CHAPTER XIV 

 A DAY ON THE OLD WEST RIVER 



The city of Ely and its surroundings Earith Bridge and the Old 

 Bedford River The Old West River Paternostering for pike 

 Hooking and playing the fish Things of interest that I saw. 



TO travel from Liverpool Street to Ely on the Great 

 Eastern Railway is not a very serious item of ex- 

 pense, especially to those anglers who happen to hold the 

 privilege tickets of the Anglers' Association. By pre- 

 senting that ticket they can travel the double journey for 

 the single fare. This wide district of the Cambridge fens 

 and the Great Ouse has been the bottom fisher's and spin- 

 ner's paradise almost time out of mind. More years 

 have ticked off Time's dial since I first heard about it 

 than I care to count up. The old-time character of the 

 place, as far as sport is concerned, is not maintained, 

 although, as things go nowadays, I have had no cause for 

 complaint during the many seasons I have been there and 

 cast my bait upon the waters. 



The city of Ely, the immediate district round which 

 Kingsley wove his romance of Hereward the Wake, is a 

 very convenient station to make your head-quarters, or 

 centre, shall I say. About seventy miles from town, the 

 railway goes from Ely to nearly any water-side station 

 you may select, and in nearly every direction. The fine 

 old cathedral there is a very conspicuous object as it stands 

 boldly forward on a bit of considerably rising ground. 

 You get a fine view of it from the station. The country 



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