Riding The Rebellion Way
This is the latest route put together by Cycling UK and as I have recently heard several ALC members discuss it I decided to check it out!
The route is 232 miles / 373 km and although it is quite flat there are plenty of rolling hills in Norfolk! Although it starts in Norwich and is a circular route around Norfolk, I decided to start in Thetford by getting off my Warrington train one stop early! That meant avoiding a strong headwind out of Norwich as I had decided to go anti-clockwise.
The name of the route is due to it roughly following two rebellions, Queen Boudicca against the Romans, and Robert Kett, a landowner who took 10,000 men to storm Norwich city in protest against the enclosures act in July 1549. This latter case was surprising as Kett would have personally gained from the Act, an honourable man indeed!
Cycling UK have done a fantastic job of putting the route together and they have provided loads of resources here, including maps and GPX files:
https://www.cyclinguk.org/rebellion-way
There are further excellent resources available by viewing YouTube videos by people who have already taken the ride.
In my own case I never fail to have a wonderful time when I am out on a cycle tour and this was no exception. Being outdoors, on a bicycle, carrying everything you need to live is a great privilege indeed. I was out for four nights, two wild camps, a pub and finally an apartment in Norwich. The first wild camp was close to an historical site, an ancient priory, following a tip from a conversation with some lovely local people, you can’t beat local knowledge! The second wild camp was actually a “champ”, in other words I “camped” by setting up my air mat and quilt inside a disused church. I had been very surprised to find the door unlocked but in Norfolk, in the summer months, there are many such churches left open for travellers to shelter in. This is an initiative started by the late Lady Harrod who formed The Norfolk Churches Trust to assist churches in the county in any way that they can, including repair grants. Coincidentally, Norfolk has the greatest density of churches in the world, there are 659 of them.
Back to the cycle route! I found it a challenging mixture of terrain, with mostly tarmac but also gravel, earth (thankfully dry) and sand underneath my tyres. Once the sand was any depth it became impossible to ride on my 700 x 35 tyres but I didn’t mind walking for a while. Additional hazards were dense undergrowth and a stile across the route. I didn’t do all the route and had modified it, but I didn’t see anyone else riding it, hence the undergrowth and other hazards. I really do recommend it though, there is beautiful countryside, the seaside and ancient history everywhere. As usual, for me, conversations with strangers were the best part, for example:
The old beekeeper telling me about changing queens in aggressive hives.
The bodybuilder who is a teacher, with whom I agreed that screen time for kids is a disaster for society.
The guy walking his dog, whom I inspired to get back on his bike after many years. He had an accident on his bike which necessitated a hip replacement. I also told him about the ALC!
The old guy in his garden whom I asked for water. He gave me an extra bottle and I also helped him move his large potted plant, lovely that we could both help each other!
And so it goes on, so I can’t wait for my next tour!