A ride on the Raleign Randonneur along the NCR1 Dover to Lincoln (Chesterfield) 12-21 May 2025. Finished at Chesterfield to get the Cross Country train back to Totnes where I live. Total distance 438 miles Time 10 days Weather Sunny high cloud fresh northerly breeze No rain.
Monday 12th May Dover to Canterbury. Arrived Paddington 8am due to 3 hr delay on Riviera Express sleeper. 2 hour stopping train to Dover Priory. Easy ride part cyclepath to coast through Deal then inland to Sandwich. Rest of the journey to Canterbury through fruit orchards on quiet country roads mainly flat. Overnight in Canterbury town centre Premier Inn. 40 miles.
Tuesday 13th May Canterbury to Dartford. Difficult following NCR1 out of Canterbury along to Crab and Winkle Way cycle route through University of Kent campus. Skirting Whitstable and along the cyclepath along the Swale Estuary towards Faversham. Faversham a nicely conserved small town very attractive. More quiet roads and orchards to Sittingbourne. Then a succession of towns, Sittingbournce, Gillingham’ Chatham, Rochester, Strood and Gravesend before Dartford. Very built up and Medway estuary and Thames estuary views. Hard work through industrial estates, retail parks and close to busy roads. Overnight Premier Inn at Dartford ready for tomorrows Dartford tunnel crossing. 65 miles.
Wednesday 14th May. Dartford to Chelmsford. Dartford tunnel to West Thurrock crossing on Highway Agency truck very straightforward. Using the Dartford crossing to get to Chelmsford avoided the NCR route through Greenwich, the Lea Valley through Hoddlesdon and Harlow to Chelmsford. Instead it went through Romford, Upminster, Brentwood to Chemsford. A lot of urban roads and traffic. A country park through Hornchurch nice but exiting it at Upminster lost bearings for Brentwood. A road through Brentwood then Broad through Ingatestone before joining NCR 1 east of Chelmsford. Not very interesting day ending in Premier Inn. 43 miles.
Thursday 15th May. Chelmsford to Colchester. Followed NCR 1 along country lanes through Essex. Maldon at the head of the Blackwater estuary, Tiptree. Straightforward navigation and rural ride through pleasant countryside. A short ride 47 miles.
Friday 16th May. Colchester to Ipswich. North of Colchester crossed the River Stour into Suffolk. Short ride 41 miles to Ipswich. Arrived in plenty of time to look around Ipswich. Disappointing, very confusing modern road network and new development. No centre impossible to follow NCR 1 signs through centre. Premier Inn on edge of town.
Saturday 17th May. Ipswich to Norwich. The longest ride of the tour 80 miles to Norwich. Decided to go around the north of Ipswich following rural roads and Suffolk countryside once edge of Ipswich left behind. Into Norfolk through quiet roads, small villages, arable fields. Mile after mile of gently rolling countryside with quiet villages. Left the NCR 1 route along the River Yare in favour of a shorter more direct route along the B1332. 80 miles. Arrived too late to see Norwich. One of the shortcomings of such a long journey.
Sunday 18th May. Norwich to Kings lynn. Left Norwich along the Marriotts Way, a 26 mile route along two disused railways. Flat gravel busy with Sunday dog walkers and joggers. Shortened the planned route after such a long day yesterday by cutting out the route to the sea at Wells next the Sea and instead going straight to Kings Lynn along the B1145. 63 miles.
Monday 19th May. Kings Lynn to Boston. Through the fens just south of the Wash. Big rivers Great Ouse, River Nene and River Welland. Completely flat. Straight roads, quiet, no traffic, veg fields. 58 miles.
Tuesday 20th May. Boston to Lincoln. Cyclepath along the River Witham along a former railway the Water Rail Way. Langrick, Tattershall Bridge, Kirkstead, Bardney all fishing spots favoured by Sheffield anglers in the 1940-50s. 37 miles. Arrived in good time to see Lincoln.
Wednesday 21st May. Lincoln to Chesterfield. Started out along former railway west across River Trent then rural lanes to Clumber Park. Countryside getting more undulating but never steep. Joined A roads through Bolsover to Chesterfield. 55 miles. Flea market in Chesterfield.
Conclusions. Not a very memorable ride. Already forgetting what places looked like. Long (530 miles); distances between hotels long (80 miles Ipswich to Norwich) as no hotels in rural farmland. Meant little time or energy to look round places in the evenings. Lovely cycling weather, no rain, bright sunshine and high cloud. Cold first thing and fresh northerly breeze. Flat easy riding. But several days main roads and built up suburbs touching one another. Good to have done it. NCR signs on the whole pretty good. A tendency to loose them at the entrances to settlements so finding the way out of Canterbury, Ipswich, Norwich not easy. Got lost sometimes every day. Cyclepaths on old railways good. Gravelled surface, road tyres good enough.
Raleigh Randonneur proved a good touring bike. 28c tyres capable of the cycletracks and good road tyres. Cross brakes on the handlebars made for comfortable upright posture. Brookes Flyer sprung saddle very comfortable. Map and compass navigation helped by Pletscher map holder on handlebars. 7kg in panniers on back rack ok but no more. Should spread onto front pannier. A good ride but would not repeat.
Monday 12th May Dover to Canterbury. Arrived Paddington 8am due to 3 hr delay on Riviera Express sleeper. 2 hour stopping train to Dover Priory. Easy ride part cyclepath to coast through Deal then inland to Sandwich. Rest of the journey to Canterbury through fruit orchards on quiet country roads mainly flat. Overnight in Canterbury town centre Premier Inn. 40 miles.
Tuesday 13th May Canterbury to Dartford. Difficult following NCR1 out of Canterbury along to Crab and Winkle Way cycle route through University of Kent campus. Skirting Whitstable and along the cyclepath along the Swale Estuary towards Faversham. Faversham a nicely conserved small town very attractive. More quiet roads and orchards to Sittingbourne. Then a succession of towns, Sittingbournce, Gillingham’ Chatham, Rochester, Strood and Gravesend before Dartford. Very built up and Medway estuary and Thames estuary views. Hard work through industrial estates, retail parks and close to busy roads. Overnight Premier Inn at Dartford ready for tomorrows Dartford tunnel crossing. 65 miles.
Wednesday 14th May. Dartford to Chelmsford. Dartford tunnel to West Thurrock crossing on Highway Agency truck very straightforward. Using the Dartford crossing to get to Chelmsford avoided the NCR route through Greenwich, the Lea Valley through Hoddlesdon and Harlow to Chelmsford. Instead it went through Romford, Upminster, Brentwood to Chemsford. A lot of urban roads and traffic. A country park through Hornchurch nice but exiting it at Upminster lost bearings for Brentwood. A road through Brentwood then Broad through Ingatestone before joining NCR 1 east of Chelmsford. Not very interesting day ending in Premier Inn. 43 miles.
Thursday 15th May. Chelmsford to Colchester. Followed NCR 1 along country lanes through Essex. Maldon at the head of the Blackwater estuary, Tiptree. Straightforward navigation and rural ride through pleasant countryside. A short ride 47 miles.
Friday 16th May. Colchester to Ipswich. North of Colchester crossed the River Stour into Suffolk. Short ride 41 miles to Ipswich. Arrived in plenty of time to look around Ipswich. Disappointing, very confusing modern road network and new development. No centre impossible to follow NCR 1 signs through centre. Premier Inn on edge of town.
Saturday 17th May. Ipswich to Norwich. The longest ride of the tour 80 miles to Norwich. Decided to go around the north of Ipswich following rural roads and Suffolk countryside once edge of Ipswich left behind. Into Norfolk through quiet roads, small villages, arable fields. Mile after mile of gently rolling countryside with quiet villages. Left the NCR 1 route along the River Yare in favour of a shorter more direct route along the B1332. 80 miles. Arrived too late to see Norwich. One of the shortcomings of such a long journey.
Sunday 18th May. Norwich to Kings lynn. Left Norwich along the Marriotts Way, a 26 mile route along two disused railways. Flat gravel busy with Sunday dog walkers and joggers. Shortened the planned route after such a long day yesterday by cutting out the route to the sea at Wells next the Sea and instead going straight to Kings Lynn along the B1145. 63 miles.
Monday 19th May. Kings Lynn to Boston. Through the fens just south of the Wash. Big rivers Great Ouse, River Nene and River Welland. Completely flat. Straight roads, quiet, no traffic, veg fields. 58 miles.
Tuesday 20th May. Boston to Lincoln. Cyclepath along the River Witham along a former railway the Water Rail Way. Langrick, Tattershall Bridge, Kirkstead, Bardney all fishing spots favoured by Sheffield anglers in the 1940-50s. 37 miles. Arrived in good time to see Lincoln.
Wednesday 21st May. Lincoln to Chesterfield. Started out along former railway west across River Trent then rural lanes to Clumber Park. Countryside getting more undulating but never steep. Joined A roads through Bolsover to Chesterfield. 55 miles. Flea market in Chesterfield.
Conclusions. Not a very memorable ride. Already forgetting what places looked like. Long (530 miles); distances between hotels long (80 miles Ipswich to Norwich) as no hotels in rural farmland. Meant little time or energy to look round places in the evenings. Lovely cycling weather, no rain, bright sunshine and high cloud. Cold first thing and fresh northerly breeze. Flat easy riding. But several days main roads and built up suburbs touching one another. Good to have done it. NCR signs on the whole pretty good. A tendency to loose them at the entrances to settlements so finding the way out of Canterbury, Ipswich, Norwich not easy. Got lost sometimes every day. Cyclepaths on old railways good. Gravelled surface, road tyres good enough.
Raleigh Randonneur proved a good touring bike. 28c tyres capable of the cycletracks and good road tyres. Cross brakes on the handlebars made for comfortable upright posture. Brookes Flyer sprung saddle very comfortable. Map and compass navigation helped by Pletscher map holder on handlebars. 7kg in panniers on back rack ok but no more. Should spread onto front pannier. A good ride but would not repeat.
