Day 6: Peterborough to Oundle 15 miles

We have the usual excellent Premier Inn breakfast then head off into town towards Peterborough cathedral. This is one of the big six cathedrals of the East along with Durham, York, Lincoln, Ely and, of course, Norwich. It also has a primary trig point, hence our visit. The trig point is actually at the top of the tower, and we can’t go in, but Rich is still keen to visit. There is also a titanosaur currently in residence until 13th September, so we definitely need to come back soon. We buy our lunch from Greggs again then head back to the river.

Peterborough is a complicated mix of apparent wealth and abject poverty. Not long ago, it was voted one of the five worst towns in England by its residents, but huge efforts have clearly been made to improve things. It is a beautiful, ancient city but, like Boston in Lincolnshire, it still has some way to go.

As we arrive at the river, a flotilla of swans come across to greet us, hoping for titbits. There are Canada geese too and a pen and her cygnets. The weather is sunny and breezy, the people are chatty and the footpath is excellent. It all feels a world away from yesterday.

As we carry on along what is still the Hereward Way and the Nene Way, the sandy path is only just above the river and the trees provide shade and dappled sunlight. Despite being so close to the city, we are back in typical English countryside and it feels comfortable and familiar. We have said goodbye to the droves, drains, dykes, ditches, rivers and sluices of Fenland. British mountains may have a muscular beauty but the Fens have a phantasmagorical quality all of their own. It feels as if nature is imperceptibly clawing back the landscape, including the footpaths. This is, of course, true. As the peat marshes continue to be drained, they are sinking and now lie nine feet below sea level in some parts. Humans claim the victory for the moment but nature will win in the end. Maybe because of long ago history lessons about Hereward the Wake, I had always wanted to cross the fens. Well, I’ve done that now and I don’t think I’ll do it again.

We continue and soon spot an odd bright, white object in the distance. This is a festival boat sculpture created by the artist Sokari Douglas Camp in 1988. Sokari Douglas Camp CBE is a celebrated London based, Nigerian born sculptor. She has won numerous prestigious awards and bursaries. I am reminded of a mural I saw in Peterborough yesterday that said ‘Art isn’t about how you feel, it’s about how you make other people feel.’ I’m not sure how I feel because of the sculpture, but it’s certainly striking.

We then have a decision to make about the route. We take some advice from a local couple and cross a bridge to head into Ferry Meadows Country Park. This is fantastically laid out with a lake, clear paths and a no humans allowed nature area. It also has a cafe. It’s a bit early for a stop but with warm fruit scones bigger than your fist served with cream and jam are irresistible. We elect to sit outside but it’s quite breezy and flecks of Rich’s clotted cream and coffee foam are soon peppering the table while my paper napkin escapes into a bush. We move on once we’ve eaten, and after crossing the Nene Valley railway, we make our way to Chesterton where we know there’s a bridge across the A1. The A1 here follows the course of the Roman road Ermine Street that ran from Londinium to Eboracum (York) via Lindum Colonia (Lincoln). We are now in Huntingdonshire having left Cambridgeshire to enter Peterborough Unitary Authority. Soon, we’ll be in Northamptonshire. Counties come thick and fast once you leave Norfolk.

Once we’ve negotiated the obligatory roadworks we follow an unclassified road for about two and a half miles into the pretty limestone-bricked village of Elton. Although, the road is long and straightish, there are contours and trees and ever-changing vistas, which all make the hot sun bearable. We stop in the shade of the churchyard to have lunch. We wake up when we hear families coming along the footpath to collect their children from school and take a luxuriant green path out of the village.

This takes us through Elton Park and down to the A605. There is a quarry with a gate operator just before the very busy road, which has an odd footpath arrangement which eventually takes us up a hill to a blueberry farm (variety: Barbara Ann). Here, the farmer has hung up dead crows, presumably to deter their brethren. Judging by the birds flying in and out of the polytunnels, this macabre technique has not worked.

We drop down into the sleepy village of Warmington and find ourselves back on the Nene Way. As it leaves the village, it follows the course of a Roman road. This passes by prehistoric and Roman settlements at Tansor, but we don’t spot them. It is, however, dead straight but somehow easier than a track in the Fens.

We leave the Roman Road to enter the village of Ashton which appears to be infested by free range peacocks. We consider stopping for an orange juice and tonic at the pub, but it’s only just over a mile to Oundle, so we press on. We cross the River Nene and the A605 again to enter the town of Oundle, our destination for tonight. As we cross the Co-op car park, there is a sign for Andresy 518km (France). It transpires that Oundle was to be twinned with Andresy, Yvelines but this was dropped by the Twinning Committee. It may not be officially twinned, but the town maintains a partnership with Andresy and also Nauort in Germany.

We arrive at the Talbot Hotel where we walk up a staircase repurposed from the nearby Fotheringhay Castle in the 1638. We are staying in the Mary Queen of Scots Room. This is the staircase she walked down to her execution and a copy of her death warrant is framed on the wall on the way up. Rest day tomorrow. Yippee!

Total distance: 90 miles