Name: Curious About Ely
Rating: 5.0

Curious About Ely

Sacrists Gate, High Street, Ely, Cambridgeshire, CB7 4LQ, England

1-90 Years

Paid

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Description

Curious About Ely offers self-guided walking tours that help you explore Ely’s history, architecture, and hidden details in a fun and relaxed way. The experience combines sightseeing with an optional treasure hunt, making it ideal for families, friends, and visitors of all ages. It’s a flexible outdoor activity that lets you discover Ely at your own pace.

The activity includes two self-guided heritage walks around Ely city centre, designed to follow on from each other. Walk 1 – Cathedral to College (1.5 miles / 2.4 km) explores Ely Cathedral grounds, historic streets, Oliver Cromwell’s former home, and ends near a former theological college. Walk 2 – College to Lavender Green (1 mile / 1.6 km) takes in Cherry Hill views of the cathedral, Jubilee Gardens, the River Great Ouse, the marina, and finishes at Lavender Green, with 21 clues on Walk 1 and 14 clues on Walk 2, detailed maps, directions, and historical stories throughout.

The Curious About Ely booklet costs £7.49, which includes both walks, detailed maps, directions, historical stories, and the optional treasure hunt.

Curious About Ely offers an enjoyable and educational way to explore the city. The mix of gentle walking, clue-solving, and local history keeps everyone engaged without feeling rushed. It’s an ideal low-cost activity for families, visitors, and anyone wanting to discover Ely in a more interactive and memorable way.

Features

Paid
Host birthday parties: No

Features

An exploration of Ely's city centre with two self-guided heritage walks with an optional treasure hunt. Completing the treasure hunt keeps everyone actively engaged, and urges you to look up, down and every which-way - so you won't miss out on any of the city's treasures.
Most clues are chosen for their historical value, so you'll learn about the diverse culture, significant people and extraordinary events which have influenced Ely in becoming what it is today.
This is an outdoor, unsupervised activity - so you can go at a pace which suits you, whilst keeping you healthy! A Curious About walk is a fun and social activity for all the family and friends.
Different people can take on different roles - follow the map, identify picture clues, read directions, etc - it's ideal for children from the age of 6, and if you can walk/wheelchair it, you're young enough!
The two walks have been designed so that the second one follows on from where the first one ends. Do both, or have a breather and do the second one another day! They both start and finish in the heart of the city - so buses, trains and car parks are easily available to get you there and back.

What to see

Cathedral to College - 1.5 miles / 2.4 kms: From the grounds of the stunning cathedral, this walk provides a flavour of the delightful city centre, before branching out to the picturesque house where Oliver Cromwell once lived. Returning to the cathedral, you’ll explore some of Ely’s older streets, before ending at a former theological college, bounded by charming cottages and a delightful Green, shaded in the summer by graceful trees.
College to Lavender Green - 1 mile / 1.6 kms: From a former theological college, walk down Cherry Hill, with its delightful views of Ely Cathedral. Cross Jubilee Gardens - gorgeous flowers, and areas for play. Now take a walk alongside the charming River Great Ouse where all manner of boats skip by, or make their way into the bustling marina. Sample some interesting streets, then end your walk back at the river and the tranquility of Lavender Green.