My last UK cycle tour before I headed off on my round the world cycle tour was from the East Midlands to East Anglia. The idea was that this might be quite a scenic route. I’d looked it up on Google maps and had visions of cycling by the sea.
Our itinerary was:
Mansfield to Coningsby, which went through Lincoln City. There is an option to cycle through the city, this is quite a steep climb. The other option was cycling around the city which was quite flat; I had been to Lincoln on several occasions, so I went for the easier option. We stayed at a B&B which had a restaurant, which meant that we arrived, got changed and then ate, no hassle with trying to find somewhere to eat in the evening. the first day was about 50miles.
The next day we cycled from Coningsby to Grimston. This route was 52 miles. I had planned that roughly 50 miles would be our maximum mileage. I had also done all of my planning on Google Maps and not done any mapping or planning on any other mapping device that was cycle friendly. I usually navigate using a Mio Cyclo and have always found it to be a really reliable gadget for choosing the best cycling route. That morning I put our destination into my Mio and it said that it would take 72 miles NOT 52 miles to get to our B&B in Grimston. This day has stayed with me since and was the ride that has helped me when I’ve had particularly gruelling rides. It was a hard ride more because initially I had been prepared to do 52 miles NOT 72. There was a 52 mile route BUT it was along a busy and fast road that would have been a bad experience.
Day three was Grimston to Wells Next to the Sea which was about 31 miles. There’s a a Youth Hostel in Wells next to the Sea that we stayed in.
The final day was 34 miles from Wells Next to The Sea to Norwich.
Susan Doram 