Yet Another Cycling Forum
General Category => Rides and Touring => Topic started by: sg37409 on 07 September, 2023, 11:48:10 pm
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Got a week or so to take this year, and we are thinking of heading down to the fens: anyone have any recommendations for a base for touring ? Mostly road , can handle some good paths on the tandem.
Alternatively, any other recommendations for where to spend a weeks bimbling about ?
thanks
steve
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We (family of five) stayed in an AirBnB in Lutton, just south of Peterborough, a couple of years ago. It was on a farm with exotic animals, which was quite fun! Might be a bit Fen-edge for you, but good routes to Oundle and a hop over the A1M into the Fens proper. Best thing was that there was great storage for the tandems, in a barn. Might be worth checking that though, in case there are now animals in the barn! Oundle is a good place for supplies, but there's a decent farm shop nearby and a village shop a few miles away in Great Gidding. Not far from Holme Fen, the lowest point in the UK, which is very lovely and well worth a visit.
https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/33183939? (https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/33183939?)
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The fens are horrible for cycling - little to see other than fields and sky, mile long straight into a headwind roads, then a 90deg bend onto another mile long straight into a headwind road…
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You could do worse than Ely, travel lodge, or b&b. Or even my village, Little Downham has a pub, the Anchor that has accomodation, we also have another pub that does superb Thai food
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The fens are horrible for cycling - little to see other than fields and sky, mile long straight into a headwind roads, then a 90deg bend onto another mile long straight into a headwind road…
Thats a very limited view of the fens, I miss having hills but you paint a very dour picture. We have amazing wildlife, you are within a n hour or two of Cambridge, Newmarket, personally I enjoy heading further east towards Thetford and Lakenheath, and Norwich would not be out of bounds...
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The fens are horrible for cycling - little to see other than fields and sky, mile long straight into a headwind roads, then a 90deg bend onto another mile long straight into a headwind road…
Plus, around cambridge, some of the worst roads in the country.
The only place where I've broken a rack and a seat (brooks nose bolt sheered off).
Apart from that, it is lovely.
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Shortage of suitable bridges in some localities too.
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Shortage of suitable bridges in some localities too.
That is indeed a problem. Often the only way to get across a river is on an unpleasant main road - and fenland main roads can be unpleasant in the extreme. There is a reason why Lincolnshire has some of the highest road casualty rates in the country.
If you want to go that way, I would suggest edge of fens rather than the fens themselves. My personal choice would be Stamford, whilst it's a few miles from the edge of the fens it is undoubtedly the nicest town in the area, and you also have easy access to Rutland, which is a vastly underappreciated county for cycling.
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You all seem to have seen some very different fens to those I've seen, yes I need to use some busy roads for access, but equally I can ride for hours without seeing a car on some roads on some days
My commute home from Cambridge last week for example was very pleasant
- across Cambridge avoiding the tourists along the river, and the cows blocking the cattle grid
- get passed by two cars and a cyclist between Fen Ditton and the Quy Mill Hotel
- get onto the really nice cycle path past Anglesey Abbey
- One arsehole driver between the end of that to where I left the main road at Swaffham Prior
- 3 horses, 5 cyclists and a tractor on the back lanes between there and Wicken Fen
- back road from Wicken to Ely and up the river bank, one dog walker, one runner
- Through Ely, I didn't die, nothing fell off or broke on the bike (I've never so much as broken a spoke in 19 years living here)
Lack of suitable bridges - look at the map and plan your route. What would you do in the lake district, or the Galloway forest - roads are where they are, not necessarily where we want them to be, we need to decide how we use them
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If you are camping the C&CC site outside Cambridge is OK & handy for the city. The Mad Hatters site at Ely is very nice indeed.
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Stamford is pretty. To the west is lumpy stuff, and Rutland Water etc. To the East is flat stuff.
The Fens are flat. And below sea level.
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Kings Lynn and then you can visit the North Norfolk coast.
I find the fens dull cycling.
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IME cycling in the fens is all about the weather. If it warm and you've got a tailwind, it's brilliant (at least as long as you don't have to turn round). At night, a clear sky can be awesome. But get it wrong and you'll find yourself slogging along Forty Foot Bank in the driving rain, hoping you don't get run into the ditch, or fighting with the fenland hair-drier for 5 hours.
It's okay to visit, but I prefer hills and trees. Have a Plan B in case of the wrong kind of weather.
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You could do worse than Ely, travel lodge, or b&b. Or even my village, Little Downham has a pub, the Anchor that has accomodation, we also have another pub that does superb Thai food
Bit harsh, especially as OP specifically plans to cycle in the fens. I get your point but if cycling in the fens for a few days does turn out to be a disappointment it’s still a worthy experience.
20 years ago I cycled to Kings Lynn from North Herts via Potton, Gamlingay, St Ives, Somershom( typo), Chatteris, Littleport. I was with two of my teenage sons, we marvelled at the landscape, nothing like rolling wooded landscape we were used to. On our return journey we were in the teeth of an unremitting headwind, fortunately at 14 years old my boys were able to take turns on the front. We still talk about the experience.
Embrace the Fens.
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You could do worse than Ely, travel lodge, or b&b. Or even my village, Little Downham has a pub, the Anchor that has accomodation, we also have another pub that does superb Thai food
Bit harsh, especially as OP specifically plans to cycle in the fens. I get your point but if cycling in the fens for a few days does turn out to be a disappointment it’s still a worthy experience.
20 years ago I cycled to Kings Lynn from North Herts via Potton, Gamlingay, St Ives, Somershom( typo), Chatteris, Littleport. I was with two of my teenage sons, we marvelled at the landscape, nothing like rolling wooded landscape we were used to. On our return journey we were in the teeth of an unremitting headwind, fortunately at 14 years old my boys were able to take turns on the front. We still talk about the experience.
Embrace the Fens.
I'm not sure why you're quoting me as a "Bit harsh" - I'm the pro-Fen proponent here.
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The fens are horrible for cycling - little to see other than fields and sky, mile long straight into a headwind roads, then a 90deg bend onto another mile long straight into a headwind road…
I don't like that part of the world for cycling either. Give me Wales anytime
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The fens are horrible for cycling - little to see other than fields and sky, mile long straight into a headwind roads, then a 90deg bend onto another mile long straight into a headwind road…
Thats a very limited view of the fens, I miss having hills but you paint a very dour picture. We have amazing wildlife, you are within a n hour or two of Cambridge, Newmarket, personally I enjoy heading further east towards Thetford and Lakenheath, and Norwich would not be out of bounds...
I have to agree with John... the Fens don't make great cycling - they're OK to go through to get to other places but they're not really a destination in themselves.
I would head slightly further north towards the north coast of Norfolk. More things to do and see - and it's not all flat and headwinds.
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Kings Lynn and then you can visit the North Norfolk coast.
I find the fens dull cycling.
Exactly this. For day rides I get the train from the fens up to King’s Lynn, and ride North Norfolk. More interesting places to visit, more interesting, little used roads too.
The Rebellion Way cycle route around Norfolk is proving very popular.
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I organise a Fen 200k every Easter; trying to showcase the best places (which involve bulbfields, this time of year sadly it will just be manure and cabbage). I have to admit it would be hard to make more than a couple of days' interesting cycling for a holiday. The Fen is like Holland (The Netherlands bit; it was bulit by the Dutch) but with a few exceptions doesn't have any of the touristy stuff. So sticking a pin into the middle of my ride I'd go for Wisbech.
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I'm another Fens fan, although happy to agree it isn't for everyone (I'm just south of Cambridge, so our stay in Lutton was as part of a tour to Northamptonshire). The wind can be brutal, that's for sure. But it's often a bit calmer this time of year. I love being out in the Fens, it makes me feel like "ahh, so *this* is where *I* am...". Like you're really part of the landscape. You see these isolated farm cottages or teeny tiny communities, and it's just interesting to think about how people live. So exposed to the elements, and so far from conveniences that town dwellers take for granted.
It's getting close to a great time of year for starling murmurations - would any of the RSPB or similar sites appeal? Welney is superb. Wicken is lovely - I prefer it as a place to ride through (the Lodes Way is one of my favourite routes near Cambridge). Jumping in a car to visit Wicken Fen doesn't appeal.
I'd second the thought about staying in a Fen-edge location, so that you can dip into the Fens and out again.
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Many years ago I organised a 600 which dipped into the Fens (Isleham to Stoke Ferry, if anyone's interested). It got this reaction from one of the riders:
"What an amazing landscape! There's nothing there!"
Says it all, really.
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http://streetmap.co.uk/map?X=483505&Y=422565&A=Y&Z=120
The Ousefleet Square. (OK, it's in Yorkshire so not the East Anglian fens, but the landscape is fenland.)
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Suffolk is nice. Nothing to strenuous and lots of lane's :)
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Kings Lynn and then you can visit the North Norfolk coast.
I find the fens dull cycling.
Exactly this. For day rides I get the train from the fens up to King’s Lynn, and ride North Norfolk. More interesting places to visit, more interesting, little used roads too.
The Rebellion Way cycle route around Norfolk is proving very popular.
Another vote for North Norfolk. We holiday in Cromer lots but I venture quite far south into the county. The ridge adds some undulation (nothing hideous but enough to make it different). Some very quiet roads and villages.
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Apologies Ely Dave, I quoted you by mistake, I agree with your sentiments
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thanks for all the response. It is very helpful. We might not now go to the fens, but the feedback here is great. Will post where we end up.
thanks, steve
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I see you might not go after all, but just in case.
I stayed with my family at the YHA in Cambridge and it was very nice. Getting there by train from Manchester is a nightmare though, every train company has different rules on how many bikes they'll take. So plan ahead and book spaces where you can.
The Ride From Ely to Cambridge is nice, I once cycled from Cambridge to Lincoln, there is NOTHING to see. Instead I had the pleasure of riding 175km into a headwind before seeing the near mythical sight of a hill as we approached Lincoln. Far better to go to East Yorkshire in my opinion.
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I stayed with my family at the YHA in Cambridge and it was very nice. Getting there by train from Manchester is a nightmare though, every train company has different rules on how many bikes they'll take. So plan ahead and book spaces where you can.
And try to avoid the CrossCountry Mordor Central to Stansted train, where if you manage to get a bike on at all, you'll be standing next to the reveal-a-door toilet, surrounded by luggages and screaming toddlers the whole way. And you can forget any hope of blitz spirit from the train crew.
(If you have to do it, aim for the middle of the day, and avoid the start and end of university term, when international students will be trying to take their worldly possessions to the airports.)
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Not sure if you're still considering it but, for future reference, I can recommend the Limes campsite in Great Steeping near Spilsby. We were there at the weekend in our baby caravan, but without bikes. It's a small site, pretty isolated, so very quiet and with basic but good facilities. The site manager/owner is extremely friendly and helpful; when I trotted out my reasons for not cycling in the area - as mentioned by others above - he corrected me and said that the wolds to the north of Spilsby had lots of quiet back roads and offer some good cycling.
(Edit: I seem to be getting my Fens mixed up with my Wolds. I blame inattention during Geography classes, compounded by old age.)
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Suffolk is nice. Nothing to strenuous and lots of lane's :)
yeah i like Suffolk, there's all kinds of fun stuff there like RSPB sites, Sutton Hoo, Dunwich
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I stayed with my family at the YHA in Cambridge and it was very nice. Getting there by train from Manchester is a nightmare though, every train company has different rules on how many bikes they'll take. So plan ahead and book spaces where you can.
And try to avoid the CrossCountry Mordor Central to Stansted train, where if you manage to get a bike on at all, you'll be standing next to the reveal-a-door toilet, surrounded by luggages and screaming toddlers the whole way. And you can forget any hope of blitz spirit from the train crew.
(If you have to do it, aim for the middle of the day, and avoid the start and end of university term, when international students will be trying to take their worldly possessions to the airports.)
I've used that service a few times and it wasn't too bad - but then again I was travelling off peak.
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You all seem to have seen some very different fens to those I've seen, yes I need to use some busy roads for access, but equally I can ride for hours without seeing a car on some roads on some days
My commute home from Cambridge last week for example was very pleasant
- across Cambridge avoiding the tourists along the river, and the cows blocking the cattle grid
- get passed by two cars and a cyclist between Fen Ditton and the Quy Mill Hotel
- get onto the really nice cycle path past Anglesey Abbey
- One arsehole driver between the end of that to where I left the main road at Swaffham Prior
- 3 horses, 5 cyclists and a tractor on the back lanes between there and Wicken Fen
- back road from Wicken to Ely and up the river bank, one dog walker, one runner
- Through Ely, I didn't die, nothing fell off or broke on the bike (I've never so much as broken a spoke in 19 years living here)
Lack of suitable bridges - look at the map and plan your route. What would you do in the lake district, or the Galloway forest - roads are where they are, not necessarily where we want them to be, we need to decide how we use them
Let's hear if for the Fens! Good on you ElyDave.
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So in the end, we've booked a cottage near Pickering for the week. It'll be much hillier but the thing that swayed me was reports of the traffic. On the tandem, I don't have much tolerance for crap traffic. (have fancied the rides to whitby mentioned here for a while, so we'll hopefully ride that one day)
Thanks again for the helpful replies
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On the tandem, I don't have much tolerance for crap traffic.
My stoker and I developed a new plan for oncoming traffic last year. I pulled a "how do I fly this thing?" face, while my stoker pretended to scream in abject terror "Mum, what are you doing?!".
We reckon that around 95% of oncoming drivers are gullible enough to believe us, and give us loads of room. ;D
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So in the end, we've booked a cottage near Pickering for the week. It'll be much hillier but the thing that swayed me was reports of the traffic. On the tandem, I don't have much tolerance for crap traffic. (have fancied the rides to whitby mentioned here for a while, so we'll hopefully ride that one day)
Thanks again for the helpful replies
Just back from our trip. Weather was pretty mixed but we got out 3 times. I tried to avoid main roads as much as possible but we had to be on them a few times. Main roads into/out of Pickering were crap but the smaller roads were good. Highlight was back from goathland over the high moors, deep fords very steep hills and no traffic. That felt pretty adventurous for us. (Also saw a “mallard” on the north York railway 👍)
Howardian hills were …errr hilly. Nice enough. Busy around the castle tho, where some single track roads are a bit of a rat run. It’s not as easy dodging speeding vans on the tandem compared to solo.
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Howardian hills were …errr hilly.
As documented in this legendary post (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=47709.0).