Norwich Overnighter

Ive been battling with a cold for the last few weeks but as symptoms lessened, I was keen for an overnight trip that wouldnt overtax my body (hadnt really turned pedals recently) before lockdown restarts. I settled on Chris Coles Norwich Overnighter route on Bikepacking.com.

The last time i can remember being in Norfolk was for the Deadbeat music festival in Great Yarmouth where the seaside town left quite an impression in February. Anyway, the route hit the nail on the head. Norfolk is seemingly as flat as its reputation suggests (particularly when you are heading along an old railway line) which makes life easier although flip side to the coin is theres a bit less to see. The route is definitely in the gravel rather than mountain bike category, and no doubt something closer to a traditional tourer in summer. I rode it after a heavy rain and both myself and my drivetrain got a good coating of mud on the first day (hand carwash sites are amazing for a clean up).

The route could be done in a day, particularly if you finished at Great Yarmouth rather than cycling on to Norwich - youd definitely make faster passage unladen (my cold meant that i wasnt travelling light). After reaching Great Yarmouth, I simply asked Google to send me on a cycle friendly route back to Norwich and the first half was pretty forgetable but the latter stretch was lovely.

I wild camped on some dunes with a short ride on to Great Yarmouth in the morning. IT was pretty fresh overnight despite the sleeping bag, sleeping liner, multiple thermals and synthetic down jacket). Great Yarmouth definitely hasnt made the bougey transformation like some of Britains coastal towns, looking something like a downmarket Las Vegas interspersed with some beautiful buildings from a much earlier era.

I found Norwich a good place to finish up with plenty of eating options to recharge...Moorish Falafel Bar, Bread Source and Brick all get the 👍 from me. Will post some photos soon.

Oh nice. What l when did you go exactly? I wondered about trail conditions at the moment.

synthetic down jacket

which one do you use? would you recommend it?

Did the trip Thursday - Friday...got back yesterday. There were about three trees across the track but able to get by in each instance

Patagonia Micro Puff...second hand from eBay. Is bright orange so far from discrete (would have picked a different colour if i had a choice) but figure I can always put a shell over the top if i need to be discrete. It packs down really small and good for end of the day riding

I've never heard of this route before but it looks fantastic - what kind of bike were you riding? Do you think it would be suitable for a CX/Gravel bike? I might give this a go if so

I was riding a gravel bike - certainly no need for a mountain bike. There are a few short stretches on farm tracks where theres some big puddles but certainly no need for flat bars or suspension. I would imagine theres no shortage of road route alternatives should the mud start getting a bit too much for you

Looks great fun, one for the future

Awesome, I'll give it a go!

fuck me, Wally’s Windmill - that brings back some memories!

gonna try and do the longer version of this at xmas, but I think finding anywhere to stay will be hard

Braver than me. Surely an absolute mudfest this time of year!