale, people relax more as they walk/commute/etc. But, unlike a covered shopping centre, there appears not to be the same focus on consumerism (for consumerism sake).

Anyway, we got ourselves to the Cathedral. Again, another massive structure. This time even more ornate and ancient than Ely. The sandstone roof was almost spider web in ornateness, and the junctions where the (spidery) roof ribs joined held an ornate carved depiction of a biblical scene. Our only dilemma was that these were so high we needed binoculars to see them! We were learning that in the tourist market, every icon needs to differentiate itself. Norwich Cathedral has the oldest standing cloisters. The cloisters are huge and place an interesting perspective on how contemplative life would have existed in years past. We departed the Cathedral via an arched gate to Elm Hill - a medieval cobbled street of buildings with crooked timber beams and skewed doors.

We were to meet some friends the next day, and so knew that we had to make a move southwards. After leaving Norwich, we headed east to Great Yarmouth. Lonely Planet described the place as “little more than a tatty, traditional seaside town”. As it was one way to head south (on a road we’d not travelled), we took a look. Mmmmm!!! On one hand we’d agree (at least at the beachfront), but once away from the glitter strip, the town held many similarities to the Rocks (in Sydney). Rows of terrace houses, corner pubs, etc., etc., and everywhere within sight of a wharf (or at least water). Sadly, we had no time to delve deeper, and on we travelled.

We wanted to get close-ish to London, so we kept driving south along the coastal highway (which was more like a local road) weaving through the picturesque countryside and quaint towns of the Suffolk region, till Colchester - apparently Britain’s oldest city. We got lost in the maze of narrow streets and though wanting to stay in a B&B, ended up in a motel as it was the only place we could identify. After a great meal at a country pub, we said goodnight to the day.

Day 6

We awoke to a cold and bleak looking day, and a 1½ hour drive to London. Fortunately, the driving from Colchester to London was straightforward. While our large format roadmap was great for rural roads, the sheers scale of London was beyond it. So, we opened up the netbook and Google mapped our way to our friends place in southern London (E. Dulwich). After greetings, etc., we together wandered along the High street taking in the market atmosphere - vendors had set up tent shops selling all kinds of luscious looking foods. This supplemented the shopkeepers faire, to give a wonderful market feel. Eventually, we caught a bus to Southbank (Southwark) to attend a play at the Old Vic. Judy had to pinch herself to ensure it wasn’t just a dream. A great show - Inherit the Wind - featuring Kevin Spacey in the lead role. With Judy floating on air, we set off for a meal out in a swank restaurant. On our way, we had a look inside St Pauls Cathedral. Well…. Talk about a glitzy showpiece. Again another huge cathedral, but this time, it was so full of tourists that we felt like we were in a circus. The restaurant is so popular that they take bookings in ‘time’ slots. Our friends had booked for the maximum - 2 hours; more than that, an extra table charge occurs!!! After an enjoyable meal - and night out - we hopped on a bus to sleep it off.

Day 7

The day opened to wind, rain, and icy temperatures. We’d roughly planned to have a look at a couple of icons in the CBD before departing. But, we cancelled that due to ‘weather’. Instead we headed west. But, that - as they say - is another story.



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ps




This journey is presented as a 3 part series (saga?).

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Photos

Cambridge Streetscape
One of many we passed

Cambridge
Cam River near Kings College

Cambridge Reserve
Between two roads, this 'reserve' is useable

Cambridge - Kings College
The clear separation between urban and 'rural' is evident here

Grantchester streetscape
The picturesque ambience just goes on and on

Grantchester pub
Just your average watering hole

Anglesey Abbey
Not an abbey (which means an Abbots house), but impressive nonetheless.

Anglesey Abbey
The grounds are just spectacular

Roman road
This 'road' (now a local walking track) was constructed by Romans

Wickham Fens
A natural corridor aside a Lode

Ely Cathedral (inside)
The hieght of the nave is impressive

Forest roadscape
Including the car we're driving

Norwich Castle
The size is amazing

Norwich Castle - inside
Though reconstructed, the impact is awesome

Norwich Cathedral
Norwich Cathedral fron inside the cloisters