Norwich - Blakeney Railway Loop - 21 May (day ride)
Ride leader Claire says:
Distance approx 110km, elevation ~600m.
Setting off from Norwich at start time 8:30am, we head out via Bread Source for Important Provisions then north-east to pick up the Bure Valley Way Path to Aylsham and via Blicking on undulating lanes to Blakeney, our cafe stop at Two Magpies with a view over the harbour.
We turn south-east taking in more winding lanes, then join Marriott’s Way at Whitwell, a trail on a former Victorian Railway line to Norwich. There's a cafe in the old station here, if we fancy a break. From here we ride
more off-road back into Norwich.
About the terrain and route. Most of the roads are quiet, the busiest part being the section leaving Norwich. The BVW is gravel and a little sandy, with some flinty bits. The path runs alongside a working narrow gauge steam railway! The MW is a mixture of hard dirt, gravel, a little tarmac and a section that can be muddy. If there has been significant rainfall, then we’ll detour this section.
Marriott’s Way is composed of two original Victorian lines: the East Norfolk Railway (later the Great Eastern) from Aylsham to Cawston, and the Eastern and Midland Railway (later the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway, or the ‘Muddle & Go Nowhere') from Lenwade to Norwich.
As there is a fair chunk of off road, the pace will be easy, so it is a long, but scenic day out. There’s likely to be pausing for steam trains and an odd church. There may be an option to shorten the route to turn round at Aylsham (66km) as an
alternative.
This ride has now closed.