Ride report by Neil M
Five Wheelers met at PC on a chilly, dry, but sunny December morning. At last the pattern of nice Fridays, but horrible wet Saturdays had been broken after a month of gloom.
We set off toward Baconsthorpe, picking Ian up at the Rectory Road/New Road junction and carrying on through Baconsthorpe, Plumstead and Edgefield to descend through Edgefield Street and across the Melton road to Town Close where we met Andy at the bottom of Heath Road. From here we made our way to Thurning and via the Hindolveston road to Guestwick.
The road from Guestwick to Foulsham was the setting for the first puncture of the day with Andy the unfortunate victim. The culprit proved to be a sizeable flint, but with the assistance of Mark and his proper pump, the deflation was quickly sorted.
Fortunately, there were no further issues as the ride continued through Foulsham to Themelthorpe and the Junction 21 Cafe on Marriot’s way, our lunch stop. Graham was there to meet us and it was nice to see him out and looking fit.
Lunch was quickly ordered, most opting for something fairly light – plus the inevitable cake. Mark bucked the trend by going Full English which looked very tasty. As part of the usual wide-ranging chat Andrew produced the snapped-off tip of his tyre lever, which Mark broke in the process of assisting with the repair of Andrew’s puncture some weeks before and had remained inside the tyre and caused a further puncture a week later. This very unusual occurrence triggered a debate as to who’s yearly total the second puncture should be added – Andrew’s or Mark’s? I think this one will run and run…
Given the nice weather, we left the cafe with less reluctance than usual and bid farewell to Graham who was making his own way back to Cromer. From Themelthorpe we proceeded through the lanes via Jordan Lane, Nowhere Lane and Blackwater Lane to Great Witchingham, Little Witchingham and a brief section on the Reepham Road before turning off toward Brandiston.
From Brandiston we carried on through Cawston toward Oulton where the second puncture of the day arrived. Again, Andy was the unhappy victim, but this time he insisted that we leave him to it as he was close to home and had all the equipment to fix it. Since the conditions were good and he had things well in hand, we said our goodbyes and then carried on to Oulton and Itteringham where Neil turned off to Mannington Hall and back home to Corpusty.
The remaining group carried on through Wickmere and Bessingham to Gresham where Ian and Doug left for home in High Kelling and Cromer respectively. The remaining three carried on through East Beckham back to PC and Home.
A very pleasant winter day’s ride only slightly marred by very muddy roads and punctures.
Editor’s note – Determined to take the Puncture Challenge lead, Andy’s removal of his tyre liners, ensured his double rear punctures pushed him to the top of the leaderboard. With just a few rides left, will he hold on until the year end?
Riders: Andrew B, Mark M, Chris S, Doug H, Ian A, Andy S, Neil Mc and Graham A at cafe.
Distance: 44.6 miles
Average: 14.6 mph
Upcoming Rides –
Wednesday 17th December -Stables Café, Blickling
Saturday 20th December – Watsons, Bacton
Routes for rides on the website under Dates and Destinations: https://nnwheelers.co.uk/club-runs/
Visit the Clubs Runs Gallery for larger and more photos: https://nnwheelers.co.uk/club-runs/club-runs-photo-gallery/
North Norfolk Wheelers 