Spent a couple of days camping near Swaffham, took the trike as the roads in Suffolk/ Norfolk are generally quite in the lanes.
Also there's loads of off-road trucks to ride on, especially in the Thetford forest area with the Forestry commission fire road, and farm tracks, so yesterday's mission reach Swaffham with as little tarmac as possible, only I am on the Azub recumbent trike!
Turned out of camp, then I was shortly on a farm track ,bumpy dirt track very stony ,with deep sand in places, which given the single rear wheel drive makes things awkward, not a lot of traction, normally on a 'upwrong' stuff it in a low gear and spin like a dervish , speed is your friend, not so with a 'bent but on the other hand I do have inbuilt training wheels.
Some places, I had to resort to all wheel drive, push the front wheels as well as pedal , but soon got out of the bogged down sandy stretch, back onto a reasonable flinty section.
Eventually I made it to a road, I could take a right or go over and onto Cockley Cley where there's an abandoned Iceni village, which was run as a tourist attraction, except this was now an abandoned tourist attraction, I chose the off road, which was getting back to nature with bracken and ferns growing over the track, many dips and hollows, with the trike getting thrown around in all directions, I don't have suspension ,not do I want it, I think it's important to know what the bike is doing, ground clearance wasn't a problem, the vegetation was, but in the lowest of low gears, not having to worry at a stall speed balance point I battled on,the front wheels and the cross beam pushing the undergrowth out of the way, it got very dense, I pondered my life choices at this point, should I push on or turn back?
Gamely I pushed on brambles were making it more of a problem, I seriously hoped the puncture protection of the Schwable tyres would do their best ,untill I came to a barrier across the track, I could see the promise of a clearer way, so looked to get through, , which there was just to the left around the gate post, but soon came to a halt with the port side wheel in a overgrown hole, AWD was engaged and progress made, I was rewarded with a fast decent of a gravelly surface to surprise what was described as a 'hairy Japanese bastard' ,in reality it was a little muntjac deer , which skittered of into the crop field, I've been lucky to see larger species of deer whilst forest riding, but that was a semi wild herd, once i came across one on a bridleway s i rounded a bend both of us were startled, it was a big beast, which quickly ran off.
By now I had reached another tarmaced road , wanting to relive my bladder ,then aswage my thirst, one in one out,you might say ,a bit disappointed to see I had lost my bottle cage and flask, how it got lost ,I don't know, as it's mounted behind my shoulder, must have broken off but I was gasping a bit, normally one does came across a tap or a cattle trough, ,but out here was forestry land and no livestock.
It was a hot day and a bit of a grim loss, nothing for it but push on another estimated 5 miles to Swaffham.
I came to junction where I needed to turn right onto a permissive byway, I unlatched the gate pushed the bike through into the field, the paddock was very scrubby, the track petered out, but to my dismay n the shade was a herd of which I assumed we're cows, no worries I thought, they are inquisitive, so slowly pushed on, as I got closer it was apparent they were young Stirks ,oh bovver, not being a country lad, I was a bit worried, but it was ok , they kept the distance although clearly curious of what the this nutter on a bike was doing, all though it was a worry to see them in the mirror following me and getting closer.
I reached the other gate, which many may recognise as a very ramshackle affair held to gether with binder twine and ziplock ties, I unhitched the very weathered twine securely locking it , and hoped it would stay together as I pushed open , the post wobbling all over, this time it was more dense overgrowth, but spirits were up as I could see a forestry van use the farm track, so meant it was a firm surface, I couldn't ride through as it was quite thick , nettles too, as well as what I know and goats beard binder weed, with those little seed pods ,which we used to chuck at each over as kids, I recceded the way through, came back to the trike ,musing why i was bare legged the nettles had got me , I had to push the trike through, but i already had a bad dose of nettle rash.
With stinging shins, I remounted only to find an extremely sandy track, no option but to grind my way through very slowly ,untill I came to a grassy bit, which made it easier, thankfully of a water cannon that was spraying the field, I didn't have anything to catch to drink, but by the time it reached me it was a fine mist, whilst slowly grinding my way along a beast of a tractor hauling a trailer was coming the other way, I am guessing the driver was even more perplexed to see a recumbent trike on a farm track in the middle of nowhere, but exchanged greetings pleased to find I hadn't fat to go to reach the road for Swaffham , in the distance I could see the water twr marked on the map & Civilization!
Eventually a found a sealed road surface , not tarred, but much more ridable, picking up speed I descended to Swaffham , with a short hop into the town centre, the market cross gave shelter, but immediately to my left was a greasy spoon cafe, I dived in, like a scene from 'Ice cold in Alex', I ordered a mug of tea, which was sweeter than any nectar, I had made it,......was I going to do any more off road, I thought about it ,sod it ,no way ...I'm not Stoopid .
A decent adventure, with no Sat nav and just a OS map which was quite old , but this country out there doesn't change, I hadn't done no research, or asked about the saneness of what I was doing , which in retrospect was madness........but then are we not all a little 'radio rental' cycling these days.
