Unauthorised deflation at Foulsham.
Mark and Chris met at Pretty Corner before riding down to pick up Neil Mc at Cross Green. Brian and Harvey joined the route at around seven miles. There was a brief encounter with Andrew, who was out for a short ride following laser eye treatment early in the week and whose dark sunglasses gave him the appearance of a late-20th century Italian roadman. Much of the outward route was very familiar to North Norfolk Wheelers, travelling basically south west to Craymere, Guestwick, Foulsham, Bintree, Billingford, Worthing and Gressenhall, where three Wheelers were tempted into the Mardler’s Rest by thoughts of warm quiche and hot tea on a dank and drizzly day. The rest of the route for the remaining duo was along less well known lanes via the Podmore ford, Scarning and Daffy Green to the King’s Cafe at Shipdham, at the heart of Norfolk. The return leg took the back ways into Yaxham, then along Cutthroat Lane, up the Stone Road to the eastern fringe of Dereham, Etling Green, Elsing, Fustyweed, Lyng and over the ridge to Reepham before deviating from the plotted route, heading more eastwards towards Brian’s home base. From Gressenhall the main group cut across by way of Woodgate and Hunters Hall to rejoin the set route at Elsing. Neil Mc departed at Corpusty leaving Mark and Chris to negotiate the last of the flooded dips through the Barninghams and back to PC and Sheringham town.
Following Friday’s deluge, it was a day of predominantly light rain with some fairly brief heavier bursts. Basically, the further south west you ventured the wetter it became. The Shipdham contingent were pretty wet by the time they arrived at the cafe. Unsurprisingly, there was a lot of surface water about. The Blackwater, the Wensum and the Tud all filled their natural flood plains with some impressive floods. A few places today would have been impassable six/eight hours earlier, particularly at river crossings, such as the Podmore ford, where it was evident that the water had backed right up the slope to the junction, which would have rendered the footbridge inaccessible during the early hours.
One puncture: Durano Plus.
Distances: 40 miles to 75 miles.
North Norfolk Wheelers 