Short tour recommendations?

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Godlykepower
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Short tour recommendations?

Post by Godlykepower »

I've got a week off at the end of April and I fancy getting away from here for 3 or 4 days.

I want to drive to somewhere probably no more than 2 hours away from Royston, Hertfordshire and do about 40-50 miles per day.

I want to either:

~camp somewhere and do several rides from one base, or
~park up somewhere and ride for 3 days and camp each night in a different place.

My only requirements are that the ride must be pretty with ample opportunity to stop for coffee and cake!

What can you recommend?
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axel_knutt
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Re: Short tour recommendations?

Post by axel_knutt »

The Chilterns are quite attractive, with a few more contours and trees than average, or better still, the Cotswolds are probably within two hours. Shropshire's quite nice, but might take a bit more time to reach. The attractions of Essex are a bit more scattered, but the following are worth a visit if you're in the area:
Saffron Walden/Thaxted/Gt. Bardfield/Finchingfield
Danbury/Papermill Lock/Maldon/Heybridge Basin
Burnham on Crouch
Coggeshall
Castle Hedingham
Dedham/Stour Valley
Clare/Cavendish/Long Melford/Lavenham (Suffolk)
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Godlykepower
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Re: Short tour recommendations?

Post by Godlykepower »

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll look into some of these areas further.
What's the camping like around those parts? Any recommendations?
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patpalloon
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Re: Short tour recommendations?

Post by patpalloon »

How about the Peak District?
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Godlykepower
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Re: Short tour recommendations?

Post by Godlykepower »

I was thinking about the Peaks. I used to spend a lot of time there in my Land Rover and love it.
I was hoping to get to somewhere I have not explored before, but as it's only a few days, perhaps I should stick with what I already know will be brilliant.

Any suggestions for routes there?
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Re: Short tour recommendations?

Post by Vorpal »

axel_knutt wrote:The Chilterns are quite attractive, with a few more contours and trees than average, or better still, the Cotswolds are probably within two hours. Shropshire's quite nice, but might take a bit more time to reach. The attractions of Essex are a bit more scattered, but the following are worth a visit if you're in the area:
Saffron Walden/Thaxted/Gt. Bardfield/Finchingfield
Danbury/Papermill Lock/Maldon/Heybridge Basin
Burnham on Crouch
Coggeshall
Castle Hedingham
Dedham/Stour Valley
Clare/Cavendish/Long Melford/Lavenham (Suffolk)


I would add Hadleigh, Suffolk and maybe Bury St. Edmunds to this list, and Norfolk to the suggestions list.

Godlykepower wrote:What can you recommend?

Do you want to do any touristy stuff? See National Trust sites? Or just ride your bike with frequent stops for coffee & cakes?
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Godlykepower
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Re: Short tour recommendations?

Post by Godlykepower »

I don't particularly want to do touristy things, no.

I'd like to ride somewhere that is picturesque with places to stop for a brew or picture taking, but I'm not interested in visiting museums or anything like that.

Nice quiet roads that I can just take my time pottering along, looking at the scenery.
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ukdodger
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Re: Short tour recommendations?

Post by ukdodger »

Godlykepower wrote:I don't particularly want to do touristy things, no.

I'd like to ride somewhere that is picturesque with places to stop for a brew or picture taking, but I'm not interested in visiting museums or anything like that.

Nice quiet roads that I can just take my time pottering along, looking at the scenery.


Try the Trans Pennine way

http://www.transpenninetrail.org.uk/

Mostly flat on cycle paths. Bit gravelly in places but a fascinating ride
binka
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Re: Short tour recommendations?

Post by binka »

North norfolk cycle route?
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Godlykepower
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Re: Short tour recommendations?

Post by Godlykepower »

I like the sound of the Trans-Penine Trail, but I don't really fancy the drive to a start point, nor can I be bothered with trying to arrange getting back to my car once I've completed it.
I'll certainly keep this in mind for another time, but it's not for me on this trip. Many thanks for the suggestion though!

Now, Norfolk is more like it. I've only really been into this area a couple of times and don't know it very well.

Bury St. Edmunds has come up before when I've enquirer about short trips from Royston. Perhaps I should head in that direction and go north into Norfolk? Or drive a bit further I to Norfolk and do a circular route on one of the cycle routes?
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Re: Short tour recommendations?

Post by Vorpal »

I like Bury St. Edmund's, but I have to admit that part of its attraction to me is things to see. There are, however, a number of nice tea rooms there; or were when last I went. And Britain's smallest pub. It's a pretty market town. It's fairly prosperous, so there's much less of filling high street shops with betting & charity shops than other places. However, Clare, Lavenham, and Hadleigh are prettier, if smaller and embody the image of rural Suffolk, while Bury St. Edmunds has big employers Greene King and British Sugar, and consequently a ring of modern housing estates.

The coastal road might be a little chilly yet in April, but otherwise, Norfolk is very nice, too. If you re as late as the May bank holiday weekend, I would avoid the coastal road then. It can be very busy bank holidays and it's too narrow an windy to be nice in heavy traffic.

If it's the stops you're after, have look at http://www.norfolkctc.org.uk/?q=caf-s and plan around them? :D There used to be a list for Suffolk somewhere, to, but I can't find it at the moment. But most of the pretty little villages and towns of Suffolk have nice tea rooms. I don't recall ever being disappointed. If you decide to go that way, say so, and I will either find a list, or post my own favourites.

edited to add: you might be able to park in Thetford Forest on a pass card? I haven't checked, but it used to be possible to buy a week's pass that included parking. IIRC the fees for a week's pass were reasonable.
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axel_knutt
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Re: Short tour recommendations?

Post by axel_knutt »

Godlykepower wrote:What's the camping like around those parts? Any recommendations?

Sorry, I've no idea where you can find any camping, the last time I used a tent was in the Scouts. We used to ask people if we could pitch camp in their gardens. :lol:
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Vorpal
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Re: Short tour recommendations?

Post by Vorpal »

There's plenty of camping in both Suffolk and Norfolk. There is less if you range bit further south, in fact even if you want to go to Coggeshall & Constable Country, the campsites I would recommend are over the border in Suffolk. Thetford Forest is nice, and there's another thread with some routes from there viewtopic.php?f=16&t=85233.

I think you had another thread where I made some recommendations, a while back?

edited: Here it is viewtopic.php?f=16&t=79299&hilit=+polestead

Also, there's camping near Dereham, and I can recommend Top Farm, and a bike-friendly one at Burnham Deepdale with Deepdale cafe next door.
“In some ways, it is easier to be a dissident, for then one is without responsibility.”
― Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom
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