London to Cambridgeshire

The 11:53 from King's Cross Station to Cambridge was a comfortable one hour 10 minute journey. En route we passed the Emirates Stadium, home of the Arsenal Football Club. Terraced cottages formed a guard of honour as we approached & then departed Finsbury Park. The army of chimney pots were straight out of a scene from Mary Poppins.



With London retreating, rolling hills & valleys were a welcome sight. Land use appeared to be mixed farming, predominately agricultural. By 12:21 we had reached Stevenage; 12:24 Hitchin; 12:30 Latchworth; 12:33 Baldock; 12:41 Royston; arriving Cambridge at 1:03 p.m.

                                                  A £7 taxi fare to collect our vehicle, a Seat Leon, from Europcar was a smooth operation. Some pedal practise in the car park & our acquaintance made with Leonie, our navigator, before heading back towards London in search of The Gallows Guest House at Fenstanton. The guest house is a restored 300 year old dwelling, complete with beamed ceilings, wooden floors & inglenook fireplaces. As the name suggests it has a sinister past. It was the holding place for those unfortunate to have an appointment the hangman. We have a room on the first floor. It is charming.

 

It's as if we have stepped back in time to the 11th century. Fenstanton is a quaint village with a population of just 2 900 nestled in the district of Huntingdonshire. Fenstanton's favoured son, John Howland, was born in 1591. He was a passenger on the Mayflower. In 1672 he died in Plymouth, Massachusetts.

Two mile away is the equally quaint & charming village of St Ives. Perched on the banks of the River Great Ouse, St Ives is home to 16,000 residents. The St Ives Bridge, built in 1420, is unique in that a central chapel forms part of its structure. When first built the chapel had a dual purpose. It served as a toll collection point as well as a church. Nearby Huntingdon, with a population of 20 000, is a market town. It was also the birthplace of one Oliver Cromwell.

We have enjoyed a pub meal & a chat with the locals at the The George Hotel. Not far to go home, sixteen paces to the right in fact! As well as returning to Cambridge, we look forward to further exploring this area tomorrow.