By Huw Hennessy

INTRODUCTION

CYCLING: THE ESSENTIALS

HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

SANDRINGHAM LOOP

Start/end: Sandringham Distance: 17.8km Time: 1–1½hrs

Difficulty: 1 Highlights: Historic Royal Sandringham Estate and Castle Rising, churches, woodlands and picturesque villages

GREAT BIRCHAM LOOP

Start/end: Great Bircham Distance: 32.9km Time: 3hrs

Dfficulty: 1 Highlights: Rolling country lanes, through pretty villages and arable farmland; past Bircham Windmill, Houghton Hall and Deer Park

WELLS AND HOLKHAM LOOP

Start/end: Wells-next-the-Sea Distance: 28.9km Time: 2hrs

Difficulty: 1 Highlights: Holkham Nature Reserve, AONB coastal dunes and wildfowl nature reserve; off-road trails and historic country estate, Holkham Hall; detour to site of Warham, Iron Age fort; Wellsnext-the-Sea, resort and sandy beach on Holkham Bay

CLEY LOOP

Start/end: Cley Marshes Nature Reserve Distance: 26.3km Time: 2½hrs

Difficulty: 1 Highlights: Cley coastal marshes and heath, Letheringsett Watermill, Holt Country Park and passing near to

the North Norfolk Railway at High Kelling

NORTHERN BROADS:

HICKLING TO HORSEY LOOP

Start/end: Hickling Broad Visitor Centre Distance: 32.9km Time: 3½hrs

Difficulty: 1 Highlights: Hickling Broads Nature Reserve, Horsey coastal sand dunes and seal colony, Horsey Windpump, a huge Tudor barn and a rare medieval church

MARRIOTT'S WAY

Start/end: Norwich/Aylsham Distance: 30.8km Time: 3hrs

Difficulty: 1 Highlights: Along the peaceful Wensum Valley, following the route of the former railway line from Norwich to

Aylsham, dotted with Victorian steam memorabilia

REEDHAM BROADS LOOP

Start/end: Reedham Ferry Distance: 38.4km Time: 4hrs

Difficulty: 1 Highlights: Farmland, marshes and villages of the lower Yare Valley, historic churches and riverside Reedham

overlooking the Broads

SOUTHERN BROADS LOOP

Start/end: Reedham Ferry Distance: 34.7km Time: 4hrs

Difficulty: 2 Highlights: Peaceful Broads waterways and farmland, historic churches, windmills and stately gardens

BUNGAY SAINTS TRAIL

Start/end: Bungay Distance: 32.5km Time: 3½hrs

Difficulty: 2 Highlights: Bungay, ancient market town; historical churches in isolated hamlets and a World War II aviation museum

THETFORD FOREST

Start/end: High Lodge, Thetford Forest Distance: 16.6km Time: 2hrs

Difficulty: 2 Highlights: Forestry woodland; off-road cycling trails over level or gently rolling terrain; multi-activity centre,

from high-wire adventure to climbing walls and more

IXWORTH MILLERS' TRAIL

Start/end: Ixworth Distance: 23.9km Time: 2½hrs

Difficulty: 1 Highlights: Historic windmills, a watermill, an Elizabethan manor and vineyard, and a wetland nature reserve

EYE TO DEBENHAM LOOP

Start/end: Eye Distance: 34.4km Time: 3½hrs

Difficulty: 1 Highlights: Historic market town Eye, chic Debenham, Wetheringsett vintage railway and mid-Suffolk's rolling golden meadows

WALBERSWICK TO SOUTHWOLD LOOP

Start/end: Walberswick Distance: 31.3km Time: 3½hrs

Difficulty: 2 Highlights: Walberswick and Southwold, traditional seaside resorts; heath and countryside, picturesque villages and a historic windmill

ORFORD LOOP

Start/end: Orford Distance: 33.9km Time: 3½hrs

Difficulty: 1 Highlights: Historic Orford, arty Snape Maltings, a medieval church and a watermill, plus an optional red-graded MTB forest trail

SUTTON HOO AND RENDLESHAM FOREST LOOP

Start/end: Sutton Hoo Distance: 35.2km Time: 4hrs

Difficulty: 2 Highlights: Anglo-Saxon treasures at Sutton Hoo, Shingle Street beach, mountain biking in Rendlesham Forest

LAVENHAM LOOP

Start/end: Market Square, Lavenham Distance: 20.7km Time: 2½hrs

Difficulty: 1 Highlights: Lavenham, one of the best preserved medieval towns in East Anglia; sleepy villages and rolling

agricultural countryside

MOULTON LOOP

Start/end: Moulton Distance: 13.1km Time: 1½ hrs

Difficulty: 1 Highlights: Rolling meadows and woods, Fen villages, a stud farm, a medieval bridge and three great country pubs

NEWMARKET JOCKEYS' TRAIL

Start/end: Moulton Distance: 45.7km Time: 4½hrs

Difficulty: 2 Highlights: Sleepy villages, rolling meadows, pristine stud farms, and Newmarket – world capital of horse racing

CAMBRIDGE TO ELY

Start/end: Cambridge–Ely Distance: 39.1km Time: 4hrs

Difficulty: 2 Highlights: Historic Cambridge University colleges, Anglesey Abbey, Ely Cathedral, Cam riverside path and Wicken Fen

HOUGHTON MILL LOOP

Start/end: Houghton MIll Distance: 28.3km Time: 3hrs

Difficulty: 1 Highlights: Historic Houghton watermill, riverside villages, and the Busway–Cycleway eco-route through Fen Drayton Lakes RSPB Nature Reserve

GRAFHAM WATER LOOP

Start/end: Marlow Park, Grafham Water Distance: 14.5km Time: 1½hrs

Difficulty: 1 Highlights: Lakeside trail fringed by wooded countryside; nature reserves and watersports

ACCOMMODATION

BIKE HIRE

FURTHER INFORMATION

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

INDEX