Wolf Way - Cycling UK route in Suffolk

It was good. I live in Norfolk so some bits were familiar already but there were lots that weren't. I particularly liked the breckland/kings Lynn area and the forest near Thetford.

Pics and comments are here:
https://www.lfgss.com/conversations/380593/

I've had a look at flashpacking this over three and a half days with a mate:

• Day 1: Bury St Edmunds to Ipswich
  
• Day 2: Ipswich to Southwold
  
• Day 3: Southwold to Botesdale
  
• Day 4: Botesdale to Bury St Edmunds
  
  

First day I'd be solo with my mate joining on day 2, he'd be coming up from Worthing hence the choice of Ipswich because train connections. I don't know the area at all so I've just picked places that make sense to me from a distance split perspective but I'm absolutely not wedded to these. Last day needs to be a short one (70k or so) as I need to get back sharpish.

Any suggestions or local intel would be much appreciated!

This is local to me - the route actually goes right outside my front door. Are you planning on camping / bivvying?

Not if I can avoid it! I'm soft AF so I will be looking for B&B's or similar

Very sensible!

Suggestions:

Route from bury to Ipswich looks nice, Maglia Rosso cycling cafe is worth a look if you go past.

Ipswich gets a bad rap but loads of accommodation and some good pubs. The Fat Cat or The Spread Eagle both good.

Make sure the Felixstowe ferry is running before you set off. If not, going via Woodbridge is nice enough.

Southwold will make a nice stop with loads of places to stay and eat. Might be pricey. Adnams pubs a plenty.

Lowestoft is pretty grim and I’d avoid. It does have a good pub the Stanford Arms.

St Peter’s brewery is worth a stop. Also Grain as mentioned, it does open tap days at the brewery in Alburgh sometimes. Ampersand brewery is excellent and has an owned pub (the Cap) in Harleston, and a brewery tap slightly off route in Diss.

Botesdale is a small village with a couple of pubs and that’s about it. But not many other logical stops in that area - Eye or Diss both a bit bigger and would be possible options.

Distances all look sensible, it’s pretty flat and the roads are mostly super quiet. Enjoy!

Route passes my Dad’s house on a virtually unused bit of bridleway, I can foresee the NIMBYism forthcoming. The Wolf Cub route looks fun for a day out, might give that a go next time I’m back

Ampersand brewery is excellent

Seconded.

This is superb, thank you very much! Really looking forward to it. Sounds like we'll be having quite a few pints along the way...

Ipswich gets a bad rap...

Well, if the cap fits...

...some good pubs. The Fat Cat or The Spread Eagle both good.

The Spread (Grain Brewery mentioned above) is my local and just off the docks, which the route passes through. It has a courtyard garden and if you ask, they'll open the side gate and let you park your bikes securely. Blackwood Stout is currently on and well worth the diversion. They do pies (Pieminster I think), but not great value for money IMHO: £13 for menu-topping pie, which doesn't come with any veg or chips etc.

Practically on the docks is Briarbank Brewery, which has a large open area (but is open to the street). Do note that the bar is up a steep flight of stairs (above the brewery, which is on view): tricky in road cleats if you're carrying a couple of pints. No food.

The Fat Cat (free house) is a little out of the town centre but well worth the detour. There is a rail outside the pub for locking bikes, but they will be out of sight once you're inside. Regrettably the woman who makes their fist-sized Scotch Eggs was unwell when I last visited.

And just in case you see the Dove recommended, that's out of date info: formerly of AAA+++ standing, it's gone downhill considerably and I wouldn't go out of my way to visit.

No worries. Reading back it’s a very beer heavy list of recommendations!! There are lots of other nice things to see as well.

We did the Felixstowe to Lowestoft section over the weekend. Camped halfway near Thorpeness. It's a fantastic route. Major kudos to whoever put it together – they must really know the area. It's focused on quiet lanes and bridleways and meanders peacefully through glorious countryside.

We stuck with the route, for the most part. The route goes the long and quiet way round and even if, at times, it looks a little odd on the map, it’s usually worth it.

We did it on fixed gear with 28/25c tyres, with racks rigged-on with p-clips. Ideally, we would have had touring/gravel bikes, but we rode most of it without much problem. There was the odd sandy or muddy section where we had to push.

Who knew Suffolk was so pretty. Definitely going back. Highly recommended.

Did you wild camp or use a campsite? I'm planning on doing this section sometime in the summer.

Wild camp. There are loads of good spots. As always, just as it's getting to the time to camp, the good spots became scarce, but as usual, it worked out great.