Author Topic: May meandering. (Read 4262 times)

andrewc · « **on:** 07 May, 2022, 08:24:38 pm »

I got the 11:47 from Liverpool to Euston, then rode up to Kings Cross for a train to Cambridge. Everything went calmly and smoothly, which probably means something is going wrong. Sure enough I’ve forgotten the porridge, the neoprene knee support and the paper maps.

I bought some burgers in Cambridge at Malloy’s butchers by the station. My wallet wouldn’t stretch to anything else £££…

Out to the C&CC site at Shelford where we stayed last year, they remembered Canardly….

The lightweight field is a sea of daisies which is nice. Lots of gnats hovering around. Burgers & veg with an Argentinean Malbec.

The plan is to head towards the coast, but I’ve no route in mind. I’ll probably avoid the Roman road we did last year though

Butterfly · « **Reply #1 on:** 07 May, 2022, 09:08:44 pm »

Sounds lovely. Have fun!

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #2 on:** 07 May, 2022, 09:15:20 pm »

Porridge can be bought, as can knee supports, and lack of maps makes for greater surprise. Enjoy the daisies!

Wowbagger · « **Reply #3 on:** 07 May, 2022, 09:17:41 pm »

Have a great time, Andrew! I think giving that Roman road a miss is a pretty sound plan.

Canardly · « **Reply #4 on:** 07 May, 2022, 09:42:06 pm »

Enjoy, with updates please! Avoiding that cafe at Madingly is also a very good idea.

(The Romans have a lot to answer for, I tell you!) Somewhat envious, may the sun beam upon you. Take your frying pan and try some freshly caught fish on the quayside on the Blyth, Warbleswick/Southwold.

andrewc · « **Reply #5 on:** 08 May, 2022, 09:02:27 pm »

I was woken by a very loud dawn chorus at 04:30 and couldn’t get back to sleep properly. Despite this and a sugar soaked Kellogs Granola breakfast I was on the road for 9 which is early for me.

Back into Cambridge & out the other side through Fen Ditton & Horningsea. I gave the footpath beside the Cam a go but turned back after the 2nd Cursing Gate. Too much effort getting a loaded tourer through.

Quiet roads to Wilburton where I had a pork pie & something called Bircher Muesli by the church. Like flavoured wallpaper paste.

I intended to do more quiet roads to Witchford but overlooked a turn & ended up following the nasty A10 into Ely. I found a branch of The Works & bought an OS road atlas at 3.5 miles per inch. It will have to do & I’ll feel guilty about cutting the relevant pages out.

Feeling tired, and having forgotten to put sunscreen on I decided to call it a day & road out to the Mad Hatter’s site on the Prickwillow road. A very nice site, but at £18.50 it should be.

Tomorrow will probably be out to Thetford and towards the coast.

Does anyone know what the Peddars Way is like? I’m happy with a bit of rough stuff but have seen mention of gates & stiles.

https://www.madhatterscampsite.co.uk https://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/sites/details.asp?revid=19963

My 2nd visit here (last year with Wowbagger & Canardly). A bit expensive, but we had 3 tents on the pitch & I think they only charged us the same rate. Excellent toilet block with family bathrooms as well.

Handy for Ely, shops, station & cathedral.

Wowbagger · « **Reply #6 on:** 08 May, 2022, 09:11:42 pm »

I think some of the Mid-Essex lot cycled Peddar's Way a while back. I'll see if Oscar's Dad is sober enough to respond.

Oscar's dad · « **Reply #7 on:** 08 May, 2022, 09:45:20 pm »

Quote from: Wowbagger on 08 May, 2022, 09:11:42 pm

I think some of the Mid-Essex lot cycled Peddar's Way a while back. I'll see if Oscar's Dad is sober enough to respond.

Yes we did, it was about a decade ago so my memory is hazy. We did it in a day, started in Ic-something-or-other. We were on loaded bikes, it hard work and sandy in places. All good fun, just do it!

Wobbly John · « **Reply #8 on:** 09 May, 2022, 05:55:38 am »

Knettishall is where we started the Peddars way, if I rememeber correctly. it's very sandy around Roughham common, and in North Norfolk it ened up hard and 'wasboard' rutted with tractor tyres.

It's a Roman road and long distance footpath. I'd stick to roads unless I was doing it for a specific reason.

BTW, Witchford to Ely is the A142 which has a cycle path next to it, unless you tried to go via Grunty fen, in which case you would have ended up on the A10, which has an even worse cycle path. They don't really mark cyclepaths round here...

andrewc · « **Reply #9 on:** 09 May, 2022, 07:47:24 am »

A cold & clear night. A dew laden tent & the meths is hard to light. Despite earplugs I woke at 04:30 again.

Looks like it will be a gorgeous day.

andrewc · « **Reply #10 on:** 09 May, 2022, 08:35:12 pm »

Away by 9:30, drove roads across the Little Ouse to Feltwell, the cafe was shut so no 2nd breakfast. A short stretch on the B1112 and then more lovely quiet roads through the edges of Thetford Forest to Hilborough. From here via South Pickenham to Swaffham, where I shopped. I was last in Swaffham for a mates wedding about 35 years ago. He married the local vicars daughter and the squirearchy were out in force. It was quite a boozy do & thankfully no one recognised me….

From Swaffham by more quiet roads to East Walton and Abbey Farm which does camping. A horsey place full of young gels in boots & jodhpurs, the owner gave me a free beer as well. My sort of place!
£13 , showers £1. 1 shower, 1 sink, 1 toilet. All nicely done, but better for a solo trip rather than a group meeting.

https://www.abbeyfarmliveries.co.uk https://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/sites/reviews.asp?revid=12987

JenM · « **Reply #11 on:** 10 May, 2022, 08:44:15 am »

My May Meanderings are taking me from Reading to St David's and onto Liverpool. Last night Oakley Farm Park, Newbury £6. Raining at the moment.

andrewc · « **Reply #12 on:** 10 May, 2022, 06:51:47 pm »

It rained a little overnight & was quite breezy. I was on the road for 10:15 for what was to be a very short day. B1153 to Grimston where I took the Royden road and from there to Castle Rising. I had a trundle around the pretty village & a sausage butty in the cafe before visiting the castle, a flourish of my English Heritage card got me in free. An hour wandering around the keep & climbing some steep & narrow spiral stairs, then a spot of sunbathing on the grass outside.

Back on the road I decided I was too late to visit Kings Lynn so braved the A149 for a bit until I could turn off. Currently ensconced in the Queens back garden at Sandringham. I’ve booked 2 nights here, so tomorrow may be pottering around without luggage.

Some lovely quiet roads here, but it looks like to get anywhere near the coast you have to use the A149,

Wobbly John · « **Reply #13 on:** 11 May, 2022, 06:20:45 am »

From Castle Rising church, there's a tarmaced cycle path (about half of it is the old main road) all the way to the Sandrinham turn off the A149. It's part of NCN1.

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #14 on:** 11 May, 2022, 08:20:34 am »

Castle Rising must be, along with Sheepy Magna and Steeple Bumford, one of the three essential English village names.

andrewc · « **Reply #15 on:** 11 May, 2022, 08:51:18 am »

It’s a tad damp outside, though probably sounds worse than it is as I’m pitched under trees. I might just have a wander around Sandringham & the grounds and then read my book.
Petroc Trelawney has just played a traditional Norfolk folk song on R3.

https://mainlynorfolk.info/lloyd/songs/lovelyjoan.html

Canardly · « **Reply #16 on:** 11 May, 2022, 11:09:01 pm »

Quote from: JenM on 10 May, 2022, 08:44:15 am

My May Meanderings are taking me from Reading to St David's and onto Liverpool. Last night Oakley Farm Park, Newbury £6. Raining at the moment.

Enjoy St. Davids, one of my favourite places anywhere.

andrewc · « **Reply #17 on:** 12 May, 2022, 09:03:52 pm »

Yesterday was damp, so I put my Republican sympathies to the side & visited Sandringham. Beautiful grounds & gardens, the house is OK. Apparently the Queen likes jigsaws and they have enough firearms on racks to make a Texan gun nut jealous. All those Purdey’s…

On the road for 10 today. Dersingham & Snettisham to Hunstanton, the A149 wasn’t too bad. A large haddock & chips cost me £10, an accidental chip spillage endeared me to the local sea birds.

Hunstanton had the effect of making me (57) appear young again. I wonder how many people are mown down by mobility scooters in the place.

Quite a bit of wildlife on this trip, hares and several of those little barking deer (Muntjac ?). Lots of roadkill as well.

Across the top bit to the Burnhams where I have a beer & visit a lovely church at Burnham Norton

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Margaret's_Church,_Burnham_Norton

I stocked up with food at Burnham Market then rode to Burnham Thorpe, birthplace of one H Nelson. That explains the pub names then.

Home for the next 2 days is Whitehall Farm which is a nice basic site with decent facilities. They charged me £30 for 2 nights YMMV.

Tomorrow should be a visit to Holkham Hall.

http://www.whitehallfarm-accommodation.com https://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/sites/details.asp?revid=4419

Facilities are unisex & in a converted barn. 6 toilets with washbasins in the cubicle & 6 showers, also with washbasins. A washing up area, lounge area & sockets for charging electrical stuff. If you wanted to stay at one site to explore the coast this would be a good bet.

Wowbagger · « **Reply #18 on:** 12 May, 2022, 09:15:32 pm »

The beach at Holkham, or part of it, is clothing optional. You know you want to...

Have you visited Stiffkey, famed parish where the infamous defrocked vicar was a very decent chess player in his day, the last of which saw him meet his Waterloo in the jaws of a lion?

andrewc · « **Reply #19 on:** 12 May, 2022, 09:24:38 pm »

Quote from: Wowbagger on 12 May, 2022, 09:15:32 pm

The beach at Holkham, or part of it, is clothing optional. You know you want to...

How much will the YACF massive pay for me to _not_ post or Tweet skin shots ?

andrewc · « **Reply #20 on:** 12 May, 2022, 11:06:27 pm »

I must have ridden through Stiffkey without noticing. Also once home to Henry Williamson.
https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/business/unseen-1930s-photos-illustrate-the-story-of-henry-williamson-the-1019526

I’m annoyed with myself. Holkham Hall itself is not open tomorrow, only the grounds.

Lightning Phil · « **Reply #21 on:** 13 May, 2022, 08:50:43 am »

Quote from: Wowbagger on 12 May, 2022, 09:15:32 pm

Have you visited Stiffkey, famed parish where the infamous defrocked vicar was a very decent chess player in his day, the last of which saw him meet his Waterloo in the jaws of a lion?

Did he beat the lion at chess and it took exception?

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #22 on:** 13 May, 2022, 09:23:40 am »

And was he defrocked because of his stiff key?

Wowbagger · « **Reply #23 on:** 13 May, 2022, 01:08:28 pm »

https://anecdotage.com/anecdotes/rector-of-stiffkey

Quote

Chess has attracted its share of misfits, chief among them the defrocked Reverend Harold Davidson. After captaining Oxford at chess, he became the aptly-named Rector of Stiffkey. Instead of saving young girls from sin, he saved them for himself. Davidson was consumed by lust, and, eventually by a lion in a Skegness amusement park.

There's a lot more detail about Davidson in "The Complete Chess Addict" by Mike Fox & Richard James. I have just scanned my shelves for my copy but I can't immediately see it. I have a suspicion that my Maidstone daughter may have borrowed it.

The pub in Stiffkey village is called The Red Lion. Whether that was because it was stained by the rector's blood I don't know. When I was touring Norfolk with Nutkin some years ago we camped nearby but my recollection was that I dined alone there - the differences between our respective appetites meant that this was fairly common occurrence on that particular tour. The meal included samphire collected locally.

Edit: according to this report, he was framed.

https://www.norfolkparadise.com/post/the-lion-taming-vicar-who-saved-fallen-women

andrewc · « **Reply #24 on:** 14 May, 2022, 08:08:35 am »

A fairly lazy day yesterday. I took the unloaded bike to Creake Abbey and had a wander around the ruins & a bite to eat in the nearby cafe. After that I rode over to Walsingham for another ruined abbey. Lots of contemporary pilgrims there as well.

Currently sprawled in my tent thinking I ought to pack up & get moving again!