If you're looking for a 230 mile adventure where either the mile-munching friendly banter between old mates or the peaceful solitude of being at one with the bike speeds the journey along, then this is the route to choose.
Day 1 - Oxborough to Heacham
Cycling UK's, Rebellion Way officially starts in Norwich, although being a circular route, kicking off at any point on its 230 mile circumference is entirely possible. It had taken us a good few weeks of prior head scratching to get the five of us from Surrey to Norfolk in an efficient manner. We were looking to maximise our annual leave and keep the daily riding distance and overall trip cost wallet friendly. We settled on four days riding and a start and finish in Oxborough which meant we were relatively close to the main road from London, whilst cleverly avoiding the honey pot towns for our overnight accommodation. Cars parked, bikes unloaded and bags strapped to racks, we quickly found ourselves rolling down quiet back lanes and sandy tracks. The entrance to a field provided a decent enough backdrop for the group photo then it was onto Swaffham, the first of a number of towns on the route. Although in past times the busy town was a place of fame, modern shops have slightly tarnished its former appeal. Still, its got plenty to offer the passing traveller with pubs, convenience stores and toilets, but as we were fresh into our ride we passed through and headed north towards the pre-Norman, former walled town of Castle Acre.
At just over thirteen miles in, and the next significant stopping point some twenty miles further, Castle Acre's Wittles Cafe, enticed us to rest on the village green and enjoy tea and cake. Suitably fueled and up to speed with the surrounding 'Castle and Bailey' history via Roly's pristine copy of the guide book, we jumped back on the bikes and headed north. Hedge lined back lanes, forest double track complete with swathes of orange sand, a big puddle and a puncture at a ruined church, more or less summed up the next couple of hours. Norfolk is a vast patchwork of multifaceted greens, hundreds of thousands of fields edged with paths and roads. Every once in a while, a small village or collection of houses signify human habitation. Our route felt like a dot-to-dot puzzle, weaving it's way through the ancient managed landscape joining habitation to habitation. We joined part of the Peddars Way before turning left towards Bawsey Lakes. Then north again to pass by the eleventh century Church of St. James, before heading west and into the outskirts of Kings Lynn.
In contrast to the last thirty miles, the next ten were spent riding through a series of merged towns. The run into King's Lynn along local cycle lanes and park side paths was pleasant enough and sitting on the harbour front was a welcome lunch stop. The route retraced its steps in part before turning northward through Gaywood, South Wootton and North Wootton, the end of this section signified by the 1138 mediaeval ruins of Castle rising.
Next waypoint, the well manicured Sandringham Estate. Then, with lights at the ready, it was back into the lanes and onto Sedgeford and the seaside town of Heacham where our six berth caravan and evening meal awaited.
Day 2 - Heacham to Sheringham
Rain is tolerable when it starts part way through the journey. Stepping out into blustery showers first thing in the morning does take a slightly hardy demeanour and degree of self motivation, particularly as our first stop was to find breakfast. An internet search had revealed a number of likely candidates and the Cliff Top Cafe and Beach Shop in Old Hunstanton, just five miles away, was a good find.
Thankfully, in the time it took us to consume our various egg and bacon interpretations, the rain eased and the sun emerged from behind the grey coastal cloud. It was ten miles to Burnham Market and another ten to Wells-next-the-Sea. So with everyone now fuelled we set off on the north coast leg of our adventure. The route to Burnham Market avoids the coast road, which is a bit of a shame, but understandably the A149 can be busy and doesn't actually afford a true coastal view anyway. With no need to stop for provisions, we passed through the old market town and pressed on. Like much of this north west corner of Norfolk, the land is made up of a number of large country estates, their brick or flint stone walls signifying a passage around one vast perimeter or another. Today was the turn of Holkham Hall, the 18th century home of the current Earl of Leicester. After negotiating its slimline metal access gate we were met with an impressive two mile long drive, complete with imposing stone obelisk.
After Holkham it was onto Wells-next-the-Sea, along what was probably one of the prettiest sections of the route following a pine wood gravel path next to Holkham Beach. We'd skipped the recommended Lookout Cafe at the western end of the nature reserve but succumbed to ice creams at the cafe near the Coast Watch Station. It was nearing lunch time so a brief stop in the main town filled our panniers with artisan (priced) baguettes and sweet delights from the bakery. This part of the Norfolk coast is always a popular tourist destination and today was no different, so we pressed on to eat in the relative seclusion of the village green at Great Walsingham.
The next sixteen miles were fairly uneventful. Little Walsingham was very pretty and worth a stop if you fancied a sit down meal. More quiet back lanes, a couple of main roads and a smattering of gravel tracks followed until we arrived at Holt at around 4pm. A short break for weary legs opposite the Kings Head and then onto to Fish and Chips at The Two Lifeboats and an overnight stay at YHA Sheringham.
Day 3 - Sheringham to Diss
For some ungodly reason we'd decided to get up at 6am. The general plan was sound - try and finish todays 75 miles sometime before midnight. But swinging tired legs over the cross bar this early didn't feel like a holiday. So, as breakfast at the YHA wasn't served until 8am, we stocked up at the local Tesco superstore on our way down to the pretty harbour front in readiness for breakfast en-route.
The route turned off-road fairly quickly with a steep ascent into Beeston Regis Heath, the wooded hills south of Sheringham. After struggling to find the route at the junction of the house and bridle way at Calves Well Lane, our party managed to get split up as we sought to find an alternate route to the top. Whilst three of the group pressed on through the woods, Paul and I managed to bag the view point and were rewarded with blue skies and a stunning coastal view. Picking our way through the woods was fun. A further mix of lanes, a busy stretch of road and more forest tracks took us to the rather grand, if some what austere, Felbridge House and the perfect spot for breakfast.
The next fifteen miles were typical Norfolk quiet lanes - hedge lined in places - all with expansive views over a mix of arable produce. In contrast to yesterday's wet start, we were blessed with blue skies and a warm Autumn sun, just right for short sleeves and making the miles roll by. Blicklington Hall's impeccably manicured front lawn and surrounding buildings made for a convenient backdrop to the days Instagram photo and a useful pause to check the map for the next part of the route, the Bure Valley Railway. It was 11am and we'd covered twenty miles so far. As ever, the local bakery in Aylesham lured us in with sweet treats, tea and coffee but the town had a distinct lack of seating, so we didn't stay long. This next section was formed of a nine mile path running alongside the miniature railway line that connected Aylesham to Hoveton and provided a timely alternative from the Norfolk lanes. It's been advised that this section of the route can get busy with walkers and being only about a bike width in many places could be slow going. However it was a weekday morning for us and we pretty much had the path to ourselves.
We'd set ourselves a 9am cut-off at Erpington and an 11:30am cut-off at Wroxham. These were both points at which we could shorten the official route to make up time. We'd hit the first but were thirty minutes behind the second. The decision was whether to pedal straight to Norwich via Salhouse or to include the Ranworth dogleg and make up the time elsewhere. With a trump card in our back pocket and good weather on our side we made the decision to stick with the official route. Our 2pm lunch was a mixed feast of burgers, left over sausage rolls from the bakery, plates of chips and pints of beer at the Maltsters in Ranworth right next to the picturesque Norfolk Broads. I guess the culmination of two and a half days of riding and three early starts were beginning to show as we munched our way through our pub grub in lazy fashion putting aside the fact we were only just over halfway through the distance for the day.
We rolled past Norwich Cathedral at around 3pm and had decided to play our trump card, the fifteen minute train ride which runs from Norwich to Diss, cutting out twenty five miles of picturesque but all-to familiar Norfolk back lanes. It was absolutely the right call. After all, this was an adventure, not a bike slog and given our group has been adventuring together for over thirty five years none of us had anything to prove. After purchasing tickets, bike reservations and a short wait before boarding the train, we eventually stepped out at Diss station comforted by the fact it was only three miles to our pub lodgings, a meal and a shower. Twin room partners selected and the bikes crammed into the rather magnificent "olde-worlde" Scole Inn foyer we dined on red meat and beer before heading to bed.
Day 4 - Diss to Oxborough
It was another early start. Yesterdays rain had been replaced with an autumnal chill and our waterproofs now served as a useful thermal layer this time. First stop was to hunt for breakfast - which had now become our daily routine. Last nights lodgings were only a mile or so off route, so as the promising sky turned from patchy blue to grey we rolled into Diss high street to be met by the ever friendly Greggs the baker.
The route today once again had a number of long sections devoid of food or drink so we stuffed our panniers with cakes and sandwiches and trundled off westward aiming for our first check point - the small village of Hopton. The miles just rolled by, most of us now comfortable with the dynamics of our ever morphing mini peloton. Our conversations were interrupted by shouts of 'left' or 'right' and we understood that the topic of discussion would fit around everyones pace as we rode up or down the rolling terrain. Hopton came and went, a contradictory crossroads with a generous modern corner store opposite a 14th century church. Before we knew it we were dodging heavy lorries for the two minute stint on the A1066 Thetford road before turning onto quieter lanes and the first of many acres of Thetford Forest.
Our party had split up due to conflicting GPS directions and while phoning each other to agree a rendezvous point, three of us happened to come across an elaborate water pumping tap and a herd of white deer near St. Andrew Church. After several minutes of playing with our camera's maximum zoom and steady hands to get a photo, we pressed on stopping briefly at Thetford's Tesco superstore before heading north east on our zig zag route through Thetford Forest.
The next twenty five miles were a pleasant ride through some quiet forest tracks and bracken-lined woodland roads, interrupted only by the sound of afterburners from the supersonic fighter jets based at RAF Lakenheath and the odd car.
We stopped for lunch on a generous grassy corner, again for an afternoon snack at the Shepherds Baa woodland cabin, and once more for a group photo at the Desert Rat memorial.
Four days and 230 miles later we rolled past the sign to Oxborough and our waiting cars.
For some, it was their longest single ride. For everyone, it was a well earned achievement.
How to ride the Rebellion Way
Route
The Rebellion Way blends quiet back roads, byways, cycle paths and bridleways into a 230 mile (370km) circular route. Norfolk isn't entirely flat but there's nothing particularly steep and the off-road sections are all manageable in good weather on a 35mm touring tyre.
Clicking on the map (title) above takes you to the Ride with GPS route we used for this adventure. Please feel free to download and modify to suit. Alternatively you can download the official route from CyclingUK here. We started at Oxborough, which is in between Thetford and Kings Lynn. This allowed us to access more reasonably priced accomodation away from the main hot spots with the benefit of enjoying the major towns and cities at lunch time rather than at the end of the day. We chose to undertake the trip over four days with the cycling distance on the first and last days slightly shorter to allow for travel to and from home.
Day 1 - Oxborough to Heacham. 51 miles (82km), 550m ascent
Oxborough, Swaffham 8, Castle Acre 13, Kings Lynn 32, Sandringham Estate 42, Heacham 51
Day 2 - Heacham to Sheringham 61 miles (98km), 783m ascent
Heacham, Hunstanton 3, Burnham Market 14, Wells-next-the-sea 25, Little Walsingham 32, Holt 51, Sheringham 61
Day 3 - Sheringham to Scole 73 miles (117km), 795m ascent
Sheringham, Rye 9, Aylesham 20, Buxton 24, Hoveton / Wroxham 30, Ranworth 37, Norwich 48, Stoke Holy Cross 54, Saxlington Nethergate 57, Scole 71.
Day 4 - Scole to Oxborough 46 miles (74km), 440m ascent
Scole, Diss 3, Hopton 12, Thetford 25, Foulden 44, Oxborough 46.
Getting to the start
The official start point is Norwich which is a great place to begin if you live locally or are heading up from London by train. Otherwise starting somewhere on the west side of the route, such as Thetford or Kings Lynn would be a better option. Diss is the stop before Norwich on the train from London, so again makes a good starting point.
Terrain
Approximately 80% paved & 20% unpaved
The terrain is text book touring bike. Gentle rolling undulation, backroad tarmac and a smattering of gravelly byways. There's a little bit of mud in a couple of patches and a few stretches of sand that's probably best walked. Three of our group had chosen panniers over bikepacking bags and no one lost their luggage over the rougher trails.
Whether it was Roly's beautiful Reynolds 725 Croix-de-fer, Paul's original Marin Bear Valley with much coveted retro parts, Tim's 3D printed wonder or Marcus' radioactive Pinnacle, almost everyone ran some kind of Schwalbe or Continental touring tyre around 35mm wide. I'd left my Adventure bike in its Brother in the Wild set up with 42mm Soma Cazadero's and suspension forks and, ironically, was the only one to suffer a puncture on the rough stuff!
(Typical off-road terrain)
When to go
Naturally, the best months are from May to September, when the weather is at its best and all the local attractions and facilities are open. That said, the route could probably be ridden all year round as it's reasonably sheltered and mainly road based. The Norfolk back lanes can get a little bleak in winter but by splitting the route over say five or six days, and finding cosy pubs for over night accommodation, it could make it a cracking off-season adventure.
Accommodation
Due to the mixed riding ability within the group - and the fact it was a bit of a lads holiday - we chose not to camp. While this significantly reduced the amount of kit we needed to bring, it did quickly polarize the price of accommodation. The natural stopping points on the route generally coincide with the big towns where, surprisingly, room prices are quite expensive. We ended up starting and finishing in Oxborough which placed the natural overnight points in less cost prohibitive locations.
We managed to bag three nights accommodation plus travel to and from the start for £100 each. Staying in the big towns would triple that amount.
Day 1 - Lynton Caravan, ParkDean Resorts, South Beach Road, Heacham, Hunstanton, PPE31 7BD
Day 2 - YHA Sheringham, 1 Cremer's Drift, Sheringham, Norfolk, NR26 8HX
Day 3 - The Scole Inn, Ipswich Road, Scole, Diss, United Kingdom, IP21 4DR
If you're touring on a budget, definitely consider camping.
Eating
Rather like the accommodation, eating does need a little bit of thought. In the main there's a good mix of cafe's, local shops, pubs and restaurants. We sampled all of these, including occasionally frequenting pubs more than once a day! However, there are long stretches of the route where you're well away from civilisation, so do check the route carefully and stock up ahead.
Wittles Cafe, Stocks Green, Castle Acre, King's Lynn PE32 2AE
Cobbles Tea Room, 5 Hanse House, South Quay, Kings Lynn, PE30 5GN
Lynton Caravan, ParkDean Resorts, South Beach Road, Heacham, Hunstanton, PPE31
Cliff Top Cafe and Beach Shop, Lighthouse Cl, Hunstanton, PE36 6EL
Well-next-the-sea Beach Cafe, Beach Road, Wells-next-the-Sea NR23 1DR
The Two Lifeboats, 2 High St, Sheringham NR26 8JR
Tesco Superstore, Cromer Rd, Sheringham NR26 8RS
The Maltsters, The Hill, Ranworth, Norwich NR13 6AB
Greggs, 22/24 Mere St, Diss IP22 4AD
The Shepherds Baa, Lynford Rd, Mundford, Thetford IP26 5HW
Convenience stuff
Public toilets and convenience stores can be found in most of the main towns and villages along the route. A quick internet search at any point should bring up a number within a reasonable riding distance.
Check for opening times for toilets as they can get locked up overnight and out of season.
There are a number of cycle shops along the route, the majority located towards the northern part of the loop.
Equipment
The route is best suited to a touring, hybrid or gravel bike. Given our group dynamic, we chose not to camp, significantly cutting down on the kit we carried. We also shared common tools and equipment and carried a variation on the list below. This was my personal kit:
Specialized CrossTrail "Adventure Bike", running 42mm Soma Cazadero tyres; a 40T x 11-46t drive train and suspension front forks (as set up from a previous off-road gravel event)
Bikepacking bags (22ltrs total): Self-made rear bag system (2 x 8 ltrs), Wizard Works Lil Presto bar bag (1.8 ltr), Wizard Works Go-Go top tube bag (0.8 ltr), self-made frame bag (3ltrs), Topeak top tube bag, between top tube and seat post (0.5ltr), Specialized seat pack S, Amazon special stem bag/dump pouch.
Cycling clothes: Helmet, gloves, glasses, cycling shoes, cycling shorts (bibs), overshorts, wool cycle jersey, cycle gilet, arm warmers, neck buff, waterproof jacket.
Spare clothes: 1 x cycling jersey, 1 x bib shorts, 3 x socks, 1 x cycling cloves
Overnight clothes: T-shirt, lightweight fleece, zip off trousers, socks, underwear, lightweight trainers
Wash kit, towel and first aid items
Mobile phone, GPS, GoPro, battery(s), charger, cables
Bike tools, innertube, pump, lights, bike lock, bell
1.5 ltrs (2 x water bottles) carried on the bike, snacks
Final thoughts
Finding the best way to appreciate the Rebellion Way does take a bit of interpretation. Given that two thirds of the images in Cycling UK's guide book depict rugged bikes covering off-road sections (set against a current trend for all things "bike packing"), it would be easy to presume this is an off-road adventure. It's not. Around 80%, of the route is on tarmac roads so it really makes for a good old fashioned touring bike adventure. In fairness, the guide book wording does describe the terrain well enough but a picture speaks a thousand words, as they say. I'd say this is a bit of a Marmite route. If you're into your history or enjoy seeing how the upper class lived there's plenty to see. The landscape itself is pleasant - picturesque and easy on the eye. If you're looking for rugged coast line, epic views, ancient woods and steep sided valleys, this one isn't for you. I wouldn't recommend the route as a good introduction to bikepacking either, given there are more varied and engaging routes in the UK for a similar distance and terrain, (I'd thoroughly recommend the Canti Way for a first time adventure though!)
Dig a little deeper though and you'll find a brilliant route to enjoy with friends, a trip where conversation and camaraderie makes the miles roll by. Or perhaps a solo ride, one to get away from life for a handful of days and reflect on nothing more than the wide open sky and the turning of your pedals. Which ever angle you choose, I'd recommend a few changes. Tweak the route to go through the towns to provide additional interest. Take a picnic into Thetford Forest or take a day off and explore Norwich. Don't be afraid to cut out some of the roads between Sheringham and Diss if it means you get to enjoy another slice of cake in the tea shop or a pint in the pub. This is a route that needs an accompaniment, a steak that needs a peppercorn sauce, if you will.
Happy Adventuring!
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