Norfolk: B1077 Attleborough, road kind to cyclists?

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Cycling Cat
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Norfolk: B1077 Attleborough, road kind to cyclists?

Post by Cycling Cat »

Hi all
Cycling from Mellis to Dereham and it seems I have to cycle for 8 miles along it through Attleborough. Do car drivers treat it like an 'A' class road or is it pleasurable?

Of course if you know a better route, I'll gladly consider it.
SteveHunter
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Re: Norfolk: B1077 Attleborough, road kind to cyclists?

Post by SteveHunter »

From memory, a few years since I've been down there and that was in a car but it's a fairly busy and pretty fast road.
It won't be the most pleasurable ride I think.
I will ask my Dad what it's like now he still lives up there. I used to live in Hingham which is between Attleborough and Dereham. Worth checking out Hingham Church if you like that kind of thing. It's huge and got some good history.
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Re: Norfolk: B1077 Attleborough, road kind to cyclists?

Post by Psamathe »

I only started cycling less than a year ago so my "comparisons" are limited and most of my cycling is done on single track lanes - so I've not masses of experience with traffic.

The section between Old Buckenham and Attleborough I avoid (don't like it at all). The section between Great Ellingham and Attleborough I've done a few times and it has been quiet. I've done the A11 into Attleborough short section quite a lot and it is generally OK. Diss-Winfarthing section has been busy when I've done it but I found it not too horrific (in that I'd do it again except the surrounding lanes are so much nicer).

I would call it a "fast road".

But, take my comments in the context that I hate traffic and don't have much experience with it so I'm sure it frightens me more than others who are more used to it.

And, my experience of the road (B1077) is limited and I'm sure there are quieter and busier times - so much would depend on day/time/luck.

As for alternative routes - there are loads of beautiful and very quiet single track lanes. But I suspect your distance will go up quite a lot if you use them and navigation will be somewhat harder. But they are fantastic to ride.

I've used sections of the B1113 (mainly Keninghall to RCR30) and generally found it surprisingly not too bad ("surprisingly" because I thought it was meant to be a major'ish route). Maybe Keninghall, through Quidenham, Eccles, west on Hargham Road to Shropham, then north through Rockland up through Little Ellingham (or Great Ellingham) north to Hingham - then you're out of roads I'm familiar with.

Or maybe lanes (to east of B1077) north from Diss and up to Wymondham, then lanes up through Barnham Broom (which is where my knowledge runs-out).

And I repeat, my experience it limited so do remember that when considering what I've written.

(And other route questions, do ask)
Ian
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Re: Norfolk: B1077 Attleborough, road kind to cyclists?

Post by Vorpal »

In town, I would say it is typical of such roads. It's not too bad for an assertive rider, but expect some silly overtakes. Peak times are worse than the middle of the day. Summer weekends, there tend to be too many badly driven caravans.

You don't say what the rest of the route is, but a possible alternative...

from Banham, take Greyhound Lane to Grove Road to Hargham Road, then you can take Leys Lane to Attleborough, or if you want to miss Attleborough altogether, carry on to a farm track on the right, here. It says it's a dead end, but that's because of a level crossing that is closed to motor traffic. A cyclist can go through (unless someone local knows it's been closed in the last couple of years?).
After the level crossing, take the left fork, then across the other part of Hargham Road. Carry on to London Road, where you should turn left. This bit isn't as nice, but it's short section. Go straight across the A11 at the roundabout (this roundabout is a bit intimidating and some drivers take it too fast), then take a right on the other side.

From there, the quickest way to Dereham is to carry on that road to the B1077, then a little left-right jog, and you'll be on the Hingham Road. Cross the B1108 on it at Hingham, and it becomes the Dereham Road, which will join the B1135. That road isn't too bad, though drivers do go fast on the straighter sections. But I think most of the traffic use the A roads in the area.

There are back lane alternatives, but they get longer and longer.

I *think* that a cyclist can go through the airfield industrial estate from Mile Road (Shipdham). Then, from the north end of the airfield, you can get onto Church Road. I'm not 100% certain about that, so if you can't confirm it, it probably best to use another route.
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RickH
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Re: Norfolk: B1077 Attleborough, road kind to cyclists?

Post by RickH »

No direct on-the-ground knowledge as I have only cycled to the North of Dereham in that part of the world.

Google's cycle directions gives some generally, on the face of it at least, sensible routing (apart from a bit of silliness on the stretch near the end by Shipdham Airfield which seem to try to overcome lack of north south routes at that point by taking via a way with no rights of way - although the 1:25k OS does suggest there are tracks - out of the back end of a small industrial estate :? There's also a bit near the beginning on Bridleways but that is easily moved to the nearby lanes) The westernmost suggested route is both the shortest (by a mere 1/2 mile) and avoids the B1077 entirely, in fact I don't think it uses a numbered road at all (apart from getting into Dereham & that's only assuming the end is right in the town). It doesn't seem unduly convoluted or to have too many "bonus" miles (31 vs a point to point distance of 25). Cycle.travel's route planner suggests almost exactly the same route avoiding the B1077, although it goes off on a more easterly route through Diss near the start where Google leaves Mellis heading west then north. Virtually all of Google's route has been "StreetViewed" so you can see the roads for yourself.

If I was planning it it would be roughly the route I would most likely end up doing (with the slight variations to avoid the bits mentioned above).

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Graham
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Re: Norfolk: B1077 Attleborough, road kind to cyclists?

Post by Graham »

. .. or try the cycle.travel website, which has a heavy bias against busy/hostile roads . . . . .
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Re: Norfolk: B1077 Attleborough, road kind to cyclists?

Post by Cycling Cat »

Thanks Graham
However the suggested Bike map route is extremely dangerous at the A11 crossing. It does not realise that the Fen St crossing no longer exists, so my only option here is the London Road roundabout. Frightening!
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Re: Norfolk: B1077 Attleborough, road kind to cyclists?

Post by Richard Fairhurst »

cycle.travel takes its data from OpenStreetMap which has the Fen Street crossing marked - so if it's no longer in existence, deleting it from OSM will remove it from cycle.travel in a week or two.

That said... are you 100% sure it isn't there any more? Google's Street View car last went along the A11 in July 2014 and clearly photographed a crossing then. But I'm not a local so won't claim any knowledge of it myself!
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Re: Norfolk: B1077 Attleborough, road kind to cyclists?

Post by Psamathe »

Richard Fairhurst wrote:That said... are you 100% sure it isn't there any more? Google's Street View car last went along the A11 in July 2014 and clearly photographed a crossing then.

Off-topic:
I have no idea about that crossing, but have heard that RailTrack have been trying to close a lot of gated crossings (for safety reasons). There have been objections about some and I've no idea about how many have actually been closed. But such crossings are easily closed with a chain and padlock.

Ian
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Re: Norfolk: B1077 Attleborough, road kind to cyclists?

Post by Psamathe »

Psamathe wrote:
Richard Fairhurst wrote:That said... are you 100% sure it isn't there any more? Google's Street View car last went along the A11 in July 2014 and clearly photographed a crossing then.

Off-topic:
I have no idea about that crossing, but have heard that RailTrack have been trying to close a lot of gated crossings (for safety reasons). There have been objections about some and I've no idea about how many have actually been closed. But such crossings are easily closed with a chain and padlock.

Ian

That said, I think the particular crossing is open (I've never used it but) because http://www.networkrail.co.uk/Transparency/LevelCrossingItemDetail.aspx?lcid=8836&name=Hargham%20No.%202&View=onList&postcode=NR17&radius=

IAn
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Re: Norfolk: B1077 Attleborough, road kind to cyclists?

Post by mjr »

One crossing on the edge of Wisbech was closed a year or two ago, leaving a three mile diversion. The line to Wisbech closed to passengers in 1968, to freight in 2000 and was tarmacked in 2005! There is a dogmatic programme of crossing closures by Network Rail because people won't accept that those who walk out in front of trains will always find a way to do so.
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Re: Norfolk: B1077 Attleborough, road kind to cyclists?

Post by Cycling Cat »

Richard Fairhurst wrote:cycle.travel takes its data from OpenStreetMap which has the Fen Street crossing marked - so if it's no longer in existence, deleting it from OSM will remove it from cycle.travel in a week or two.

That said... are you 100% sure it isn't there any more? Google's Street View car last went along the A11 in July 2014 and clearly photographed a crossing then. But I'm not a local so won't claim any knowledge of it myself!


I stand corrected! Where I thought the fen St crossing should be all I could see was a wooden fence so clearly I was looking in the wrong place. I'll most probably use that though the bridge over the A11 just before Attleborough is a contender.
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Re: Norfolk: B1077 Attleborough, road kind to cyclists?

Post by Psamathe »

Cycling Cat wrote:
Richard Fairhurst wrote:cycle.travel takes its data from OpenStreetMap which has the Fen Street crossing marked - so if it's no longer in existence, deleting it from OSM will remove it from cycle.travel in a week or two.

That said... are you 100% sure it isn't there any more? Google's Street View car last went along the A11 in July 2014 and clearly photographed a crossing then. But I'm not a local so won't claim any knowledge of it myself!


I stand corrected! Where I thought the fen St crossing should be all I could see was a wooden fence so clearly I was looking in the wrong place. I'll most probably use that though the bridge over the A11 just before Attleborough is a contender.

I did the London Rd Roundabout a few weeks ago, on a Sun late afternoon, after a glorious sunny day. It was busy and I had to wait some time. Got across, found the "road" the other-side was not what I thought (the SW one) so went back across. Not too bad if you wait for the right time. But maybe everybody was behaving better (on the way back anyway) as there was a Police car sitting on the NW side!!

Ian
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Re: Norfolk: B1077 Attleborough, road kind to cyclists?

Post by Cycling Cat »

So Ian, why did you choose the roundabout instead of the Fen St cycle path? Did you know of its existence?
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Re: Norfolk: B1077 Attleborough, road kind to cyclists?

Post by Psamathe »

Cycling Cat wrote:So Ian, why did you choose the roundabout instead of the Fen St cycle path? Did you know of its existence?

No real reason. If I'd thought I guess there are points in favour of both. Most traffic is going straight-on so on the roundabout you only have to worry about traffic from your right. And once on the roundabout you have right of way (rather than having to wait for a gap in the other lane.

I suspect that were I doing the same route I would probably do the same again, but not for any justifiable reason. Just that, despite not being used to traffic, the roundabout did not "phase" me atall whereas some B roads do. That is not to say I'd recommend it or dissuade others from it.

Ian
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