Planning first trip. East Anglian Coast. Thoughts welcomed.

[Chap sur le velo]

Never ridden more than 60km but am building it up.

I want to plan a short trip to gain experience.

Will be staying in B&B or Pubs. Traveling light as possible and following the coast. Plan is to ride hard for an hour or two then mosey round a bit seeing new towns, beaches, estuaries etc.

Also want to finish with a long ride. Looking at.

Day one
Train London to Manningtree and then Harwich ferry to Felixstowe (2nd passenger ferry) , Aldborough, Southwold. 53 miles fun opening day.
(If Harwich Ferry isn't back up and running start at Ipswich).

Day two
Southwold to Sheringham (this part is all new to me) approx. 63 miles.

Day 3
Sheringham along coast to Brancaster, Kings Lynn, Spalding, Peterborough 100 miles. Train back to big smoke.


One advantage of this is with only 2 nights to book I can just wait until weather warms up and go the next week. (I'm retired). Aim to do this by May at the latest.

Can I get away with a large saddle bag? Want to travel light, so some bits of the ?

What do people do re clothing? Carry 3 days worth? Wash kit in room?

What am I missing? Of course one way to learn is just do it but I want to enjoy this and who knows; I love being by the sea and with two- three trips a year it should be possible to get all the way round this Island in a dozen very enjoyable years?

 

[lane]

Should be a good tour. I'm a bit short on specific advice but have toured most of that area at different times. Ferries are interesting additions to the trip. Plan using lanes and avoid busier roads and should be an enjoyable tour. Hopefully someone will come along with more useful info.

 

[lane]

Yes a large saddlebag would be ok for a two night tour using b & b

 

[lane]

With regard to carrying clothes you have what you need for the day and then the evening. I use bib shorts and for a three day tour would take two and wash one overnight. I take some long trousers that I can wear in the evening and on the bike. I also wear the base layer I use on the bike in the evening and take a very lightweight fleece for the evening also. At one time I had some incredibly light weight trainers for the evening but not sure what happened to them and not managed to find any evening footwear I am really happy with weight wise since - have sometimes used my SPD shoes in the evening to save weight and other times taken some trainers.

 

[MichaelW2]

Day one can be mostly cycled inland or mix it up with the Four Ferries Route
https://www.thesuffolkcoast.co.uk/four-foot-ferries-of-the-suffolk-coast
You can also check out the UFO trail in Rendlesham Forest.
The seal season is over by May.

The N Norfolk coast road rarely goes in sight of the coast and can be very busy. You may be better off following parallel small lanes inland. You can also climb the coastal mountain range for better views.
Regarding milleage, be prepared to recalibrate your plans, navigation around small lanes can add distance.

A saddlebag + barbag are fine. You need clean shorts every day. May weather is too variable to comment.

 

[lane]

It so happens I have done the majority of my touring in May in the UK and other northern European countries; the weather can be variable but in 20 years has never been a problem. If you can book at short notice you have an advantage.

 

[mjr]

Day 3
Sheringham along coast to Brancaster, Kings Lynn, Spalding, Peterborough 100 miles. Train back to big smoke.

As others have suggested, use NCN30 and NCN1 with its occasional sea views instead of the busy, narrowish hedge-lined A149. Avoid the gravel track south of Wells and the biggest disadvantage is that it misses Hunstanton resort and has a stinking hill at Sedgeford.

I would also keep an eye on the weather, as the last part of that is across exposed fens, with little shelter (from rain, sun and especially wind) and no downhills to freewheel over.

I'm unsure why you're returning from Peterborough not Lynn. Lynn to Peterborough is not along the coast unless you're adding distance that I don't think you are. If not coastal and you have no compelling reason to visit Spalding, then Lynn to Wisbech to French Drove to Eye to Peterborough should be slightly shorter. Or Spalding does have trains but it is an extra change.

Can I get away with a large saddle bag? Want to travel light, so some bits of the ?

What do people do re clothing? Carry 3 days worth? Wash kit in room?

I carried 3 days worth in a large 12 litre transverse saddlebag on my 2020 tour. Longer tours, I wash kit in a sink on arriving, then press it in a towel swiss roll, then hang it on a travel washing line. Not really needed for 3 days IMO.

What am I missing? Of course one way to learn is just do it but I want to enjoy this and who knows; I love being by the sea and with two- three trips a year it should be possible to get all the way round this Island in a dozen very enjoyable years?

I think you will be missing time to stop and look at things with 100 mile days, such as the wolf outside St Edmunds in Hunstanton, or the Seahenges just off the route: one in the beach at Holme and the other in Lynn museum, or the tulip fields that move around every year. I think touring is about stopping as much as riding, but that's not everyone's aim for touring, I know.

 

[Gunk]

The 100 mile day three looks like a bit of a marathon, personally I’d try not to ride much more than 50-60 miles in a day, it should be a holiday, if you are under pressure to to a huge mileage then there is no time for any spontaneous stops.

 

[alpine fenlander]

I'm unsure why you're returning from Peterborough not Lynn. Lynn to Peterborough is not along the coast unless you're adding distance that I don't think you are. If not coastal and you have no compelling reason to visit Spalding, then Lynn to Wisbech to French Drove to Eye to Peterborough should be slightly shorter. Or Spalding does have trains but it is an extra change.

Yes Kings Lynn to Peterborough isn't the most inspiring finish to a tour and most likely a long slog into a headwind...

I'd finish the tour at Kings Lynn or if you still have the legs carry on down NCN11 which more or less follows the London train line so you have bail-out options every 10-15 miles and you'd still get your fill of long straight roads.

Alternatively stay a bit further east (Hunstanton, Docking, Swaffham, Brandon) which has some really lovely quiet roads with rolling hills, trees and beer gardens, the only downside would be the lack of train stations so you'd have to make it to Brandon or maybe Downham Market.

 

[mjr]

Yes Kings Lynn to Peterborough isn't the most inspiring finish to a tour and most likely a long slog into a headwind...

Oh don't get me wrong: I think the old sea wall through Throckenholt and the miles of straight French Drove have their own beauty, more so than the Spalding routes, but they are not coastal (which would be Guy's Head to Gedney Drove End to Fosdyke to Boston) and could be hell with a strong SW wind on the end of a long day.

Swaffham to Brandon and the Breckland landscape is different and lovely but also not coastal.

 

[Chap sur le velo]

Fabulous replies, thank you all.

Reading this and the general thread on touring has made me realise I need to focus on enjoying 3 days touring and the desire to do a 100 mile day is another thing to aim for. So Kings Lynn will be the finale and then train home. Good to know I can do it travelling light.​

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I know the north Norfolk Roads and whilst the views can be distant, a side trip to the marshes or the beach at Royal West Norfolk GC is definitely on. However thanks for the tips and I will look closely at the choices and make sure I experience quiet roads.​

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BUT....​

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You've got me thinking about whether a tour of the whole Coast is what I want. I once drove from Hunstanton to Skegness and it was frankly boring with not a view of the sea at all. Repeating that on a bike appeals not at all. I'll give this some thought and maybe start a new thread about where the great seaside riding is to be found? E.g. I've driven Larne to Portrush many times and really want to cycle it. Where else?​

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This will be on a road bike with 25mm tyres. Plan to stick to roads. If you really want to experience seaside touring is a gravel bike/ATB a better bet?​

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Much to learn.​

 

[HobbesOnTour]

This is the perfect time to be looking ahead and making some plans!
I can't comment on the route other than to check, double check and triple check the ferries but I'll throw in my few cents worth anyways.

First of all, don't be worrying about the distances. I'd imagine your 60km max so far is pretty much one ride? On a tour you have all day to get there.
I'm not a fan of training, I prefer practising so I'd suggest you look to get out on the bike every day - even if only for a few km. It will all help.

In that vein, practise everything that you can, whether that's your navigation, your accommodation booking, weather forecaster, basic repairs and things like washing and drying your clothes overnight. More familiarity means less stress.

As for what storage you need, that depends on what you bring. What you bring depends on the level of comfort you want. Helpful, eh?
Put together everything you think you'll need right now and see how it fits.

Again, a bit of practise goes a long way. And it's very personal. When the weather starts to pick up there's no harm in taking a few days and riding your target distances (from home, to home) with whatever you want to carry. A relatively simple and safe way to make sure you have what you need and the logistics involved in laundry on the road.

Don't forget, other than clothing you'll probably want to pack a spare tube/puncture kit etc.

Whatever you do, resist the urge to wear a backpack!

Always a good idea to seek inspiration and information. CrazyGuyOnABike is a great resource for journals with an excellent search tool for digging out both.

Just some general advice;
Pack a camera (a phone works too) and use it.
If you use Strava or RWGPS you can record a day's ride with photos and comments. It's actually a really good way to record, later to remember and to act as inspiration on long winter nights.
Give yourself plenty of time. Excess energy can be used up at, or near, the end of the day more pleasurably than cycling in the dark.
Things will go differently to what you planned. Have the headspace free to deal with it.

As to changing the bike, the one advantage I can see is that a road bike is limited in terms of where it can go. That requires more planning and means less spontaneity.
For now, I'd suggest getting some mini tours under your belt and then re-evaluating everything.
I know from my own experience that my idea of "touring" is very different to my pre-touring days.
Given your idea to cover the whole coastline over a decade (what a brilliant idea!!) maybe a Brompton is the way to go! Much easier to take on public transport! And abroad!

The best of luck in your new adventures!

 

[mjr]

BUT....​

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You've got me thinking about whether a tour of the whole Coast is what I want. I once drove from Hunstanton to Skegness and it was frankly boring with not a view of the sea at all. Repeating that on a bike appeals not at all. I'll give this some thought and maybe start a new thread about where the great seaside riding is to be found?
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Ah but seaside riding is not the only coastal riding. You'll also have clifftop riding in parts of the southwest and estuary landscapes near Bristol as well as around the Wash... and while Lynn to Boston doesn't have that many sea views due to the sea walls (sometimes two Roman, a medieval and a modern or two!), it is at least slightly more interesting with lighthouses, churches and bombing ranges dotted along the small old roads you could cycle, whereas the current driving is two dull mostly-straight former railways with the uninspiring Washway Road between them.

But if you're really after seaside riding or plentiful sea views, pick and choose the bits of coast that suit. It should be fun, after all.

 

[Blue Hills]

Yes Kings Lynn to Peterborough isn't the most inspiring finish to a tour and most likely a long slog into a headwind...

plus 1 to this - I've ridden loaded from just south of Kings Lynn to Peterborough for a fixed time train.
One of the most joyless day's cycling I have ever had.
Next time I will definitely take the train from Kings Lynn to London - they go into Kings Cross I think.

 

[mjr]

plus 1 to this - I've ridden loaded from just south of Kings Lynn to Peterborough for a fixed time train.
One of the most joyless day's cycling I have ever had.
Next time I will definitely take the train from Kings Lynn to London - they go into Kings Cross I think.

You probably took a dud route, but it is a difficult one to time because the wind can change a cyclist's speed by 50% or more either way.

This is actually one link where most of the Sustrans route's deviations make sense. If you shortcut Marshland St James to Elm (ignoring the tortuous detour into Wisbech) and use tarmac instead of the packed gravel entry and exit of March, NCN1+63 is a pretty good route, only a mile or two longer than the shorter sea wall route, changing direction fairly often to make it less horrible with a headwind, with a milestone at the meridian and some nice riverside riding into Peterborough.