Club Runs

Five departed from Pretty Corner on a persistently showery morning with a strong north easterly wind, in keeping with summer 2021. However, Geoff suffered his second puncture in the rain after only seven miles, so decided to give it best. Four Wheelers followed a fairly conventional route via Swanton Abbott and Worstead to East Ruston before picking up the lanes over Brumstead Common and Calthorpe Fen to Sea Palling and the busy cafe, where Malcolm was awaiting us after his ride up from St Olave’s via Yarmouth harbour. After bidding farewell to the newly-domiciled Broadlander, the bunch headed home on what was now a bright and breezy afternoon through Hickling and into a series of narrow lanes to Sutton mill, Lessingham Star, Happisburgh Common, Hill 60, Crostwight Heath, Dead Man’s Grave, Trunch, Southrepps, Northrepps and Metton to a three way split at Gresham church.

At Felbrigg Woods, Big Ben’s van was spotted parked mysteriously in a layby. The mystery was solved however when the missing Sheringham mile-eater was caught at Bodham Hill into the last ten miles of his post-rain 100 miler.

Neil, Mark, Harvey and Brian completed the club run. Geoff, Malcolm, Ben and Mike P were encountered at various stages during the day.

Distances: 67 miles to 77 miles.

Two punctures.

One jack snipe (Calthorpe Fen).

PS – Geoff put in 59 miles via Reepham station cafe.

Five Wheelers met at PC on an overcast and rather cold day for the time of the year. The route to Horning, took us through Sustead, Northrepps, Trunch, Knapton, North Walsham, Worstead, Ashmanhaugh and Upper Street. A good pace was set by Robert with only a couple of stops. On arrival at the Swann we were disappointed to find that they were not serving lunch and a search of other pubs along the river indicated either no food or a long wait. However, sandwiches and drinks were purchased from the local shops and we ate on the green were we joined by our former leader Malcolm and John Dimascio for lunch. 

After lunch John left us to return home to Honing. The rest of us proceeded on the shortest route back to PC via Tunstead, Swanton Abbot, Banningham, Erpingham and Gresham. There were two punctures on the way back which slowed progress and as the northerly wind had picked up by then, the group split up to accommodate different speeds/routes home. 

PC to PC was 54 miles

Graham A, Andrew B, John S and Mark, led by Robert.

Prior commitments (inc Tour de Broads), injuries and, possibly, poor weather forecasts kept the numbers down for the re-arranged ride out to Jane’s on the village green at East Rudham. Three Wheelers were joined by Beach Runners’ marathon man Jim H on a route that went by way of Baconsthorpe, Briston, Craymere, Hindolveston, Stibbard, Ryburgh, Colkirk, the Raynhams and Rudham Grange to a fairly quiet cafe, where the service was once again first class. The objective on the homeward leg was to keep ahead of an advancing band of rain, which produced only light showers anyway. This was a more northerly route, threading through the quiet lanes via Broomsthorpe, two of the Wensum watermills, two of the Barshams, both Walsinghams, Hindringham, Bale and the familiar villages to Briston, Edgefield, Bodham Hill and the parting of the ways at the south end of Red Barn Lane. This was not the end of the day’s action however. On the final lone miles back to base, one rider was accosted aggressively at Selbrigg by a cocaine-fuelled loon, who was in the middle of the road trying to spark up his rollup. He looked as though he was still on the way back from a trip to Wembley on 11th July.

Bunch: Brian; Mark; Jim H; Harvey.

Distances: 60 miles to 77 miles.

Five Wheelers met at PC on an overcast but mainly dry summer day with light wind. The route to Cley, took us through Gresham, Sustead and Aldborough where we stopped to put on waterproofs due to light rain. This successfully put off the rain and having stopped to take kit off again we proceeded via. Calthorpe, Wolerton, Itteringham, Corputsy, Briston, Sharrington, Lethrringsett and Glandford. There were some challenges to navigation as the route kindly provided by Jane did not show properly on Garmin. However, with reliance made to good old fashioned map reading we all arrived safely were we enjoyed lunch in the pub garden. 

After lunch Jane left us to return home to Blakeney. The rest of us proceeded on the normal root back to PC via High Kelling, but with a detour to Kelling via Long Lane. Duncan spilt of for the route to Holt at the start of the lane and Graham left us at Kelling to make his way back to Cromer. Although the wind had begun to pick up the rain held off and hopefully everyone got home dry.

PC to PC was 40 miles

Graham A, Duncan, Jane A and Mark, led by Andrew B.

Narrative by run leader Ben M.

Four travellers left PC at 10 a.m. sharp, with the wind on the bows for most of the trip to Pensthorpe. It was great to have Brian back so soon following his close inspection of the road and the clairvoyant’s bonnet. The route was impromptu due to misgivings about culinary limitations at Coltishall cafe and a claim that East Rudham would be swamped with tourists. The way out to Pensthorpe passed through Baconsthorpe, Brinton, Hindringham and the Snorings. Despite ploughing through some of Norfolk’s finest gravel traps, there were no punctures or mechanicals.

Lunch turned into a largely sandwich affair if you wanted serving promptly. The return trip was a little longer, but the long awaited tailwind finally kicked in after crossing the Wensum at Sculthorpe mill. The homeward leg was Ryburgh, Pudding Norton, Sculthorpe, the Barshams and then the more familiar roads by way of Walsingham, Langham (where Brian and Mark furthered their education with a quick visit to the Dome). Then it was back over the undulations via Wiveton, High Kelling and West Beckham.

Distances – from 64 miles to 70+.

Riders – Ben, Brian, Mark, Geoff.

7 riders met at PC on a fine summer’s morning with strong sunshine and little wind.

We set off south to Aldborough and then towards Suffield and on to Swanton Abbott. We continued towards Worstead and Smallburgh before turning south west towards Coltishall. This was less familiar territory for the ride leader and one or two misreads of the Garmin, led to a couple of false turns. Having said that, the route took in new roads, unfamiliar to even to those riders who new the area well. Also unexpected for some was the level crossing on which a train barrelled past just after the team had walked across!

At Colitshall, we stopped at the Rising Sun for lunch. In glorious sunshine and at tables by the river, we enjoyed a very good lunch and chin wag, before setting off for the return leg. John S, who was close to home, peeled off at this point and the 6 remaining riders set off towards Tuttington, Banningham, Ingworth, Calthorpe and Matlaske. The breeze strengthened on the way back, being at various times a crosswind or a tailwind. At various points along the way Graham A, Andrew B and Stephen peeled off for home before Mark, Graham J and Duncan finished up back at PC.

Riders: Andrew B, Graham A, Mark, John S, Graham J, Stephen, led by Duncan S

PC to PC 47 miles

Updated here https://nnwheelers.co.uk/time-trials/events/

Six Wheelers met at PC on a perfect summer day – warm sunshine and a light breeze. The route to Little Walsingham, led by Andrew B, took us through Plumstead, Edgefield, Hunworth, Stody, Brinton, Sharrington and Field Dalling. Unfortunately, Duncan had a puncture on the road to Binham, so the direct route was taken to Walsingham and on to the Victorious. At the Café were joined by Andrew C and were able to find a large table outside. The lunch and refreshment were excellent as always. Andrew B and Steve made their own way back from lunch. Jane took over leading the ride after lunch.  From Walsingham we headed north to Wighton (which Andrew had been planning to take in during the morning) then through Binham, Cockthorpe, Langham and Wiveton where the part-time leader peeled off to go home leaving the remaining Wheelers to head respectively for Cley, Holt and Cromer.

PC to PC was 40 miles

Graham A, Duncan, Andrew C, Mike and Stephen, led by Jane A and Andrew B.

As many people know, Brian suffered a nasty crash on the A148 during Tuesday’s ’10’. This was a consequence of a car pulling out in front of him at the staggered crossroads between Station Road and Hempstead Road, Holt, somersaulting rider and bike onto the tarmac. Another driver called the ambulance service, who whizzed Brian off to the N&N, where he was checked for neck and internal injuries, as well as a possible broken knee. Thankfully nothing was broken or seriously damaged. The multiple abrasions, including facial, look very sore, an elbow and knee are very swollen and a finger still looks possibly fractured. Longer term, it might prove to be the damaged knee that will take some time to heal.

Brian would like to thank everyone for the good wishes.

Variable forecasts during this unsettled summer, all blown up by news media hype, restricted today’s bunch to three Wheelers. The scheduled East Rudham run was pushed forward a week and replaced by an impromptu trip to the ever-growing and increasingly popular cafe at Whitwell station. This turned out to be a rather unusual anti-clockwise loop, heading west by way of West Beckham, Bodham and Salthouse Heath as far as Wiveton, before turning south and south east to Letheringsett, Thornage, Burgh Stubbs, Hindolveston, Guestwick Green, Themelthorpe and Whitwell Common to the cafe, where the conversation turned once again to the thorny questions of the nature of cycling club runs and the appropriate format for North Norfolk Wheelers club runs?

Conditions: – Following sustained breakfast time rain and warnings of more to come, the morning weather proved to be fair and breezy with sunny spells developing. These pleasant conditions were rudely interrupted at about 1.50 by a stormy cloudburst in the vicinity of Blackwater Equestrian Centre and Great Witchingham. However, despite towering anvil clouds to the south and south east, the bunch were able to remove their rain jackets by Brandiston. The bad weather continued to move towards Norwich and the Broads.

The return route travelled south for a bit before looping east to the Witchinghams, Brandiston, Buxton, Brampton, then heading for home through Tuttington, Banningham, Ingworth, Dark Lane, Wickmere, Thurgarton, Sustead church, Lower Gresham and a three way split at Gresham church, where the Wheelers talked for a while to a former Clarence Wheeler and Herne Hill trackman who used to ride a Flying Scot from Rattrays of Glasgow.

Both the grizzled ultra-veteran Brian and the former Birmingham cyclo-cross man Neil, who is approaching retirement age but still working fifty hours a week as a joiner and handyman, were going like trains today.

Bunch: Brian; Neil; Harvey.

Distances: 60 to 71 miles.