A Cycling Trip to King's Lynn - Clive Goes Cycling

A group of friends recently spent a cycling weekend based in King’s Lynn, Norfolk, covering roughly 150 miles across a Friday and Saturday. The stay was at a hotel in the centre of town, with a circular route planned for each day. The routes ran mostly along country lanes, and apart from a couple of busier stretches, traffic was almost non-existent.

The Routes

Day one headed south and east of King’s Lynn towards Hingham, returning by way of Swaffham — a total of 83 miles.

Day two went north east to Wells-next-the-Sea and Holkham, with the return leg passing through Burnham Market and the Sandringham estate — 75 miles.

Each day began at around 8.30am and finished at 5.00pm, with an hour set aside for lunch and several shorter stops for punctures, water and snacks.

Bikes and Terrain

The rides were done on a flat bar hybrid bike, which handled the routes well. Road bikes would also have coped, with the exception of one short, bumpy bridleway section near Wells-next-the-Sea. Two members of the group took their mountain bikes along the Peddars Way on the second day instead. For the most part, though, the group rode hybrids.

Highlights

• The park estate at Holkham Hall, near Wells-next-the-Sea
• The country lanes forming part of National Cycle Network Route 1
• The sweeping countryside views on the second day’s route

Lowlights

The first day involved riding into the wind, which added roughly 25% to the effort required.

Reflections

Both days felt physically demanding, largely because there had been less long-distance cycling in the build-up to the trip. Simply being in the saddle for six to seven hours was tough in itself, and with few breaks on either day, plus strong winds throughout, the riding was harder than it might otherwise have been.

Having cycled in Norfolk before, there was a small amount of overlap with an earlier trip, but the weekend still offered the chance to explore a new part of the county.