The Rebellion Way is a 232-mile-long cycle route recently ‘developed’ by Cycling UK and it is effectively a tour of the county of Norfolk. I say ‘developed’ because, as far as I can see, what Cycling UK has actually done here is to join up a number of established forest tracks, bridleways, and quiet minor roads into a circuit of the countryside. I don’t think they have built or maintained any part of the route, but I may be wrong.
It is superb. Norfolk County Council should go down on bended knee and pay homage to Cycling UK. Next, they should talk to them and offer some funding. With a (mostly) deserved reputation for its flat landscape, the area has an obvious appeal to leisure cyclists. I live near to the Guild Wheel in Preston and have cycled it many times. The mere fact of dedicated, well-furnished provision draws people in; cyclists and walkers.
In this cycle route Norfolk has a resource that is potentially worth millions to their tourist industry. But they need to invest in it, because as a piece of infrastructure, sections of the Rebellion Way need some development. Specifically, there should be alternative routes to bypass the rougher surfaces. For example, some people probably enjoy getting off and pushing their bike occasionally, others will find it annoying.
The landscape and coastline are charming, and many picturesque villages feature on the route. The journey is very flexible (you can download the gpx file here). You can start and finish wherever you fancy and go at any pace you choose. But you will need the gpx file as your guide, and to read it you will need a suitable device. Two of our guys had the Wahoo bike computer. It’s very good, but will cost you anything from £200 to £450. You download the gpx file and then edit it to suit your plans. I suspect that Google maps offers a cheaper alternative but it would not cover all the off-road sections.
Our group did the circuit over five days, stopping six nights in relatively cheap accommodation. Once you have decided upon a route, you will need to find somewhere to sleep and Booking.com is probably a good place to start. Airbnb would be another option. A thing to bear in mind is that your bed for the night may not be directly on the Rebellion Way, so you may have some transit time at the beginning and end of the day. It would be wise to factor this into your planning.
This was my first-time cycle touring. I’m 63, reasonably fit and weigh 15st (or 210 lbs/95kg). I ride a Specialized Cirrus Expert with a light aluminium frame. It’s a hybrid bike which is fine, but it has slim tyres which were an issue. I cycled 230 miles in five days and, though it was somewhat challenging, it was very rewarding. For their generous welcome, encouragement and support, I owe a debt of thanks to Matt, Dave, Bern, Jim, Steve and The Rebellion Way.
It was a great week, tough and intense at times, certainly, but mellow and sublime on many occasions. In some ineffable way, I know this experience has made me a better person. It’s hard to explain, but the finest journeys are not just about places and distances, they are journeys within.
Here’s how the trip unfolded:
Sunday
After a six-hour train journey from Preston, I arrived in Norwich. Sunday rail travel can be disrupted by track repair work. I got pretty lucky, but cancelled trains meant mine was hideously overcrowded. Getting the bike on and off was stressful. Commendably, putting a bike on a train is free! Just make sure you enter this fact when you pay your fare, then turn up in time to collect tickets for yourself and your bike. As usual, staff at the railway station and on the train were friendly and helpful.
We all met up at the Premier Inn in Norwich and headed to the Golden Star pub over the road for a few beers and their quiz night. Courtesy of our vast intellects, we crushed the locals, much like treading on a hapless insect. The £37 prize money paid for our breakfasts the next morning.
Monday
We set off at 8.30 the next morning, on what we knew would be our longest ride of 60 miles. It was occasionally hilly in Norwich itself, but it was a lovely route. Through fields and villages, thatched roofs and old farmhouses. It was idyllic English countryside and postcard perfect. My regret that day was that I didn’t stop enough to pause and take it all in. This has given me food for thought. I would like to do a bike touring holiday again, but I would limit the daily mileage to about thirty miles a day. Partly because I’m an old fart, but also to allow more time for gazing at the scenery.
The weather was hot and sunny, about 27C, with a gentle breeze. Perfect for cycling in my book, maybe a bit hot for some. The upside of this is that the tracks through fields were dry. This is an issue that needs to be addressed perhaps as, at times, the width of the path dwindled to mere inches. Sandy forest roads presented a problem for my slim tyres but at some points everyone got off an walked their bikes, regardless of tyre style.
Food is fuel. We had breakfast, lunch, and an evening meal every day. I ate protein bars and had SIS gels to keep my energy levels up. They worked well enough. One should drink about one litre of liquid per hour to stay hydrated, but that’s difficult to do. The only time I managed that rate of hydration was in the pub at our destination, Brandon, just over the border in Suffolk. It was odd that such a run-down village could be reached after such a gorgeous journey. Whilst Norfolk clearly has wealthy individuals, I saw evidence of poverty. There’s probably a shortage of employment. There’s certainly a shortage of dentists; quite a few locals had teeth like orcs, if they had teeth at all.
Tuesday
‘Only’ 48 miles planned for today. As we ate breakfast in a transport café, it began to rain heavily. Before long, there was no part of my body that wasn’t drenched, and I’m including some internal organs. For three hours, it was slow, tough progress. Hard going, but the camaraderie of the group pulled us through and we laughed it off. The surface varied quite a lot; tarmac was lovely, small pebbly stuff was okay, soil was fine, sand was grim, and caused me to use inappropriate language.
On one downhill section, the path narrowed to one foot wide with brambles and nettles extending over to impale themselves on your legs. Passage was made more fun by overgrown bushes whose branches were just the right height to slap you across the face. The only way to progress was to charge through like a hunted boar. The defence that it’s ‘rough and ready’ doesn’t cut it, because the track wasn’t wide enough had anyone been coming in the opposite direction. I think a way round this section needs to be found.
Fortunately, the weather improved, the sun came out, and it never rained again. About 12.00 midday, by All Saints Church in Cockley Cley, we spotted the cutest pub called ‘Twenty Church Wardens’. It was too idyllic to pass by. Whilst ordering our drinks, we noticed some wag had altered the dishes chalked on the menu such that it read, Cheese and Onion Flange, Chicken and Leaky Cock pie. A mere schoolboy prank, but we had a little titter. However, the staff hadn’t spotted it and called the elderly landlady in. She did not appreciate the joke and roared in grief and rage when she read it.
‘What does it say?’ the barmaid asked.
The landlady was too overcome to answer. With her head slumped in despair, she banged her fists on the bar.
‘What does it say?’ the barmaid repeated.
After a noisome wail of grief and shame, she vented her spleen, and howled to the heavens, ‘DIRTY SEX WORDS!’
She was so inconsolable that she offered to buy our beers to mitigate the depravity of her notice board. We declined.
A hot afternoon ride followed, but mostly on good surfaces, and there was a super two-mile downward slope on the way to Kings Lynn. Later on, David and I, with our narrow tyres, took a shortcut for the last section to avoid a sandy forest path which other riders had warned us about. This highlights a nice feature of the Rebellion Way. Whilst you may be in your little party you will overlap with other similar groups from time to time and this generates a bit of ‘community spirit’ along the way. You swap stories, share tips, and have a laugh. The dockside at Kings Lynn is a charming place and the sunset over the estuary was sublime. The town square should have been superb, it had a generous amount of decent architecture, but it was dominated by a car park. It’s chance missed.
Wednesday
I had always been of the view that it would be good for me to build some kind of rest day into the week. The first two days had been long rides for me, and I was a bit knackered. The planned route for this third day was 57 miles long and I needed a break. I looked up a shorter route to Fakenham on Google maps. The app gave me several choices, and I selected one a mere 23 miles long. It was the right decision.
After the sweet lie in and a shower, I set off at a very leisurely pace, stopping to take in the views and smell the flowers. It was my favourite ride, because it wasn’t about the ride. In some moments, the experience was nigh on spiritual. Many times, I stopped and just breathed in the beauty and peace of the landscape. At one point a fellow cyclist stopped to offer his help, assuming I was lost. I was only lost in thought. This little act of kindness was touching. The Good Samaritans are still out there.
I arrived at our rooms in the Rampant Horse in hot mid-afternoon sunshine. The accommodation was a tad spartan, but keenly priced. Fakenham is a comely little town and with a splendid church, St Peter and Paul, dating back to the 11th century. After sitting in the Church for a while, I had a couple of beers and a snooze. It was a mellow afternoon.
Thursday
This was planned to be our shortest cycling day at a mere (ahem) 36 miles. The plan was to get to Cromer early for a game of crazy golf. However, we stopped for coffee and cakes in the Owl Cafe in Holt (great menu) and for a late lunch and a beer in Sheringham. The climb away from the coast was pretty steep in parts, and one section had us all dismount briefly. The best thing about going up a hill is that you will be rewarded with a downward slope, and the final run to Cromer was a juicy downhill stretch, two miles long.
Like Sheringham, Cromer is a tired and dated Victorian holiday heaven; fish n chips n penny arcades, but it has some appeal. The view out to sea was stunning, like a Turner water colour. There was an awesome Church, though I was too late to go in. The Red Lion is a fantastic pub, a CAMRA recommended cask ale place. Sandcliff guest house was very good and served a great breakfast. Incidentally, the best place we stayed in was the Old Rectory in Kings Lynn.
Friday
Today’s ride began with a climb back up yesterday’s juicy downhill stretch. I actually meditated to prepare myself but, it seems my stamina was improving and it was fine. Cromer to Norwich is 45 miles on mostly accommodating surfaces. We stopped for coffee in a shop/post office that had been in use for 400 years. It was another hot day. Feeling dry and dusty, I tried to moisten my lips and accidentally licked a passing bee! I imagine the bee was as surprised as I was. I can only imagine the conversation at the hive that evening.
We stopped at the Woodforde’s brewery and had a beer in the sunshine. It was a splendid day for cycling, and we ticked the miles off to Norwich and our berth at the Travelodge with relative ease. Naturally, we went out to rehydrate and The Gardeners Arms/The Murderers was a great pub for a celebratory beer. Or two
The next morning, we all went our separate ways. It was a powerful experience. Challenging certainly, but all the more rewarding for that. I am grateful that I was invited on the Rebellion Way. Special thanks are due to Matt for planning our route and to Dave for organising the accommodation. A big thanks too for the many kindnesses I was shown. When we stopped to wait for the straggler, I was always the straggler. Everyone of the guys took the time to ride alongside me and offer encouragement, or enquire about my bad back.
Thank you all xx
Should you go?
This is a more complex question than usual in my blogs. Prepare, practise and plan. As Adrianna Locke said:
“The best things in life don’t come easy, but those things are the ones worth the sacrifice.”
I’ve just done a solo trip and it was rather less successful, you can read my blog (tale of woe) here.
Sundry notes
I hoped to lose some weight. Before the trip, I weighed 210lbs. I burned approximately 12000 kcal in 5 days and I put on 2 pounds! I suspect I lost fat and gained muscle, which is heavier.
I had a rear rack with double panniers, the brand is Basil. Classy, but maybe a tad heavy. For the build-up and preparation I cycled about 230 miles over three prior weeks, with full panniers. My average speed dropped to less than 10mph and barely improved. After taking advice, I rested for the week before the trip. As for my packing, I took too much underwear. Cyclists go commando on the bike. I’ll spare you the details. I forgot an elasticated luggage strap and the plug to charge my phone. I was very glad of my light evening trousers and slip on sandals. I needed to shower AND change after 8 hours of cycling. It helps me to relax. For cycling clothing, I took two of everything. If you could guarantee hot weather you could wash it in the shower and dry it overnight.
Should I Go 2 