3 Day Suffolk Tour

[carlislemike]

Just been reading the 4 Day Norfolk Tour recommendations. As I’m thinking of doing nearly similar length in Suffolk. I thought train from Liverpool Street, London to Darsham and riding on from there, via the coast, to Norwich (via Lowestoft). Already had a couple of great suggestions re a plan to cover Norwich, Somerlyton and Lowestoft but instead of a day trip, it’s now going to be a midweek event. Probably in spring (March-April) and probably leaving the tent behind for the b&b! Any suggestions. Already got the Suffolk CC AoNB stuff from their really helpful officer. My vague aims are to take in Dunwich, Walberswick, Southwold, Covehithe, Kessingland, Pakefield, Lowestoft, Somerlyton, Poringland, Norwich etc. Ok, 40 miles per day, I could do it in 2 days. I just need time to potter off route to medieval churches a la Simon Knott plus the selection of Adnams which get in the Way. Any information on prevailing winds in March/April would help. Thanks

[Cyril Haearn]

Worth reading 'The Rings of Saturn' by W G Sebald, travel and musings in Norfolk + Suffolk

[iandriver]

The tour I do every so often is kings cross or liverpool street line to Ipswich and coast hop to Southwold, then head up to the Norfolk Broads and pick up the Wherrymans way to Norwich for the train again. It's a lovely long weekend. Winds generally south to north. The area around Orford and Aldborough is some of the best cycling around Suffolk.

[carlislemike]

Worth reading 'The Rings of Saturn' by W G Sebald, travel and musings in Norfolk + Suffolk

Absolutely my first inspiration. Now I need to find decent b&bs!

[al_yrpal]

Add in the Painters Trail..and take some paints

Al

[Sweep]

Wonderful bit of the country carlisle mike.

I find it really chilled - particularly on a bike which seems the ideal way to see it.

To stay chilled don't you think you should go for a bit longer?

Intend to get back there - and on the beer (including local) a few spoons I will doubtless use as staging posts.

Not a lot in Dunwich - other places good - Covehythe is wonderful.

I also want to go back sometime to see the seals at Horsey - though "their" time of year is a bit nippy.

https://www.explorenorfolkuk.co.uk/seals-at-horsey.html

and that is of course actually Norfolk.

On those old churches - take care if there at night - you may encounter me!

[mercalia]

Wonderful bit of the country carlisle mike.

I find it really chilled - particularly on a bike which seems the ideal way to see it.

To stay chilled don't you think you should go for a bit longer?

Intend to get back there - and on the beer (including local) a few spoons I will doubtless use as staging posts.

Not a lot in Dunwich - other places good - Covehythe is wonderful.

I also want to go back sometime to see the seals at Horsey - though "their" time of year is a bit nippy.

https://www.explorenorfolkuk.co.uk/seals-at-horsey.html

and that is of course actually Norfolk.

On those old churches - take care if there at night - you may encounter me!

well you might just might hear the bells of sunken dunwich - if you are soon to be gone from this life. Dunwich used to be a mighty town bigger than London with many churches but vanished into the sea.

[LittleGreyCat]

Just been reading the 4 Day Norfolk Tour recommendations. As I’m thinking of doing nearly similar length in Suffolk. I thought train from Liverpool Street, London to Darsham and riding on from there, via the coast, to Norwich (via Lowestoft). Already had a couple of great suggestions re a plan to cover Norwich, Somerlyton and Lowestoft but instead of a day trip, it’s now going to be a midweek event. Probably in spring (March-April) and probably leaving the tent behind for the b&b! Any suggestions. Already got the Suffolk CC AoNB stuff from their really helpful officer. My vague aims are to take in Dunwich, Walberswick, Southwold, Covehithe, Kessingland, Pakefield, Lowestoft, Somerlyton, Poringland, Norwich etc. Ok, 40 miles per day, I could do it in 2 days. I just need time to potter off route to medieval churches a la Simon Knott plus the selection of Adnams which get in the Way. Any information on prevailing winds in March/April would help. Thanks

Another option would be to start in Essex, at Harwich Town station, then take the harbour ferry across to Felixstowe.
This starts on the 1st April, so March wouldn't be an option.
There is another ferry from Felixstowe Ferry to Bawdsey but at the moment I can't find when it starts the season; it is still running in October, though.
Easter to the end of October, apparently, so from April 12th 2020.

There is even a 4 ferries route but the 3rd one is only open weekends and BH.
https://www.visitsuffolk.co.uk/explore/walking-biking-and-four-ferries-in-suffolk/

If you start at Felixstowe or anywhere further North (Woodbridge is also good), and stay East of the A12, then there is some wonderful quiet lane riding all the way up to Southwold and beyond. Orford is well worth a visit.

[Sweep]

well you might just might hear the bells of sunken dunwich - if you are soon to be gone from this life. Dunwich used to be a mighty town bigger than London with many churches but vanished into the sea.

Yes I know - have done the Dunwich Dynamo a fair few times - maybe carlislemike has as well - nowt much there now though. Cafe breakfasts, much promoted by some, are somewhat tiddly.

[Vorpal]

There's a Golden Eye Suffolk map that has some really nice routes on it. Many are signposted by the county with brown cycle route signs.

If it was me, I would start in Manningtree.

I second Al's suggestion to include Dedham vale, with or without paints. From Dedham, I would go via Higham, Polstead, Boxford, Kersey, Hadleigh, Coddenham, north of Ipswich to Woodbridge, Orford, Thorpeness. These are some lovely postcard villages with medieval buildings. By the time you get to Norwich, I think it's around 120 - 130 miles, depending on route. If you wanted to extend it a little, you could go further west, to Long Melford & Lavenham before heading for the coast, you could potter around the Norfolk Broads, or you could just go further up the Norfolk coast before heading home.

Enjoy the planning & the tour

p.s. this is an area I know. We lived in northern Essex until 2012, and my in-laws live in Suffolk. I've done many rides to their house, and around Suffolk from their house. I still cycle in Suffolk when we visit.

[mjr]

... Kersey, Hadleigh, ...

Hadleigh OK, has nice railway route which I want to try (somehow missed the eastern end on my only visit), but Kersey? A diagonally-cobbled ford in the bottom of a steep-sided dip has no place on any good cycling route and it's a disgrace that Suffolk Cycle Route A goes through the ford and then on a pointless meander, instead of taking the more direct Priory Lane from the top of the hill to Rose Green crossroads.

I don't have any faith in Suffolk Cycle Routes and, as others have already hinted, the best bits of Suffolk are the borders to Essex (Dedham Vale and the route to the ferry to Holland) and Norfolk

[Vorpal]

I think Kersey is pretty (one of the prettiest views is up the hill from the ford) and it is, in any case, on the way. I used to like the tea rooms there. Though they've closed, I gather there is a new cafe at the mill, which is being restored as a working mill. My brother-in-law was impressed that coffee & tea are £1

The former railway into Hadleigh is nice. It used to be a mixed (unmetalled surface) that wasn't very good for cycling when it had been raining a lot. It was lovely when it was dry, though. I would say though, unless they have treated the surface, it's best avoided in wet weather, especially with a loaded bike.

[mercalia]

As people are indicating it is more than a 3 day trip. or many 3 days trips. Wandering around the Broads could be a week.

There is also Burgh castle, a massive real Roman set of walls on the river Yare, just north of Somerleyton. Living in Lowestoft for a long time my favourite as I have said before are the routes that follow the River Yare to Norwich, either side of, starting from Lowestoft along the B1074( on my old map ) down to St olives then over the massive bridge ( good views )

[simonhill]

A lot of not Suffolk in these suggestions for a Suffolk tour.

I regularly go to Blaxkhall which is near Snape. It has a wonderful pub, The Ship, which often features traditional singing. It does accommodation and there is also a YHA about 200 metres up the road.

Blaxkhall is near the coast, but if you cross the A12 there is some great cycling 'out west'. Framingham Castle is worth a look.

[mjr]

I think Kersey is pretty (one of the prettiest views is up the hill from the ford) and it is, in any case, on the way. I used to like the tea rooms there. Though they've closed, I gather there is a new cafe at the mill, which is being restored as a working mill. My brother-in-law was impressed that coffee & tea are £1

Kersey is just one of dozens of similar-looking East Anglian villages and that awful unnecessarily-hostile-to-cycling road more than negates the pretty view IMO.

Happily, the main village is also not "on the way" between Boxford and Hadleigh, or even Boxford and Kersey Mill. Don't turn down Church Hill and instead do what cycle.travel suggests: keep going along Mill Lane, then enter Hadleigh on the A road which isn't very busy and has a 40mph limit. Your bike, your brakes and your knees will thank you!