Cambridge to Kings Lynn on NCR 11--anyone done it

[JackE]

Been thinking about doing this for a while. Just wondering about the signage getting out of Cambridge (from station). Is the remainder of the route well signposted? What's the surface like?
Any other tips/advice is much appreciated.

 

[HLaB]

Never done it, despite it being close to me. I did a bit of the adjacent NCN (Kings Lynn to March), it went over a broken up Fen road, not the best of surfaces and that my experience of Sustrans in general their routes tend to have one or more really poor sections. A tip, which I missed at that short bit , is to hover the google street view man over that area and if its not blue its probably poor. You can get some exceptions though the street car wont have been down the path into King Lynn and thats quite good surface, albeit not very direct.

 

[Crankarm]

I would ride out of Cambridge on the Milton Rd as lots of cycle lanes and shared use pavements then head for Ely along the river all the way and beyond to KL. I'd like to do this ride one day if it is off road all the way. I wouldn't use the roads around there as many car drivers go flat out making it very dangerous especially with the large wagons passing inches from you and cars over taking head on to you forcing you off the road.

 

[Glow worm]

I ride to Lynn all the time, so hope the route below is of interest. I prefer quieter routes so my route is so after Cambridge. No issues with surfaces though parts of the Lodes way get a bit muddy in winter (should be fine now). NCR 11 only goes about 5 miles out of Cambridge before ending at Waterbeach, so I'd avoid that.It does magically re-appear on the other side of the river near Lode though!

If you're not familiar with Cambridge, probably best to stick to the main roads from the station. Cycling in Cambridge isn't generally too hairy. So straight on over the roundabout from the station exit, first right onto Tennison Road, then right at the first lights onto Devonshire Road. Then Right onto Mill Road over the rail bridge all the way to the end where it's left onto Brooks Road. Pass Sainsburies straight over roundabout (2nd exit - and it's a nasty roundabout too) then all the way up to Newmarket Road (wide cycle path available) and right onto that (3rd exit at RAB where MacDonalds is). It's a 15 minute ride to here (for me anyway!) There are quieter ways but perhaps a little tricky if youre not familiar with the place.

Now you can relax on Sustrans Route 51 along Newmarket Road - mostly on cycle paths. Pass the airport, go under the A14 at Quy and follow signs to Bottisham. There, you can just follow the blue signs to Wicken and Ely via Lode. (but Instead of doing that which is a long detour, I'd recommend going through the Swaffhams instead. At Swaffham Prior follow the blue sign to 'Lodes Way' to join the NCR 11 route (it's a left just past the Red Lion pub).

It's all clearly signposted from there to Ely. (You do have to lug your bike over a small bridge at Burwell Lode so beware of that). At Ely, don't follow the Sustrans route unless you want to add about 15 miles to your trip. Instead, where the riverside path from Wicken spits you out onto the A142, go straight over it and head north on the minor road to the A10 roundabout near Littleport. Its about 5 miles.

You then just turn left onto the A10 for 100 yards, over the river and take the first right onto a very quiet minor road that takes you all the way to Denver in Norfolk. At Ten Mile Bank, 4 miles before Denver, you rejoin Sustrans route 11 and just follow it through Downham Market, all the way to King's Lynn through Wimbotsham and Watlington.

It's a very pleasant ride, can be a beast with headwinds though. Takes me about 6 hours to get to Lynn from here (Swaffhams) on a fully loaded bike and I'm pretty slow too.

 

[Bodhbh]

I done bits of it, but don't recall much except if you like your ale, you pass right by Beers of Europe which is well worth popping in to have nose.

 

[JackE]

Thanks very much for all your replies.
Glow worm, thanks for your very detailed reply. I will try out your route as I'm struggling to get enough detail from the Sustrans website map. I spoke to the very helpful Sustrans Ranger for Route 11 yesterday and he said that they are improving the signage over the Summer. The reason that the route is incomplete is due to a farmer refusing permission for a half mile section across his land (near Waterbeach I think).
Thanks again guys.

 

[Wobbly John]

I've riden all of NCN 11 from Cambridge to Kings Lynn. There is quite a bit of untarmaced surface between Cambridge and Ely. It is all on road from Ely to the outskirts of Kings Lynn.
The awkward 'carry over' bridge just before Wicken will hopefully be addressed when money is available - they have got as far as building the earth up for one of the ramps so far.
As gloworm say's getting out of Cambridge from the station is the most difficult, directions wise. The rest is pretty well signed.

 

[Reynard]

Resurrecting a bit of an old thread here, but having really enjoyed cycling in and around Cambridge the other week, I really kind of fancy getting me and bike to Cambridge North station and then riding back home via Ely from there.

Just want to know which way would be the best / nicest way to do this - bearing this is 4 years down the line from the original posts. Have the paths & signage improved / been completed etc?

Plus, any good cafe stops on the route?

My plan is to recce the ride on my ownsome, and then hopefully do it again later in the summer with a couple of friends who are occasional cyclists and make a day out of it. I ride a roadie, and my friends ride a MTB and a Dutchie respectively.

P.S. I was googling the route and this CC post was one of the first links that popped up

 

[Glow worm]

@Reynard Reg's suggestion above is good and probably quicker that the way I'd go.
I'm also more familiar with the east side of the river. A route I'd suggest which has a lot of quiet and off road bits is to ride from the station to the nearby 'Green Dragon' bridge, go over that, turn immediately left and ride the riverside path to Fen Ditton. It's a lovely section.

Ride up the 'hill' on the cycle path (don't take the sign to Bottisham where the path splits) and then turn right onto the High Street Fen Ditton. carry on over the crossroads onto High Ditch Lane and ride that all the way to Newmarket Road, join sustrans Route 51 cycle path there to Quy. Turn left at church onto B1102 and ride through the village (nice pub- The Swan) onto the new cycle track to Lode. Pic Here..

At Lode turn left at the crossroads and ride the lane for a mile or so and then turn right onto a v quiet lane/ track (blue cycle sign to Wicken here I think). Then pretty much just follow the signs to Wicken and then Ely - all pretty straightforward on car free tracks and small lanes. You do have to lift your bike over a small bridge just before Wicken (at Burwell Lode and the path surface is poor just after Barway for about a mile). Nice little café at Wicken Fen.
(One v minor tip- as you get to the end of the lane out of the Wicken Fen reserve and reach the A1123, don't turn right there as the cycle signs suggest- turn left and ride the A1123 for a few hundred yards then take the first right to get you back on the cycle route- it cuts out an annoying detour). The A1123 is fine.
The riverside cycle path into Ely is open despite the new bypass being built over it (bridge). The approach to Ely is wonderful as the views of the cathedral are terrific as you get nearer.

 

[mjr]

Just want to know which way would be the best / nicest way to do this - bearing this is 4 years down the line from the original posts. Have the paths & signage improved / been completed etc?

Not really, no. The bit around the Ely bypass works has been left to rot in particular. What was built as IIRC 3m in 2005 similar to the final approach into King's Lynn is now barely 1m wide in places, thanks to vegetation and overrunning maintenance vehicles. There are also two gravel sections, through Wicken Fen and near Barway. The Cock-up Bridge is still a dismount and carry the bike up/down steps or push rather steep wheeling ramps - you can avoid both that and Wicken Fen by going through Upware, but then you have to turn right and ride along a rural A road for a bit before turning off left.

Plus, any good cafe stops on the route?

• Anglesey Abbey and Wicken Fen NT cafes.
• Many in Ely - very good coffee on the market many days but I forget the name.
• The WWT at Welney (I think you can enter the cafe without buying full admission) if you follow the actual route 11 instead of taking my usual shortcut along the old A10 through Littleport, past the station and straight over the A10 along Ten Mile Bank.
• The next stretch has plenty of good pubs (the one in the old Denver Mill is reportedly very good but one I still want to try) but cafes include:
• Denver Golf Club (check opening times),
• Clock Cafe in Downham Market (edit to add: actually I think you'd have to do a lap of the somewhat bizarre Route 11 one-way loop when heading north - keep heading up the hill when you see the French road sign for Civray - and I often just ignore Route 11's town centre/schools wiggle and ride London Road to Lynn Road past the church. Route 11 rejoins Lynn Road somewhere) and
• Landymore's at Stowbridge (not Sun/Mon/Tue IIRC - Bearts is not far off the route to the left and open Mon/Tue).
• Then in Lynn, the Walks cafe is on the route (good coffee but packet cakes although it has ice creams too) or Norbury's on Tower Street and the Filling Station on Norfolk Street have maybe the best cakes but no cycle parking very near.

My plan is to recce the ride on my ownsome, and then hopefully do it again later in the summer with a couple of friends who are occasional cyclists and make a day out of it. I ride a roadie, and my friends ride a MTB and a Dutchie respectively.

It's all easily doable on a roadie but I think the Dutchie is much better suited.

 

[mjr]

(One v minor tip- as you get to the end of the lane out of the Wicken Fen reserve and reach the A1123, don't turn right there as the cycle signs suggest- turn left and ride the A1123 for a few hundred yards then take the first right to get you back on the cycle route- it cuts out an annoying detour). The A1123 is fine.

Also, it's the same A1123 you have to ride if you turn right. I don't understand that right turn either. It's pretty restricted visibility pulling out from Wicken Fen and adds extra distance. I guess someone wanted it to go past that little sports field at the back of Wicken.

 

[mjr]

I'd go out from the station along Cowley Road up to the cycle path and turn to Milton over the bridge. Through Milton Country Park and down Fen Road onto the Cam. Follow the Cam path north until Waterbeach. From Waterbeach, head over the A10 to Landbeach, then through towards Cottenham. You then have a choice - turn right onto Long Drove (before getting into Cottenham), which is a long, quiet and boring fen road or head into Cottenham, turn right onto the High Street and then onto Twenty Pence Road. When you get to Wilburton, there's the option of a break at the Twenty Pence Garden Centre. Through Wilburton and down Station Road. At the end of Station Road you can go right along Pools Road to Witchford and then into Ely.

It's not the most direct route but it has some interesting bits.

It's more direct than National 11 but Twenty Pence Road is pretty poor - no concessions to cycling in any way and some pretty awful driving for such a straight road. Long Drove was IMO unrideable on a road bike at its north end the last time I tried, which was maybe a year or more ago.

Really, what this is crying out for is them actually to connect Waterbeach to Upware or Little Thetford in a nicer way than the A10, but that's been the case for decades.

 

[Glow worm]

Not really, no. The bit around the Ely bypass works has been left to rot in particular. What was built as IIRC 3m in 2005 similar to the final approach into King's Lynn is now barely 1m wide in places, thanks to vegetation and overrunning maintenance vehicles. There are also two gravel sections, through Wicken Fen and near Barway. The Cock-up Bridge is still a dismount and carry the bike up/down steps or push rather steep wheeling ramps - you can avoid both that and Wicken Fen by going through Upware, but then you have to turn right and ride along a rural A road for a bit before turning off left.

You forgot to mention all the cow $hit!
The Upware suggestion is good and you can avoid the A1123 altogether by going straight over it at the junction with the Upware road and then almost immediately turning right onto a short bridleway which spits you out onto NCN11 not far short of Padney. It's pretty lumpy and gets very mucky in winter- not one for a road bike but on my hybrid, it's fine.

 

[mjr]

then almost immediately turning right onto a short bridleway which spits you out onto NCN11 not far short of Padney. It's pretty lumpy and gets very mucky in winter- not one for a road bike but on my hybrid, it's fine.

I've failed to find that one on the past. The sign may have been lost in undergrowth. I used the longer restricted bridleway but I wouldn't recommend it.

 

[mjr]

I done bits of it, but don't recall much except if you like your ale, you pass right by Beers of Europe which is well worth popping in to have nose.

You don't and never have. It's a worthwhile detour from route 11 IMO: turn right in front of the Angel Watlington and follow the road past the church, through the woods and turn left onto the cycleway which then crosses the A10 and runs bidirectional. Beware the side road crossings, the last of which is blind and a rat run, then turn left into Garage Lane for Beers of Europe. To return, retrace your route but take the right turn signposted church immediately after the river bridge, follow the road alongside the river, around farms, across the level crossing, then right in front of the big conifers onto route 11. Take sturdy panniers!