Easy cycle camping tour for lone teens - Norfolk?

[Madeleine]

My daughter and her friend both aged 18 are planning a cycle camping trip. My daughter has been cycle camping with us many times but never planned one. It will be first time for the friend. So they're looking for something easy, probably only planning 30 miles per day or so, they're not sporty! They want minimum traffic, nice scenery, campsites (preferably cheap/basic), easy cycling, easy navigating, easy access to beginning and end by train! We are based in London.
Does anyone have any route suggestions?
They were looking at Norfolk - Fakenham to Harwich - on NCN1, although no train to Fakenham so they might have to start at Norwich and extend in a different way. It will be in a couple of weeks so probably roads at busiest and some comments on here suggested route not that great for avoiding traffic.
Can anyone advise either on this Norfolk route, or on alternative suggestions?
Any advice gratefully received. Hoping they will have a great time and be encouraged to go on future adventures!

[Jdsk]

We did:

(South Oxfordshire)
Bletchley Park
Cambridge
Wicken Fen
Ely
Snettisham
Norwich
Southwold
Orford
Long Melford
Lee Valley into London

We would have spent more time on the north coast but it was too hot.

Mostly quiet roads.

Mostly camping, some rooms.

Please say if you'd like any more on campsites, places of interest etc.

Jonathan

[Madeleine]

Thanks! will pass this on. Low traffic?

[hamster]

How about the New Forest?
Lots of campsites and pubs, easy access in 90 minutes from Waterloo to Brockenhurst, pretty flat, lots of offroad fire road routes, almost blanket 40mph speed limit.

[mjr]

They were looking at Norfolk - Fakenham to Harwich - on NCN1, although no train to Fakenham so they might have to start at Norwich and extend in a different way. It will be in a couple of weeks so probably roads at busiest and some comments on here suggested route not that great for avoiding traffic.
Can anyone advise either on this Norfolk route, or on alternative suggestions?

NCN1 is mostly fine and low traffic Fakenham to Norwich which is back roads Fakenham to Reepham, then dirt, sand, gravel and stone Whitwell to Norwich boundary, then tarmac through Norwich and back roads or cycleways through Ipswich to Harwich.

No station at Fakenham but there is one at King's Lynn and then local cycle route 2 is 25 miles of mostly back roads to Fakenham, or 26 avoiding sand south of East Rudham (good cafe there too), or by NCN1 is 50 miles with sea views but only one beach visit at Wells. Traffic on those is usually OK except the A149 which must be crossed.

You can shorten Ipswich-Harwich by using the former A12 now a back road from Copdock, then a short unpleasant cycleway beside the current A12, then Suffolk routes B1 and B to the B1070 to a roadside cycleway to Manningtree, then B roads and back roads through Wix to join NCN51 just before Harwich. The official route is nicer but a long way round Colchester and Wivenhoe.

No idea on campsites, sorry.

[Madeleine]

Thank you for the helpful replies. King's Lynn start sounds like a good idea.
New Forest also a good idea, and she knows the area, but maybe not so easy for moving place to place and camping in a different place every night, which is what she likes. From previous experience those campsites are often completely booked out. My son was once turned away despite being on foot with camping gear!

[AnnaStravard]

Why not stay in Norfolk the Marriott’s way and Pedars Way are mostly off-road and you can the 1st from Norwich and the second from Thetford train on the Cambs train from Norwich. I can honestly say I’ve never felt the urge to cycle from Norwich to Harwich. Cycle from Norwich to Kings Lynn then round the coast to Great Yarmouth train back to Norwich or from Cromer. Loads of scope for camping.

Let me know we’ve been cycling here for years it’s Gods country.

[MrsHJ]

East Anglia would be nice. Love the new forest or how about the elan valley in wales (I tried to go a few years ago but haven’t yet been there). Probably too far from you but the coast to coast route in Devon is pretty cool.

France/the Netherlands would also be good- pop them on the ferry.

Wish my 18 year old would go touring- she’d rather go off and sit in a Greek beach!

[Steve X]

They want minimum traffic, nice scenery, campsites (preferably cheap/basic), easy cycling, easy navigating, easy access to beginning and end by train! We are based in London.

Any advice gratefully received. Hoping they will have a great time and be encouraged to go on future adventures!

A bit of a wild card, but what about The Netherlands. Depends how you view the Ferry, as a nice cruise, or as a terrifying obstacle, truly it is the former. Other than that, it ticks all your boxes.

[mjr]

Why not stay in Norfolk the Marriott’s way and Pedars Way are mostly off-road and [...]

The Peddars Way is gnarly off road and much has been trashed by scrambler motorbikes and “green laner” 4x4s, but most has parallel back roads. It depends what you want. I wrote a bit about an off road loop including parts of Peddars Way on a recent Norfolk off road topic. viewtopic.php?p=1684235#p1684235

[Norman H]

The recently announced Cantii Way is yet another option. There are good rail links from London to Ashford International station and it's mostly on quiet lanes or traffic free trails.

Here's a recent thread: viewtopic.php?t=150227

[Madeleine]

Thanks very much for all these great suggestions - putting some on my own list!
Cantii Way looks great! Though I dare say she'd quite like something that's signed- we've been on some Eurovelos so she knows how easy that can make things!
I was also suggesting Nethelands - just posted on another thread, re how difficult to find space in campsites in July given they're unlikely to do much pre-organisation...
Peddars way we have cycled a lot of, and she wants new territory - lots of comedy moments on Peddars way (turns out cycling fast through nettles does not stop you getting stung)
Sharing all this with her, many thanks

[MrsHJ]

Thanks very much for all these great suggestions - putting some on my own list!
Cantii Way looks great! Though I dare say she'd quite like something that's signed- we've been on some Eurovelos so she knows how easy that can make things!
I was also suggesting Nethelands - just posted on another thread, re how difficult to find space in campsites in July given they're unlikely to do much pre-organisation...
Peddars way we have cycled a lot of, and she wants new territory - lots of comedy moments on Peddars way (turns out cycling fast through nettles does not stop you getting stung)
Sharing all this with her, many thanks

took my son in 2016 in early August to the NL - did the zuider zee LF route (easy to follow) and no prebooked campsites- very easy then. Eyeballed the campsites on the map and just turned up. He concluded he preferred hotels so we compromised and mixed it up a bit Positives- everyone speaks english, very safe cycling, easy to follow navigation, we found shops and campsites and towns well distributed. Didn't love the food but then again I had to eat pizza EVERY night for son (he liked the ice cream). Can be a bit windswept and - oh look another field/cow/dyke but we loved the towns. SO might be one to think about a slightly more dynamic route. I also think going "abroad" and experiencing a slightly different culture quite healthy for kids/teens but I get it's also nice to discover your own country better.

[Psamathe]

Maybe a bit further than they were looking for but maybe some variant of cycle.travel's Nrfolk Coast & Rivers circular route? https://cycle.travel/route/norfolk (I've not done it so can't comment on traffic, raods, etc. but I've always found cycle.travel routes very good.

Ian

[keyboardmonkey]

[deleted: a bit too off piste]