St Ives was formerly known as Slepe until the body of one St Ivo was found in a field nearby in around 1,000 AD. Saint Ivo was, apparently, a 7th Century Persian bishop who died of damp whilst living as a hermit in the fenlands of Huntingdonshire. 300 years later, a stone coffin was ploughed up in a local field but it was only when an angel came to a peasant in a dream that the body was identified as St Ivo. When the body was duly re-buried at nearby Ramsey Abbey, a holy well sprung up, bringing much wealth to the abbey and a few miracles.
The 45 mile route from St Ives to the next control point at Great Easton will pass through the university town of Cambridge.
There are at least 30 bridges over the River Cam, including the intriguing “Mathematical Bridge” outside Queen’s. Originally built in 1749, the bridge has had to be re-built several times as it was once believed that the bridge was designed and built by none other than Sir Isaac Newton - without the use of nuts or bolts. At various times, either students or fellows of the University have - according to Wikipedia (so it must be true) - attempted to take the bridge apart and put it back together but, unable to work out how to hold the structure together, had to re-build it with nuts and bolts.
As it turns out, nuts and bolts were always integral to the original design and Sir Isaac can’t have built it as, although he was very clever, by 1749 he had been dead for more than 20 years.
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