The burst of posts recently may lead you to believe there’s no such thing as a dry day in the retiredmartin house, but don’t be fooled. Three dry days a week minimum, and no drinking bottles at home stronger than Tactical Nuclear Penguin.
So here’s a walk in the Sunday sun through the dullest part of the Fens. It even starts at a pub I didn’t go in (yet).
Here’s the exciting route map.
And from the Navigator,with lots of lovely pink marker.
Who could resist a walk that goes though Pymoor, Dunkirk and California in two hours ?
January is a big time in the Fens calendar, with the burning of straw bears at Whittlesey and the erection of signs warning of the flooding of the A1101 at Welney. I believe twitchers find this time of year particularly exciting along the Washes.
Few people walk the villages north of Ely, or even drive them. I am their tourist.
I only did this self-made circular walk from Little Downham as I’ve done all the other villages and had a vague recollection that Pymoor had an Elgood pub.
It has nothing. This is the genuine What Pub extract for the area between Ely and the Wash;
But it has those big open skies eulogised by David Bellamy.
If it’s so beautiful, why is everyone else at B & Q ?
Halfway to Pymoor I stumble over the highlight of the walk, as I find my namesake (probably cousin, we’re all related in the Fens) is actually making Corkers crisps on my doorstep. I guess that explains my lack of sponsorship from Piper’s.
Incidentally, you can smell those potatoes (I presume) for the entire walk, one of few actual features of note. Black earth dominates the area.
Apparently some of “Atonement” was filmed here, goodness knows why. There are no plaques to mark the visit of Keira Knightley.
A man on a bike says “Hello“. I think of asking about pubs, but assume that either;
- He’ll eat me
- He’ll bore me to death
- He’ll invite me back for scrumpy
and I walk briskly on to Dunkirk, which is presumably the “Atonement” connection*.
Just for Duncan, here’s the football ground. Duncan has probably been and served himself a pint of Tiny Rebel from the club bar.
The only enterprise in Pymoor is in the black economy.
I tick off the only other object of note.
And that’s it, apart from some nicely coloured farm vehicles.
As I said, it’s not a place you dawdle in. And NEVER LOOK BACK.
Finally I arrive in California.
I’ve walked 2 hours, and seen nothing but bungalows, a crisp factory, fields, two cars and three trains in the distance.
And there’s not even a pub for you at the end.
*I really don’t care.
retiredmartin 
Any connection with egregious blogtroll “py”, do we think?
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You mean “always entertaining, occasionally mischievous” commentator py ? It is indeed possible, unless there’s a place called pyjamas in Cambs.
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Thanks Martin. Sadly Mudgie has banned me from his website for occasionally disagreeing with him.
Love pymoor. Played cricket there once. Pitch like a ploughed field. Went for a pint in downham as there are no pubs in pymoor.
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I guess the last pub in Pymoor closed decades ago, as there’s no tell-tale signs. Long walk for a pint.
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“no drinking bottles at home stronger than Tactical Nuclear Penguin”
Are you trying to get your house in GBG 2020?
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If you stand for NED I trust you’ll stop any pub selling bottled beers getting in the Guide, won’t you Scott ?
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Even if I was daft enough to want to spend my time on interminable CAMRA meetings, they’d never be daft enough to let me get somewhere I could visibly decry any idea they decide to try and impose as soon as it gets proposed.
My manifesto, though, would include the banning of pre-mixed soft drinks dispense. Those are covered by CAMRA’s remit these days aren’t they?
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In seriousness, you’ve given me more laughs than I can cope with today on Discourse.
I couldn’t care less about CAMRA & revitalisation, but there are some smashing folk who help promote pubs via the Beer Guide and What Pub (I hope this blog does a bit to promote pubs too). But this whole debate is going nowhere, is it ?
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The soul has been going since the deals with Cask Marque and Spoons came, along with the obsession with membership numbers, preferably ones who do nothing except spend their vouchers.
There should be some sort of overall beer organisation, it just shouldn’t be CAMRA. That should evolve into a heritage/pub preservation entity.
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“three trains in the distance”
Everybody loves the sound of a train in the distance
Everybody thinks it’s true
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Two disappointed believers,
Two people playing the game..
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Negotiations and love songs
Are often mistaken for one and the same…
Inappropriate man contact excepted, obviously
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“Who could resist a walk that goes though Pymoor, Dunkirk and California in two hours ?”
I would’ve bet good money that anyone not named Jesus couldn’t walk from Dunkirk to California. 😁
Crap. The wife found me. Have to stop posting for now. 😮
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….and just when you thought you were safe from Dryanuary….
A downbeat, desolate day then, but on a positive note – beautiful scenery and big skies and proof that you don’t necessarily need to go in a pub to do a good post…
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Lovely day, and I didn’t expect a pub, but had to check !
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Spuds £2.50 a sack, that’s cheap, bring us a sack next time you’re passing. £4.50 at our local farm. Must be the Sam Smith’s of tater farmers you’ve got down there.
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My Dad used to supply taters locally and he says Pymoor is cheapest in country.
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Got to be at those prices
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Really enjoyed the joyful article, just a shame you didn’t visit all of Pymoor which leads you to Toll Corner – original Toll House dated 1866
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Thanks for commenting, Clair. I’ll have to go back and visit Toll Corner now ! (I lived in Waterbeach for years till moving to Sheffield but return home weekly).
That’s a rather mischievous piece; I’m not really that joyless. People who read the blog, essentially my diary, love the wide open skies.
See also;
https://retiredmartin.com/2020/07/07/all-roads-led-to-coveney/
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Pymoor has a Beautiful Methodist Chapel in Main Street how did you miss seeing that building when in Main Street? It’s quite big.
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Cheers. Here’s the Google Map link https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.4525148,0.2026953,3a,69.1y,244.7h,84.54t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sgqBhSvYaOzMdF8frzP9Hyg!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fpanoid%3DgqBhSvYaOzMdF8frzP9Hyg%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D76.25291%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656
so folk can judge whether it’s beautiful and big.
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