Rolling towards Cambridge,I started wondering about people and their relationships to machines and tools after seeing the planes and history at Duxford.Of course ,I have a very good relationship with Edoardo Bianchi(Ed for short) my bike.We have done lots of things together and I literally don’t know where I would be without him.I sometimes talk to him, especially after a few days on the road but he never replies.I’ m sure he understands though.
Edoardo was certainly doing well this trip , no punctures, no mechanicals,smooth pedaling after a bit of pampering with wd 40 in the morning.Ed seemed to be enjoying the day to purring along the flat country roads.
When I got to Cambridge I remembered my oath to eat more often ,so I popped into Fitzbillies for one of their delightful Chelsea buns.I would normally find them a bit much but after a few miles cycling they really hit the spot.
Suitably refueled I went and parked Ed in one of the colleges.He looked suitably impressive with his sleek lines and touring bags amongst the rusty student bikes .My next visit was the Cambridge Archeology Museum.There was one interesting thing I had come to see-the West Toff hand axe.I wandered around and couldn’t find it.I found a huge hand axe from the Oldovai gorge and a case with piles of them in but not the one I was looking for.
In desperation I asked the lady at the gift shop checkout.
“You wouldn’t know if the West Toff hand axe is on display?” asked hopefully.
“I certainly do.” she smiled and took me to the case with lots of hand axes in a jumble.”Its the one on top.”
There it was.Dated somewhere between 150,000 and 400,000 years old it is similar to other hand axes of the time with the exception of the fact that it contains a fossil shell.
So what you may ask..Well so very much.Whoever made it to use as a skinning /butchering knife knapped it with the fossil in the middle.The making of a hand axe is not a random process,the choice of the fossil in the middle is deliberate.So they were making a bling hand axe. It is a stone tool but its also art.It is at least a thousand years older than the oldest cave paintings and figurines.This object is one of the oldest known where the maker wasn’t just making a useful tool but a personal decorative possession as well. It seems ironic that it sits in a corner of Cambridge Archaeology Museum on top of a pile of other hand axes and you wouldn’t know it was there ,unless you ask the lady at the gift shop.
The hand axe was one of those rare objects that tell a story.A chink of bright light illuminating the dark past and turning your assumptions on their heads.Whoever made this wanted a special, personal knife they could be proud of-how very human.
Outside the sun was shining and the wind was a gentle cross wind as I headed for Ely. The distance is only about 15 miles and the B roads not busy.The countryside changed from rolling to pan flat .The fens have ditches rather than hedges and the sky on a sunny day is enormous, making the landscape seem huge.The fields of vegetables go all the way to the horizon,which is broken only by an occasional church spire.I could see Ely coming from miles away as its Cathedral stands on a hill.
Having reached Ely quicker than expected I went straight to the cathedral to have a look around. Ely is a lovely old small town with lots of old quadrants and houses round the cathedral.
After a quick look in the cathedral I went upstairs to see the Stained Glass Museum.I was pleasantly surprised to find some of the stained glass was rather attractive and the setting in a balcony down one side of the cathedral was lovely.There were also some hideous gargoyles on the walls.
After the cathedral I went for a wander down by the pretty river.I had fish and chips sitting by the water and watching the boats and barges.
At dusk I headed off to find the inevitable Travelodge.
When my son was young he used to race a bicycle.He was very keen and rather good at it.My wife or myself used to take him to a race or a velodrome every other weekend.The cheapest place to stay was always the travelodge, because of that I feel completely at home there.They are cheap the rooms are identical/familiar, you can have as much tea as you want and they let you keep your bike in the room.They feel like a little bubble to me, where I don’t feel out of place because it is so familiar.After a day cycling unknown roads and new places they are a little haven of relaxed familiarity.
Food of the day- Chelsea bun.
Place name-Shepreth Frog End.
Sight of the day -West Toff handaxe .
Wandering North 