Over the years our junior tours have taken us to most of the truly scenic areas of Great Britain: some of the most memorable areas have been the Scottish Highlands, Lake District, Yorkshire Dales, Cornish Coast, New Forest and Snowdonia. We have never explored East Anglia however, so as the first five from Devon boarded the 0736 London-bound train at Newton Abbot we really didn’t know exactly what to expect.

To work around the BR restriction of five bicycles per train we had booked Neil and Mark onto a second train that left one hour later. They were to collect the two Talbot lads at Reading and proceed together across the underground to Liverpool Street and then on via BR to Ipswich. Unfortunately overhead cables had fallen onto the line between London and Ipswich and the usual half-hourly service had been replaced by an hourly service with a change at Colchester. The first group were an hour late at Ipswich but the second group, who narrowly missed the 1200 train from London, were two hours late. Some of the extra time was spent enjoying exquisite Danish pastries from the ‘Piece of Cake’ shop on the station.

Peter Grantham was waiting at Ipswich as agreed, but there was no way of contacting the other two members of the group who were waiting at Woodbridge station eight miles away. When we eventually arrived they were still waiting patiently, but the afternoon’s ride would have to be curtailed as a result of the delays.

We eventually found the forest track from Hollesley Common to Tangham House (after an abortive first attempt which brought us back to the road within ten minutes) and were soon enjoying further lanes and sandy tracks between Butley and Blaxhall. The final track to the hostel was definitely not as marked on the map, so we ended up taking a detour along an alternative path that was very overgrown with nettles and brambles - some members were not particularly amused! We eventually got back on the right track so to speak and arrived at the hostel (a converted primary school in a tiny village) by 6.30, in good time for the evening meal.

The evening was not entirely uneventful because Peter’s high-speed Aerobie (a ring-type Frisbee) kept flying over the garden fence into the gardens of neighbouring properties, and the owners eventually complained to the warden. There was nothing for it but to assemble in the common room and dormitories for games of cards and Mouse Trap!

We didn’t sleep too well because Tristan kept making strange snorting noises in his sleep (some of us remember this behaviour from previous tours!), so we had time to contemplate the wet weather forecast for tomorrow.

We felt sure the rain would start soon so we wasted no time in riding to Snape and then along our fourth sandy track of the tour. Most of the group enjoyed the track despite experiencing problems with wheels sinking into the sand, but Peter Grantham and Matthew (who had touring bikes and weren’t used to rough riding) weren’t sure yet.

Michael’s search for windmills took us to the one at Friston, but it turned out to be disused and sail-less - unlike the symbol on the map! There was another brief stop at Leiston for the purchase of lunch and Danish pastries, and a further stop at Minsmere nature reserve, owned by the RSPB. None of our members were interested in birdwatching, so they contented themselves with buying postcards and chilled spring water from the RSPB shop.

The leading riders went straight past the right turn for Westleton, which gave us opportunity to try out another sandy track over Vault Hill (not as big as it sounds). Everyone was enjoying the tracks now, so we tried another bridleway short-cut to Dunwich despite Peter G’s warnings that it was very sandy. Once again the riding proved easy and fun.

The sea was very rough and cold at Dunwich beach, so we moved inland to the village church before settling down for lunch. Some of the food being consumed looked very sickly (see the tour video if you want to see just how sickly!)

We hadn’t yet gone half way to Great Yarmouth so we needed to increase the pace and get some miles behind us. The route took us along quiet lanes through Wenhaston and Brampton to Beccles where we eventually found an acceptable cafe where we could rest our sore behinds!

Leaving Beccles for the final lap we were attracted briefly to the quay where boats bobbed contentedly on the water and the youngsters rode time and time again through a flooded section of road. There was little time to enjoy the scene, however, and we were soon racing off for Gillingham and Haddiscoe, where we saw the first man-made river (or drain) of the tour.

After some very unpleasant main road riding into Great Yarmouth town centre we eventually reached the hostel, a comfortable end-terraced house situated near the park and the sea front. There was plenty of room for the Aerobie in the park, but we still managed to get it over the fence and onto the changing room roof! Some of our lighter members helped to retrieve it.

The rain, it seems, was running a day late. We rode back to Sainsbury’s superstore to buy lunch, but eventually we just had to take the plunge and hit the road, heading for the lanes through Mautby and Stokesby. Once again the windmills marked on the map were disused and sail-less.

We’ve ridden in rain before, but today it was just torrential all day. When we arrived at Ranworth Broad (the Norfolk equivalent of lake) we were all drenched to the skin and worried about getting cold if we stopped for lunch. Michael saved the day by finding the Ranworth Visitor Centre at the end of a ten-minute nature trail on the edge of the broad. It was a thatched house with an interior balcony on the first floor, and we were given special permission to make ourselves at home upstairs for lunch.

It was very cosy in there. The little windows and binoculars offered excellent views across the broads, and there were conservation-type games to keep us amused inside. It was some time before we realised that the whole building was floating on the broad: it had been built elsewhere, towed across the broad and then secured to the bank with steel ropes.

Somehow the afternoon turned out to be quite enjoyable despite the rain pouring down even heavier than before. There was a brief puncture stop at Wroxham and then another brief toilet stop at Wroxham Barns Craft Centre, but for the rest of the time we just kept moving and warm. The route to Sheringham took us through the hamlets of Scottow, Swanton Abbot, Tuttington, Banningham, Erpingham, Aldborough and Gresham. The lanes were all very interesting, but the best features (according to the youngsters anyway) were the many lakes that had filled up dips in the road. Being wet already they just couldn’t resist splashing through the water at the highest possible speed. Perhaps this is why some members felt that today was the best day of the tour!

Sheringham hostel was stunning by any standards. It has been converted from a large detached house standing in its own gardens, and was modern and immaculate inside. In addition to the very welcome drying rooms there was a modern dining room (with pizza on the menu for supper), a table tennis room, a tv room, a study room (where some of us played cards) and very comfortable dormitories. A few people spent some time with the hairdryers in the washrooms, drying out their youth hostel cards!

The morning was very different to the previous day: the sun was shining and everyone was busy preparing their bikes on the lawn outside the hostel. It was gone 10am when we finally set off.

By the time we’d visited a motoring parts shop to buy some engine oil for our rusting chains it was too late to explore Sheringham’s beaches, so we left the resort without ever seeing the sea!

Neil ran into trouble before we reached Weybourne: his rear wheel, which had been suffering from loose spokes for some time, suddenly became buckled and unridable. The rest of the group explored the lane route to Cley while Neil effected what repairs he could. The windmill was closed until the afternoon, so we waited in the local cafe until Neil arrived.

Lunch was purchased from the supermarket at Blakeney and consumed on the picnic tables at Langham Glass in glorious sunshine. There was time to play in the adventure park and take a brief look at the interesting specimens of coloured glass on display in the shop before we had to press onwards.

The map showed that we needed to follow the B1388 from Binham to Walsingham, so Michael instructed the leaders accordingly. At about the time that we had expected to arrive at Walsingham we found ourselves entering Hindringham: evidently the B-road had continued along a right turn and the road we had followed had become a lane! It just goes to show how you should never make assumptions about roads - check them every time!

Having passed the shrine at Little Walsingham and followed the almost straight road through Egmere we soon found ourselves at the entrance to our planned three-mile track. The only problem was that that access was blocked by a large muddy lake that spanned the width of the lane. Tao, being Tao, decided that he wasn’t going to pick his way around the edge like the rest, so he rode straight through the middle: naturally it turned out to be far deeper than he expected, so he was totally soaked when he emerged at the far side.

The track was excellent in many ways, being wide, scenic and reasonably flat. Unfortunately it also had thorns large enough to cause three punctures in mountain-bike tyres, and this was going to be a problem because we wanted to get to the working windmill at Great Bircham before it closed. The only solution was for the main group to press on to the mill, leaving the puncture crew to catch up as soon as they could.

The mill turned out to be excellent. The whole group was allowed to climb the many cramped stairways to the top for just £10, passing numerous exhibits and video presentations on the way. The view from the top showed us just how flat the surrounding land really was. Afterwards there was a cafe, a hen and chicks that greedily ate our leftover bread and a children’s play area designed for under sevens - our youngsters couldn’t resist playing in it of course, and they were promptly told off by the management!

Now we really had to keep moving to reach the hostel in time for supper. We took the lanes through Fring and Sedgeford, were nearly overcome by the smell of lavender at Heacham and arrived at Hunstanton hostel just ten minutes before supper time. Our welcome was a little less than warm: first we had to ride half a mile to get to the bike shed at the back of the hostel, then we were told that we were too late to have soup (what is the point of booking in advance if it isn’t to make sure your supper is waiting for you when you arrive!).

Neil should have done some major repair work to his wheel, but instead he chose to join the rest of the group for a closely-supervised walk to the beach and fairground. All the rides were very expensive, so we didn’t stay very long.

One or two ladybirds landed on us as we gathered in the morning sunshine, but there was little sign of the plague of ladybirds that had apparently descended on the village during the week. Daniel decided that the weather was now dry enough to remove the waterproof cover that he had fitted over his handlebar-mounted cuddly toy.

First stop today was Sandringham, the Queen’s winter residence. For the rest of the year it is open to the public, so when we had sampled the delicious cakes on offer at the newly-completed visitor centre, half the group took the tour of the house and grounds while the rest played cricket on the parkland outside using Daniel’s soft bat and ball (which had been confiscated on several earlier occasions when he used it to hit people instead of balls).

We ate lunch outside the visitor centre and then set off through Hillington to join the Peddars Way, a roman route that headed directly towards our destination and offered many sections of interesting track along the way. There was time to look at the castle in Castle Acre before setting off again for North Pickenham, Little Cressingham and The Arms.

Our intention was to continue across an enormous area of heathland marked on the map as a Danger Area, but we soon discovered that the whole area had been sealed off by the military. There was no alternative but to take the detour around the edge via Bodney and Mundford at breakneck speed.

It was here that Neil’s wheel finally gave up the ghost. He was forced to walk the several remaining miles to Brandon, arriving just as the rest of the group were tucking into their last provided meal of the tour.

Brandon is situated in the middle of Thetford Chase, one of the largest wooded areas in the country, so there were delightful gardens and trees all around the hostel. Being in the village, however, there were also some housing estates nearby which detracted a little from the scenery. During supper Michael was approached by another hosteller who remembered seeing him on a previous tour two years earlier: it seems that almost every year we are recognised by some hosteller or another.

The evening was spent washing the dishes by hand (this was the first hostel that didn’t have a dishwasher), sorting out Neil’s transport arrangements for tomorrow (why do these problems always happen on a Sunday when the bike shops are closed) and settling down into our single large dormitory.

This was going to be the longest ride of the tour at 64 miles, so we were grateful for the good weather. Neil tried the bike/toy shop in Brandon, but they couldn’t rebuild the wheel, supply a new wheel or a new rim and spokes, so he decided to walk to Thetford, take a train to Peterborough (he wasn’t allowed on the first two because there was no space for his bike) and take a taxi to Thurlby.

The rest of the group cycled through Weeting, Methwold, Stoke Ferry and through a “Road Closed” sign to West Dereham and Downham Market before taking a brief rest to search for the local Gateway supermarket. Daniel was out first, so he made use of the time to befriend a sensitive little black dog with sad eyes whose name turned out to be Sweep - see the Tour Video if you want to see him for yourself!

Immediately we were off again, crossing the Hundred Foot Drain and the River Great Ouse to enter the Fens, Britain’s largest area of totally flat land. Everywhere fields of crops met our eyes: wheat, sugar beet, carrots, fruit trees, cauliflowers - you name it, there it was growing for as far as the eye could see. The lanes tend to go round the edges of the rectangular fields, so if you need to cross at an angle (like we did) you have to follow a rather zigzag route.

For those who don’t know, the whole area lies below sea level, so how do they keep the seawater out? They build man-made drainage ditches that run in straight lines and then pump the water out to sea at the pumping stations.

Our route took us across Stow Bardoulph Fen, over Middle Level Main Drain, past the delicious-smelling fruit orchards of Emneth and then straight through the large town of Wisbech to the villages of Leverington and Gorefield where we enjoyed a brief lunch stop in the shade of some roadside trees near the church.

Several of us could have used a good long rest at this point, but of course there was no time. On we went, over North Level Main Drain, across Tydd St Giles Fen and over South Holland Main Drain to Holbeach St Johns. Everywhere here the ground was table-top flat, which made the cycling easy but ensured that everyone got sore behinds. The chance of a rest came at Moulton Chapel, when Michael got a blow-out in his rear tyre. A woman living in a nearby house kindly allowed all of us to troop through her kitchen to use the toilet and refill our water bottles while Michael effected repairs.

We skirted around Spalding, then stopped briefly at a garage so that Chris could pump up his tyres (he’d been going on and on about garages all day, and now at last he was happy). The final sprint to Thurlby hostel took us through Pode Hole (where Daniel did his water fountain impression in the middle of the road), Tongue End and Bourne (because we couldn’t find the track shortcuts marked on the map). We finally arrived at 6.15pm and found Neil already there after an expensive day on public transport.

The hostel was very basic, but cosy nevertheless, with private gardens where the kids played chasing games until darkness fell. Most of the evening was spent queuing for the shower, recording video interviews (for the tour videotape) and walking to the telephone (remember to turn left out of the hostel for the nearest telephone if you ever visit Thurlby, not right like Michael did).

We’ve had all kinds of night-time noises in our dormitories, but tonight was the worst of all: with Tristan’s snorting, Paul’s scratching and Chris’s snoring Michael got no sleep at all!

British Rail was suffering one of its longest ever rail strikes at the time of our tour, but Michael had been relieved to note that train services were running on all the lines that we intended to use. This morning, however, his worst nightmare came true: Mrs Talbot rang to say that she had just read in the papers that all trains on the Peterborough to London line would not be running today.

Michael spent more than an hour on the telephone establishing that the report was indeed true, that the nearest working line to London was at Cambridge and that the only way for us to get there was to hire a van at a cost of £94. Some members were being collected from Peterborough so most of us rode the ten miles or so to the station while Neil got on the van at Thurlby. The traffic was very busy and it took us some time to find the station, even with the aid of an OS map. The van was even later though because they had taken the time to remove six seats to make room for the bikes.

It was a tight squeeze, so tight in fact that we weren’t able to offer a lift to Matthew who had arranged to cycle back to Bury St Edmunds, but eventually we were off, saying farewell to Matthew, Tristan and Peter and hoping that we might make it home that night after all.

To our surprise, everything went smoothly. We had to wait an hour for the next train from Cambridge to Liverpool Street, but there were no problems on the underground and we got all the bikes onto one Plymouth-bound train. We dropped Daniel and Peter T off at Reading, and finally arrived in Newton Abbot just thirty minutes later than originally planned.

So what were our feelings about the tour? The cycling was easy, the scenery was rural but generally uninteresting (because it was so flat), the tracks were good, the coastal areas were a bit touristy, but it had been a fun week. Norfolk could never match the majesty of Scotland or Norway, of course, but it’s good to say that we’ve been there and seen it.

Incidentally, British Rail were very helpful after the event and eventually provided £50 in compensation for the problems caused by the strike.

If you think you’d enjoy taking part in a tour like this, see the details about our forthcoming tours elsewhere on this website.