Two riders met at PC for the ride to Burnham Deepdale. The weather was fine but with the threat of showers and a fairly brisk wind.
The planned route went through East Beckham, Lower Bodham, High Kelling, Hempstead, Holt, Letheringsett and Little Thornage, where Andrew and Clive were picked up. The four then continued through Sharrington, Binham, Warham and Wells, where we stopped on the quay to admire the view (see photo),
Wells quayside, club ride 23-Sept-2026. Photo Ian A.
Then through Holkham Park which had a large herd of deer (I counted about 200 – see photos), Burnham Overy and Burnham Market. A good pace was made despite the head wind. The rain held off and we even saw a rainbow at one point.
Norfolk Dappled deer at Holkham Hall, club ride 23-Sept-2026. Photo Ian A.Herd of fallow deer at Holkham Park, club ride 23-Sept-2026. Photo Ian A.
On arrival at the cafe we found that Ian, who had made his own way there, had already nabbed a table for us all. We were just too late for the breakfast menu but enjoyed a good selection of baguettes/ciabattas with salad and crisps, along with the usual teas and coffees, which arrived very quickly. The lunch talk consisted mainly of the merits of electric cars and the deals around at the moment, noting that the author has just ordered one!
Chris left early to get a fast training session in and Ian continued to take a more leisurely ride home. The remainder made their way back starting with a loop towards Docking then back to Burnham Market, Burnham Thorpe, south of Holkham Park, Wighton, Binham and Langham. Clive and Andrew made their own way back to Blakeney at this point, leaving just Mark (and Ian) to ride back through Glandford, Bayfield Brecks, Holt to High Kelling, then West Beckham to PC. Again, a good pace was maintained with the wind behind us but a more hilly terrain.
Overall a good ride, and despite the constant threat of rain we made it back dry!
PC to PC was 60.4 miles at an average 15.0 mph (15.3 Out, 14.7 Back) Riders: Chris S, Mark M, Clive A, Ian A, Andrew B
P.S. Andy S has completed day 4 of 14 (total 302 miles of 900) of his French, Channel to the Med ride.
Chris, back from his Italian motoring trip, was obviously keen today as he was already at PC when Mark arrived. With plenty of Wheelers away, it was just the two setting off for Gresham to collect Doug. The main topic of the day was the weather, very warm and extremely windy from the south west, which was the direction we were headed. This would result in some tactical re-routing on the way. Setting off south initially for Ingworth, then Blickling and Cawston. We then headed for Felthorpe and Attlebridge, but took the shorter route to Swannington and Attlebridge, giving us plenty of time to stop at the bridge.
Attlebridge and the mighty river Wensum. L-R, Chris S, Doug H, Mark M camera. 19th Sept 2026
Then after crossing the A1067, it was up the newly traffic calmed Marl Hill before turning for Lyng, passing the back of the golf course and dinosaur park on the way. At Lyng Easthaugh, instead of climbing up onto the very exposed plateau of Collen’s Green, we continued on the lower river valley road to Lyng, which was still windy enough. Then over the Wensum and up the hill to the A1067 again, with a short run down the main road before turning for the café. We were all pleased to arrive and had saved ourselves 2.3 very windy miles. The café and the Bug Park were busy and we noted that a very lifelike giant ant had taken up residence in the kids play area, I don’t know if it scared the kids as no one was playing on it.
There is always a good menu choice and for once Mark was going for the healthier poached eggs, only to be told they ended at 11:30, so a full breakfast and a huge Bakewell slice it was then. Chris and Doug had the tuna jackets with Doug also opting for a huge cake. Chris told us about his enjoyable trip and his car survived the 3000+ miles, though after a road works bollard got in the way of his left mirror, he had to reattach it with a giant roll of gaffa tape. Lunch and tales over, he headed off for his training ride home and to fit his replacement mirror.
Doug and Mark were much slower in leaving, to give Chris a head start obviously, and soon noticed the mighty tail wind as we headed for Alderford and Swannington. Then we turned north for Cawston, Heydon, Saxthorpe, turning past Mannington Hall onto the Itteringham road. At the Little Barningham crossroads, Doug turned for Thurgarton, Sustead and Cromer. As we were parting ways the only rain of the day started, fairly light and not lasting long, when it cleared and the sun came out, there was a partial rainbow over in the Cromer direction, maybe the pot of gold is at Doug’s house! Mark continued north for Barningham Winter and PC. When he then joined Holway Road at the PC car park, an old red double decker bus (part of the 1940’s weekend) was struggling up the hill enroute for Holt, with a huge queue of cars behind it, ah, the good old days.
PC to PC was 50.7 miles at an average 14.9 mph (14.8 Out, 14.9 Back, despite the tail wind) Riders: Chris S, Mark M, Doug H
Due to others’ European Adventures, just Mark and Andrew met at PC on a breezy but bright Autumnal day for the pretty and, even by North Norfolk standards, ‘church heavy’ ride down to Hoveton Hall. The route took the duo via Gresham, Sustead, Hanworth, crossed the Norwich Road and passed Gunton Park (waving to some impressive red deer stags today) before crossing the Cromer Road and continuing across the mainline via Antingham Hill. Nature called and unfortunately during this stop what Mark thought was a big lump of mud on his shoe/cleat turned out to be much more unsavoury. (Suffice to say, we sat outside the cafe at lunch to dissipate any ripe odours…) Continuing on, the route took in the edge of North Walsham and then a lovely section comprising Meeting Hill, Honing, crossing a pretty spot at Tylers Cut via a bridge just before Dilham, then Neatishead and Irstead.
Pretty St. Michael’s Church Irstead, club ride 16-Sept-2026. Photo Ian A.Historic font, St. Michael’s Church Irstead, club ride 16-Sept-2026. Photo Ian A.
At St. Michael’s Church Irstead the duo met Ian as planned, who had made his own way there and arrived just a couple of minutes earlier. The church is delightful and has much to commend it. In particular an impressive font which has some of the original paint faintly visible. Stained glass windows, the original 14th Century door and above it, a carving of St. Michael fighting a serpent are some of the other highlights. Church done, we then spent a couple of minutes by the River Ant which runs into the considerable expanse of Barton Broad just north of Irstead. (There’s a short boardwalk which has a viewpoint giving good views over the broad and you might spot common terns for which the NWT provide nesting platforms.) Anyway, back to the bike ride! The trio remounted and cycled the next 5 miles together via Ashmanhaugh to reach Flora Cafe just before 1230. Malcolm had made his own way there and given that last time we met him (Little Plumstead) he arrived just as we were leaving (and no we didn’t wait for him!) so by the time we arrived he had finished his lunch. But that meant that while we ate he could update us with his news and musings uninterrupted. Every cloud etc…
Autumn sunshine at the Flora Café Hoveton Hall Gardens, club ride, 16-Sept-2026. L-R: Ian A, Andrew B, Malcolm S, Mark M.
Other topics over lunch included Andrew’s mounting confusion with solar panels and electric cars, the pros and cons of smart meters and Ian’s joy over his latest erection in his garden… a metal arch made by a local Artist Blacksmith. We’d enjoyed a good tailwind all morning so after lunch (yes you’ve guessed it) although Malcolm was now going to get a tailwind. Ian said his goodbyes and headed off a couple of minutes before Mark/Andrew at his gentler Wednesday pace, expecting to be caught in a few miles time. The homeward leg crossed the mainline again at Tunstead, then went via Scottow, Swanton Abbot (by which point Ian had been caught, and he stopped to add a photo of the Village Sign there to his growing collection – viewings by arrangement.). Then it was Skeyton, Tuttington (another nice church), Banningham, Ingworth (another nice church), skirting Calthorpe, Wickmere and on to Matlaske.
St. Peter & St. Paul Church Tuttington, club ride 16-Sept-2026. Photo Ian A.St. Lawrence Church, Ingworth , club ride 16-Sept-2026. Photo Ian A.
It was good to see Andrew again as it had been a while but he wasn’t feeling 100% after a recent bout of man flu, so at Matlaske Mark and he diverted straight to PC, shaving about 1.5 miles off of the full route. When Ian (finally?) arrived at Matlaske he was feeling as strong as an Ox and manfully completed the route via Plumstead, Baconsthorpe and to the top of Bodham Hill before turning left for High Kelling at the bottom of New Road. A nice route in dry conditions with a good dollop of churches and dog poo.
Doug, Mark, Andy and new member Ray met at P.C. this Saturday morning. The weather was cloudy with a stiff southwesterly wind. The group set off heading westerly and into a head wind for most of the morning. The route took us through West Beckham and up to High Kelling where we were met by Ian, completing the group of five.
From here the route went down Bridge Road to Cley, over the Glandford ford, out of Glandford and up the Dragway. Just after the top of the Dragway , Ray was attacked by a wasp which stung him on the neck before proceeding to buzz down his top. Today there seemed to be a lot of bugs about with plenty of bees and wasps feasting on the ivy in the hedgerows. A good sign for the wildlife but a bit annoying for cyclists!
The route went through Saxlingham and Field Dalling. At this point , due to the exposed head wind, rather than going to Binham and back to Hindringham, the group detoured to Bale and onto Hindringham taking advantage of a sheltered route. Then onto Great Snoring, East Barsham, North Barsham and a loop round and back to Little Walsingham for lunch at Norton’s Cafe.
The Cafe turned out to be very quiet so lunch was served very quickly with a selection of toasties and jacket potatoes. At lunch Ian gave us a very interesting lecture on a recent trip on the Wells to Little Walsingham railway. Apparently the 4 mile route makes it the world’s longest 10.25” narrow gauge railway line. More importantly he found another cafe at the Well’s train station (that got the group’s attention).
With the group well fed and watered we made ready for the homeward leg once we had got our bearings right and started heading the correct way. Once out of Walsingham we headed back to Hindringham and Gunthorpe. At the Melton Road junction Andy headed off towards Melton Constable for an early shower. This left the remaining group proceeding towards Swanton Novers, Hindolveston, Corpusty, up the Edgefield Hill and on towards Baconsthorpe. Ray turned off for Hempstead and Holt, while Ian won the sprint up Bodham Hill before turning back to High Kelling and home. The remaining two, Mark and Doug, made their way back to Red Barn Lane before splitting for PC and Cromer respectively.
PC to PC was 58.9 miles at an average 14.9 mph (15.0 Out, 14.8 Back) Riders: Mark M, Doug H, Ray T, Andy S, Ian A
Holidays, sickness, the strong north westerly wind and a hilly route, resulted in just Andy and Mark meeting at PC. Ian would be out as well, meeting us for lunch. We set off into the wind for High Kelling, Cley Newgate, some respite to Glandford, then to Langham and across a very windy airfield, finally turning south after 15 miles. It was now an easier ride to Binham, across the A148 to Sharrington and down to Letheringsett, having crossed the ford at Little Thornage (we thought of you Richard). Then it was the hard and windy climb up Wall’s Lane to Bayfield Brecks, the descent to Glandford crossing the ford for the second time before making our way to Bayfield Hall and Natural Surroundings café.
Natural Surroundings, Bayfield. Club ride 9-Sept-2026. Photo Ian A.
Ian had arrived a few minutes earlier and had just received his cafetiere and large fruit scone. We soon had our cheese on toast, cake and tea ordered and then discussed whether Andy should be tapering before his upcoming France coast to coast trip or if the day would be good Mont Ventoux training, as he still had to get home, we decided on the latter.
Mark about to enjoy Natural Surroundings’ legendary cheese on toast with jalapenos. Club ride 9-Sept-2026. Photo Ian A.
After lunch, Ian continued at his own pace, though would keep overtaking us when we stopped on the way back. Setting off to Wiveton and then the Bridgefoot Lane climb as a warm up before dropping into Salthouse for the Bard Hill effort. After recovering from that, it was the Cley Road up to Holt and an easy couple of miles down to Hunworth before the ever popular Hunworth Hill to Edgefield. As Andy turned towards Corpusty and home, Ian appeared again, so we both made our way to Hempstead, Baconsthorpe and up Bodham Hill then each turning for home.
Local humour at Field Dalling, club ride 9-Sept-2026. Photo Ian A.
Our hilly route had 704m of climbing, today’s Vuelta stage classified as flat had 1084m and if that wasn’t enough to demoralise us, then Chris S, currently on a motoring trip to Italy, sent us video from the Gavia Pass in Italy of a guy riding it on a unicycle!
PC to PC was 48.3 miles at an average 14.5 mph (15.2 Out, 13.6 Back) Riders: Andy S, Mark M, Ian A
On a bright but windy Saturday morning, Mark, Andy and guest Ray met at PC. With lots of holidays being taken, the party of three headed off south to pick up the final two wheelers for the day, Doug and Ian, from Gresham Church. With the peloton complete and the conclusion of the discussion of whether it was really cold enough for arm warmers and gilets, they headed south with a very strong crosswind. This enabled Mark to set a hot pace, which continued all day, with minor comments and a few mutterings from the back.
We rushed through Bessingham, sprinting past Aldborough, to Alby, Suffield, Felmingham, through Swanton Abbott for the first time in the day, Worstead, on to Ashmanhaugh, via Belaugh Green, and on to the lunch stop at Red Lion Café in Coltishall. This was extremely uneventful, and only had one minor ‘almost’ moment, where Doug did his best not to fall in a ditch.
One of many fields of sunflowers, club ride 5-Sept-2026. Photo Ian A.
Graham had made his way by train and bike to meet us all at the stop and was ready to talk us through his next great adventure: taking the ferry to Spain for two weeks of cycling. Quite the adventure, and one we would all love to do
Red Lion cafe, Coltishall 5th Sept 2026 L-R, Doug H, Andy S, Graham A, guest Ray T, Mark M, Ian A
Lunch was very pleasant, with the only highlight being that we almost considered helping a lady to fix her car, but quite rightly we sat and watched her jump-start it with what looked like a tiny battery. Amazing. None of us would have been of any help, but it is the thought that counts, so they say.
The conversation ranged from the global position of the missing Wheelers to, the highlights of the highlights of the ongoing cycling events on TV to the adventures ahead. As with Graham, Andy is off to ride from Saint-Malo to Nice in a couple of weeks, and again, we wish him well and that we would all like to go as well.
With lunch completed, we were off again, at a similar pace to our arrival. Mark was right on it today. With the crosswind now slightly becoming a headwind, we were off past RAF Coltishall, through Swanton Abbott for the second time, Tuttington, on to Banningham and Ingworth. Near Itteringham, Andy headed home, with Ray shortly after heading back to Holt. With the final three heading up Bodham Hill, Ian took the plaudits for a fine sprint to the line before turning for High Kelling. Mark headed back to PC, while Doug, turning into a full tailwind, flew back to Cromer.
PC to PC was 52.8 miles at an average 15.6 mph (16.2 Out, 15.1 Back) Riders: Andy S, Mark M, Ian A, Doug H, guest Ray T, Graham A
P.S. Vuelta d Espana daily highlights on Channel 5/5 Action at 7-8pm
Four members met at P.C. this Wednesday morning: Mark, Chris, Andy and new member Les. The morning gave a dull but dry start with a threat of rain coming in with the south westerly wind at around 1.00pm. With the temperature around 18/19 degrees it was starting to have the feel of early autumn.
We headed off through the lanes to Baconsthorpe and Edgefield. On the lane down to Little Barningham Chris’s rear gear cable snapped leaving him with the chain stuck in the smallest gear. So Chris had to do the remainder of the ride stuck in a very high gear (good TT training Chris!!). Hats off to Chris, he did it.
The route went past Mannington Hall, Calthorpe, Ingworth and along Carr Lane, at the back of Blickling estate, where a lot of sand and gravel from the recent rains made the going tricky. Then up to the main Aylsham road and onto Oulton which took us to the Norwich road. After crossing this the last two miles to Cawston was into a stiff headwind giving us a good appetite for our lunch at All Things Nice.
Lunch was cups of tea all round with a selection of healthy fry ups in baps. The conversation was as varied as usual with pending trips to Italy and France, car museums at Caister and Les moving into his new house at Sheringham.
With lunch finished Chris was off as usual to finish his TT training on his fixed gear bike. The remaining three set off out of Cawston, over Brandiston Common , where we got a great view of Booton Church and its ornate towers. Onto Booton and Reepham which seemed to be invaded by roadworks and detours.
Just out of Reepham it started to rain so raincoats on. By the time we got to Guestwick the rain had stopped and the clouds had cleared (rain coats off). We went onto Briston before heading up the long drag to Edgefield. Once again Mark made a good pace up the hill, when he put his chain onto the big chain ring I knew he meant business and off he went. One day I will get there first!
Andy S left at this point to roll down to Corpusty leaving Mark and Les to make their way back through Plumstead, up the Barningham Rd to Mill Lane over to East Beckham and back to P.C.
PC to PC was 47.8 miles at an average 15.1 mph (15.5 Out, 14.7 Back) Riders: Andy S, Chris S, Mark M, Les B
P.S. Vuelta d Espana daily highlights on Channel 5 at 7-8pm, then Tour of Britain ( Sept 2nd to 6th) highlights on ITV4 at 8-9pm Chris recommends a visit to: https://www.caistercastle.co.uk/motor-museum
Three Wheelers and guest Ray met at PC on a dry, (fairly) warm August morning. Rain was forecast later on, so everyone had their rain jackets stashed for the inevitable soaking.
Neil and Ian were collected at Gresham church and then Doug at the junction of Hall Road at Metton Road. The Peloton complete, we continued to Hanworth where the first puncture of the autumn season struck Chris. The culprit was a large flint, as usual. This took a bit longer to fix than expected as the rear axle didn’t want to fit properly when trying to re-fit the wheel, but it cooperated eventually and we set off again with the sky looking increasingly threatening.
Chris S deals with his first puncture of the year, assisted by his fellow Wheelers! Hanworth 29th Aug 2026Chris’s shark tooth flint from our first puncture since May, club ride 29-Aug-2026. Hand & photo Ian A.
From Hanworth we continued on to Thorpe Market, past Gunton station, through Bradfield and into the outskirts of North Walsham where we encountered some very dodgy driving, but fortunately no accidents. We carried on through the backstreets to pop out at White Horse Common and then took the lanes through Crostwight and Lessingham. Just after Lessingham the second puncture of the day occurred to Andy this time. Yet another flint had struck. We were quite close to the cafe at that point so Mark volunteered to stay with Andy to help while the rest of us carried on to bag a table at the cafe.
The remaining group set off through (the other) Hempstead to pick up the back lane next to the dunes through to Sea Palling. A group of birdspotters with telescopes and long lenses were passed and Ian stopped to find out what they had sighted. The remaining four carried on down the very sandy lane and after a few alarming slides, popped out at Sea Palling. From there it was a short run down the coast road to Waxham and The Dunes Cafe, our lunch stop.
The cafe was very busy with bank holiday families, but we managed to bag a table just as Ian arrived. Mark and Andy appeared not long after and we settled down to enjoy the excellent food on offer. For such a popular Cafe, the Dunes is very reasonably priced which is a nice bonus.
Dunes Café Waxham Barn, club ride 29-Aug-2026. L-R: Andy S, Mark M, Neil M, Doug H, Ray (guest), Ian A
Lunchtime conversation was mostly to do with Andy’s impending French end-to-end cycling holiday and Ray’s recent Alps cycling trip (Neil’s planned Alps trip in July 27 seems far away in comparison, there is a winter to get through first…).
Chris left early to get some faster miles in and the remaining six set off a little later feeling distinctly well-fed. The initial route was back to Sea Palling on the coast road and then inland to Ingham, East Ruston, Honing and then turning north to White Horse common and through North Walsham toward Antingham. We took the Antingham Hill road to the pedestrian railway crossing and headed to Suffield to take the Alby Common back road to cross the A140. At this point the promised rain finally arrived and we stopped to put our rain jackets on. Fortunately the rain was light and it wasn’t cold, so things didn’t turn too grim.
Late sunflowers at Suffield, club ride 29-Aug-2026. Photo Ian A.
From the A140 crossing the route continued through Town Green past Aldborough where Neil and Andy left to head toward Little Barningham and home in Corpusty. Doug also left to head for Sustead, Metton and home to Cromer.
The remaining three carried on to take the back road round Barningham Winter and head toward Baconsthorpe where Ray split off to head to Hempstead and home in Holt. Ian and Mark carried on to Rectory Road where Ian split off for High Kelling and home. Mark continued on alone to West Beckham, PC and home in Sheringham.
The ride had a distinct “end of season” feel to it, but we didn’t get as soaked as predicted, so still an enjoyable day out.
PC to PC was 56.4 miles at an average 15.4 mph (16.2 Out, 14.9 Back) Riders: Andy S, Mark M, Chris S, Ian A, Neil M, Doug H, guest Ray
Ed’s Note: Puncture Challenge/Spreadsheet of Shame – Well we almost made it through summer without a puncture, the last being May 23rd (Doug H), but the recent rain had washed plenty of flint into the road, which Chris S and Andy S both found today. Annoyingly for Ian A our current puncture leader (six), those were their first punctures of the year, so they won’t be catching him any time soon. For the record, Chris’s rear puncture took 18 mins and Andy’s front took 11 mins to fix.
Four Wednesday regulars Andrew, Andy, Chris and Mark were joined by guest rider Darren at PC on a pleasantly warm day which was forecast to remain dry. Darren has a holiday home in Weybourne and was staying there with his young family. So for a change, he brought the average age of the group down!
The route was pretty much in an Easterly direction overall, and with the day’s Easterly breeze it was going to be a headwind pretty much all of the time on the outward leg. The route went via Gresham, Metton, across the A149 and down to Northrepps, then onto Southrepps, past the impressive church and waving to the goats, before continuing to Trunch, Knapton, Paston, past Bacton Gas Terminals and then the prettier lanes through Witton, Ridlington and north to Ostend, arriving at the Lighthouse Inn around 1145.
Ian had done his normal ‘Wednesday thing’ and rode the route solo at a slightly more moderate pace, arriving only seconds before. Chris didn’t stop but continued on for home as he had family staying and apparently needed to spend some time with them.
Food service didn’t start until midday, so we ordered teas/coffees and a pint for you know who while we waited for the kitchen to open. Conversation covered the normal broad range including best practice for euthanizing horses and other livestock, Andy’s mixed success last weekend at Newmarket races (and his random wasp sting today), Darren’s and Ian’s coincidental ‘roots’ in the North London/Enfield area, local “hilly” cycling options and Andrew’s lost door key…
Food options were a bit limited on the menu but we all opted for filled wraps in the end and they were all substantial and tasty so all was good. We declared there to be time for another quick round of drinks for four of us which Andrew kindly stumped up for. We left in good spirits anticipating the tailwind home. (But why is it never as good as you hope for? I found the homeward leg harder despite the tailwind although admittedly at a much quicker average speed.)
Saddling up after lunch at the Lighthouse Inn, club ride 26-Aug-2026. L-R: Andrew B, Andy S, Darren W (guest), Mark M. Photo Ian A.
The return leg took us along the edge of Bacton Wood, White Horse Common, skirting the eastern edge of North Walsham and on to Bradfield, past the Suffield Arms at Gunton, crossing the A149 again at Thorpe Market and on to Hanworth, Bessingham and towards Baconsthorpe before the drag up to the radio mast at Bodham Hill. Andrew once again felt the urge to ‘go for it’ and got to the top pretty much uncontested with Mark and Ian fairly close behind and muttering “could of ‘ad ‘im if I’d wanted to” but we all know dear reader, that actions speak much louder than blah blah blah. At the bottom of New Road, Andrew and Mark turned right for PC, while Ian and Darren went to Lower Bodham where Darren turned right for Bodham and then the descent to Weybourne leaving Ian to continue on for High Kelling. A nice route with dry roads, albeit sandy in places and no rain.
PC to PC was 47.9 miles at an average 15.7 mph (15.7 Out, 15.7 Back) Riders: Andy S, Chris S, Andrew B, Mark M, Ian A, guest Darren W
P.S. Vuelta d Espana daily highlights on Channel 5 at 7pm
On a somewhat windy, slightly cold but dry Saturday morning, Mark, Chris and Doug were joined by newbie Les, who had recently moved to Sheringham. We set off from PC and headed towards Bodham with a very strong sidewind, but with the high-sided roads we were relatively well protected. We picked up both Neil and Ian heading into Holt and continued on to Glandford, Saxlingham, and through Binham, where we collected the final Wheeler of the day, Andrew. We continued on to Wighton, New Holkham, Burnham Market and then on to our lunch break at Creake Abbey Courtyard. It was quite busy and, with the weather improving, we sat outside. We decided to open the umbrella more as a social enhancement than to protect us from the sun. After what seemed like a long old time, and several suggestions on how to do it, we finally worked out the mechanism, with the intervention of the staff, who could clearly see a bunch of men becoming increasingly likely to use too much force and break their furniture.
Just warm enough for an outside table at the Barn Café, Creake Abbey. Club ride 22-Aug-2026. L-R: Andrew B, Neil M, Doug H, Mark M, Les B (guest), Chris S. Photo Ian A.
Once we had all settled down, the usual conversations ebbed and flowed, mainly focusing on Andrew’s food being very late and the fact that this appeared to be a common occurrence. We then shared a very nice cake which, as a sign of the times, was “a bit pricey”. And with that, Chris was off to ensure he would get back in time to finish off a project or two.
With lunch finished, we were off again, heading back towards Great Walsingham, with a bit more sunshine and still the strong crosswind. Through Hindringham, Bale, Sharrington and Hunworth, we then arrived at the Hunworth Hill climb. It is true to say that a small conversation had taken place suggesting that, as this had been quite the day of climbing, the legs of all of us — and for Les, even more so — were probably not in the right place for the normal race. This, however, may have been said and acknowledged, but, as had happened at lunch with the umbrella, our intentions aren’t always sensible. So, with a burst of energy, Andrew was off, followed by Ian and Neil. Andrew held them off and won the climb, with the rest of us slowly joining them at the top.
With that, Neil headed home and the peloton headed back towards Baconsthorpe. Soon after, Ian and Andrew headed back towards Holt and, as ever, there was more adventure. Assisting a fellow cyclist with a back wheel and helping a family with their own misadventure. Well done to both of you, and thank goodness Andrew didn’t fall off!
The final three headed back, with Doug heading off to Gresham’s and on to Cromer, while Mark supported Les and his increasingly empty legs back to PC. We are hopeful Les will be back on Wednesdays! It was a great day, but probably the hilliest of rides to start your adventure with the Wheelers. Wednesday will be easier Les!
PC to PC was 57.8 miles at an average 14.6 mph (15.3 Out, 13.8 Back) Riders: Doug H, Chris S, Mark M, Ian A, Neil M, Andrew B, guest Les B
P.S. Vuelta d Espana daily highlights on Channel 5 at 7pm
