Iceni warriors go hunting for hills in 'flat' Norfolk

DAVE BLOOM WORDS & PICTURES

Despite its reputation, there are plenty of “peaks” in East Anglia, if you know where to look. Dave Bloom and his companions set out, under hot, wide open skies at the end of May this year to complete a 200 kilometre circuit – and achieved a remarkable elevation of 1,237m. This is Dave’s report, complete with helpful explanations of peculiar Norfolk pronunciations…

Iceni warriors go hunting

THERE AREN’T MANY calendar events wholly located in Norfolk. Indeed, our very own “local” event, VC Baracchi’s Norfolk Special, a 200 kilometre loop around this beautiful county, actually starts in Suffolk!

Having completed John Thompson’s excellent “Silly Suffolk 200” last October, a group of us mates from our club, Iceni Velo, hatched a plan to entice a few fellow club riders to tackle the Norfolk Special. A seemingly mandatory Whatsapp group was created, and the chatter started.

Of the six who expressed an interest, only one hadn’t previously taken part in a brevet. As to be expected, there was much explanation and clarification of the somewhat confusing terms used in the world of Audax, and on the penultimate day of May, in perfect weather, our Covid-19 enforced group of six clipped in and set off from the Suffolk village of Lound.

The route initially took us north-east over the county boundary into Norfolk, through the sprawling village of Bradwell and towards the popular holiday destination of Great Yarmouth – a town of two halves separated by the River Yare. We rode the industrial side of the area (Gorleston) and into Yarmouth over Haven Bridge, then north towards Caister-on-Sea, before turning inland to our first info control at Runham (23km). There was talk in the group of how lucky we’d been with the weather – May had been unseasonably cold and wet – and how we could feel the benefit to our mental health just being out on our bikes with good friends.

Onwards in a north-westerly direction towards the small town of Acle, our flow was interrupted by yours truly puncturing. This was dealt with in a swift, professional manner, if I do say so myself, and off we went again, on very familiar roads for most of the group as they’re regularly used for our club rides.

Heading directly towards Norwich, we left the Acle Road at South Walsham. Spirits were high and the mood relaxed as we rode down to the picturesque Malthouse Broad at Ranworth. Wroxham, the “Capital of the Broads” was next with its many boatyards and multiple stores, all named Roys. The next control (53km) was at Coltishall where we made a brief stop for sustenance and the requisite receipt plus removal of arm-warmers for all. The

Time for a quick selfie at the first control at Runham

presence of a local Smithy didn’t go un-noticed and the inevitable question “does anyone need any repairs” was asked by group joker Tom.

The next control was 43km away on the North Norfolk coast at Stiffkey (pronounced Stu-key) so, as we say in Norfolk, off we troshed, pockets stuffed with food, and bidons replenished, through Buxton, the market town of Aylsham, past the stunning Blickling Hall and on towards Holt.

Now, as you may or may not know, Norfolk isn’t exactly famous for its hills but there are plenty if you know where to look, and the drag up towards Holt Country Park on the B1149 certainly got the blood pumping. The inclines were short and sharp, just how we like them. Another puncture, this time for Andrew, was handled with aplomb before we skirted to the west of Holt and continued through the valley of the River Glaven to Letheringsett, famous for its flour mill. A further 8km along, the war-time groundto-air training dome is pretty much all that remains of RAF Langham, save a few conspicuous concrete turning areas criss-crossing the road. This provided us with a brief history lesson from our resident filmmaker Andrew and passed the time as we rode onwards to Stiffkey for Info control three.

After a quick stop at Stiffkey, which was heaving with second home owners from London in their huge German 4x4s and yachting clothes, we found ourselves ascending the hill we’d just ridden down. It’s no Hardknott Pass I’ll grant you that, but ride it and you’ll certainly know it’s there!

The next control was in the village of Briston (113km) where we refuelled as the next stop was a further 50km down the road. Meal Deals were the order of the day while the banter flowed and the mercury

for hills in ‘flat’ Norfolk

rose. You don’t have to wander too far off the beaten track to discover the true beauty of Norfolk and I think we we’re all acutely aware of how lucky we are to live in this fine county as we headed south east on picturesque lanes towards Reepham (pronounced Reef-am). With the wind picking up slightly, we pushed on, crossing the A47 at Hockering towards Wymondham (you guessed it, pronounced Wind-am).

Sadly, we missed the café in Wymondham as they close at 2pm, so after a brief consultation with club mate Michael, whose home town this was, we decided to head to the town square and the local Co-op. With the nagging headwind starting to become stronger, iced coffee and energy drinks were quaffed as sprits began to flag a little.

There was only 40km and two more info controls to go. Surely, we’d broken its back now? As we saddled up, Andrew became aware of another puncture. Tired and hot, the mood was lightened by yet more wisecracks from Tom joined this time by PBP veteran Mike Hale. They’re good blokes to have with you on a ride like this.

We’d dropped two of the group by the time we’d reached our next stop at Hempnall. Jotting down the mileage to Long Stratton as required for the penultimate info control, two of us, me included, didn’t hear the call to “crack on”. Much precious energy was expended on attempting to get back on the wheels of the leading group but we managed it.

Yet another impromptu stop at the small market town of Loddon ensured our bottles remained full, and heavily salted snacks were demolished. The last info control was only 21km away and the route was thankfully flat with plenty of hedgerows to protect us. By the time we’d reached Thurlton, I was totally spent so I quickly necked an energy gel, dug in and headed for the finish.

The final leg involved a particularly nasty stretch of road known locally as the Haddiscoe Dam – a busy and twisty three kilometre stretch of the A143 between Haddiscoe and St Olaves. As a club rider, I try to avoid this road wherever possible as other road users struggle to pass due to the poor lines of sight that allow such manoeuvres. I’ve had more close passes along this stretch than I care to remember. Today however, the Bank Holiday traffic was very patient with us, and as we crawled over the flyover which crosses the River Waveney denoting the Norfolk/Suffolk border, I was relieved it was (nearly) all over.

For the last few kilometres, legs were undeniably tired, heads started to hang low and the banter which had been so prevalent for most of the day had all but dried up. Each of us was inwardly praying that the sign for Lound would appear around the next bend. A final burst of energy from John Swindells and Michael Artt, who’d both been super strong all day, saw them disappear into the distance while the now regrouped four remaining Iceni troopers pushed on to the end. We were welcomed back at the arrivée by the ever-jovial John Thompson and the food he’d kindly provided.

Overall a thoroughly enjoyable ride, showcasing some of the best Norfolk, a place where we speak a bit funny.

THE ICENI TEAM

The band of six, who all ride for the Norwich-based Iceni Velo club, were: Dave Bloom, Tom Pitcher Cooke, John Swindells, Andrew Goodchild, Mike Hale, Michael Artt and James South. A video of the ride can be found on Andrew’s YouTube channel, Divum –

www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtxQ0wEq4Eg&t=4s

RIDESTATS:

Total distance 206.7km Riding time 7h 27m Total elapsed time 9h 45m Elevation gain 1,237m Close passes 1 Punctures 3 Calories consumed Who’s counting? Fun had Immeasurable