A Rest Day in Peterborough
Today marks 6 weeks of my walk, I can’t quite believe that I’m here. Life had settled into walk, sleep, repeat, in a quiet but reassuring rhythm. It feels like only yesterday that I was starting at Land’s End, but in the same breath, it feels like I’ve been walking forever. It’s a reliable repeatability that I’m really enjoying.
I started with a very lazy morning. I laid in bed until 10am, catching up on some TV, and ordering a few bits online for me to pick up when I’m home next week. It was really nice to just take time to rest and relax.
I then went for an explore around Peterborough. I started with visiting the cathedral. It was a really impressive building. The outside was magnificent and so detailed. This was the front end of the building, so the sides are even longer!
Inside was just as beautiful and intricate.
Today they were busy installing a dinosaur exhibition into the cathedral, so I could only access part of the building. The parts that I could see were beautiful. The level of craftsmanship always amazes me.
The cathedral is also the resting place of Catherine of Aragon. Unfortunately, she was in the area that was out of bounds today, so I didn’t get to see it. I guess it means that I’ll have to come back one day!
I then headed to the museum and art gallery. The first room that I went in had an exhibition by Dr Rose Ferraby. She uses mixed medium to represent the natural world.
Two of the pieces were inspired by the Peak District. Once the White Peak and one the Dark Peak. It was really interesting to see her interpretation of a place that I know so well.
There was also a series of fire paintings based on the soil structure at Vindolanda Roman Fort on Hadrian’s Wall. I was part of a Girlguiding trip walking Hadrian’s Wall last year, so it was a nice memory of the trip and the history that I got to see.
The next gallery was dedicated to Peterborough’s graffiti and street art culture. It was really interesting to see the different photos and artworks. I found the exhibition really interesting and it made me think about graffiti in a totally different way. The description highlighted that there is always an urgency with street art, the artist must make their mark quickly. It made me realise that graffiti is a way for humans to share their thoughts and feelings with the world, just like other art or actions. Visitors were encouraged to add their own graffiti or stickers to the wall at the end of the room. It was a real mix of everybody’s marks.
After enjoying the ground floor, I went to the cafe for some lunch, before exploring the other two floors of the museum.
There was a whole room of fossils found in Peterborough. Like the Peak District, Peterborough was once under the sea, and they have found huge plesiosaur fossils that were found in the local clay quarries. They were really impressive!
The other rooms were dedicated to the people of Peterborough, right from the bronze age, through the Roman period and to the present day. Peterborough was home to one of the first prisoner of war camps, used in the Napoleonic Wars. An exhibition was dedicated to this and included a replica camp.
I then headed to Asda to stock up on supplies before heading back to my B&B. On the way back through the park, I saw this really beautiful start art. I thought the way that the artist had captured the light was really beautiful.
I then had a nap for the remainder of the afternoon, before packing my bag, ready to set off tomorrow.
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