With the Wednesday ride postponed a day due to bad weather, four Wheelers met at PC on a bright and calm Thursday morning, for the inaugural visit to the recently re-opened Gressenhall White Swan. With the roads dry, the only evidence of the previous day’s deluge was a lot of debris washed into the roads.
Our fairly direct route took us south to Itteringham, through Heydon Park, Reepham, across the A1067 at Sparham, down to Elsing and then west to Swanton Morley, Hoe and Gressenhall.
The White Swan is now run as a community pub and has undergone a full renovation and is now a very comfortable and well-appointed venue, with plenty of tables inside and out, a wide menu choice, good coffee and a number of local beers.
As a result we enjoyed a leisurely lunch and were all impressed with our meals. Eventually we had to leave and head home and with less sun in the afternoon it was a little cooler but still a great day to be out enjoying the Norfolk countryside.
Our route home took us to East Bilney, Brisley, where the Bell car park looked full, Bintree Mill and up the climb, where at the top we saw the first sugarbeet heap of the season. Then on to Foulsham, Briston, Edgefield and a tour of the ponds at Hempstead and Selbrigg, where two turned left for High Kelling and two turned right to return to PC.
PC to PC was 56 miles, with 2350ft/716m of climbing at a fairly leisurely 13.8 mph average.
Andrew B, Ian A, Graham A and Mark leading.