B2Y6: Spalding to Norwich

A day of glorious sunshine, big skies, richly chilled saturated colours, and a tailwind that scooted me over 75 miles of flat East Anglia backroads with ease.


Elevenses was at Kings Lynn (above). It’s good to have your preconceptions about a place challenged; I’d always thought KL was a weird terminus town, full of staring locals with genetic finger conditions.

Well, as I had my bacon roll and coffee, I got chatting to a local lady in her 60s. When I told her I was from York, she said she was going up there, to the Viking Genealogy department at Jorvik, to research her heritage: ‘Come from Voiken, me. See moi lettle fengers?’ She displayed said digits; both were permanently crooked at the main joint, at 90 degrees. ‘Voiken gene, that is. You got Voiken in you?’

Nice lady, but she was staring at me a bit. Come to think of it, most of Kings Lynn seemed to be doing the same.

The challenging of preconceptions will have to wait another day. I rode out sharpish.


Shame, as KL has some characterful historic quarters, many picturesque streets and buildings (above), and a statue of one its famous sons, a seafarer who explored the coast of Canada, name of Vancouver. Wonder if he discovered anything.

The riding was just delightful all afternoon: intimate and untrafficked back lanes, gentle slopes, modestly picturesque village churches and market-town squares, all with summer’s-morning tranquillity, January posing as April.


On another of Mark’s recommendations I dropped by Castle Acre, with its ruined Norman castle and priory, and this rather splendid arch (above) that all traffic has to squeeze through. Every village should have one.

Staying in Narch tonight. Another twelve-quid, city-centre, bike-in-room Travelodge special. Final leg tomorrow.

Miles today: 75
Miles since Barmouth: 310

B2Y2: Dolgellau to Oswestry

Two of Wales's biggest passes this morning: Bwlch Oerddrws and Bwlch y Groes, both of which sound like someone being sick, which is appropriate.



I don't know how high Bwlch Oerddrws (above) goes, because the Wikipedia page suddenly switched from English into Welsh when it knew I was reading it.






Bwlch y Groes I do know. It's the highest tarmac road in Wales, at 545m / 1809ft, thanks to someone chalking those very figures at the summit (above two). Wow: 545m, and I didn't get off and push for one of them.



That one was the very last one, when the road levels out. The approach from the south really is a pig (above), a mile and half of at least 1 in 7. The OS map is just a mass of arrowheads, an explosion in a shelf-bracket factory.


From the summit I headed east and downwards, across fantastically remote mountaintop country.

I was sped by a big tailwind along the shore of Lake Vyrnwy and ultimately to Oswestry Travelodge (above), booked back in December through their release of £12 offer rooms.

I'm quite a fan of the in-room bike parking.

Miles today: 50
Miles since Barmouth: 61

P2G 3: Leamington to Newark

A long hot haul up the Fosse Way today. Unfortunately, the speed I cycle, I couldn't even get this ford to splash me with cool water.


Ab Kettleby is a nondescript little village near Melton Mowbray. But it's Britain's top village - alphabetically - thanks to the way computers sort their gazetteers.

(And yes, it's sideways. Blame Blogger. It's OK on my laptop.)


Staying at a Travelodge just outside Newark (which has a surprisingly continental feeling Grand Place, except everything was shut when I went through at quarter past five). Convenient bike parking here.

Miles today: 87
Miles so far: 241