Cycling the cycle-able bits of Peddars Way–part 8–the END

Wednesday 2^nd April 2014: (King’s Lynn and back to Cambridge)  When I reach a destination I tend to suddenly feel the miles in my legs. It isn’t so much the distance as reaching the goal.  The trouble in this case I sort of reached my goal. But I felt a bit cheated because I hadn’t managed to dip a wheel in the sea. It was also a bit cold and the sun was shut down by the clouds. I didn’t really know at the time – but I reckoned I had a good 32Km/20miles left before I got back to King’s Lynn.

So I turned around and pedalled at a reasonable pace in order to get a bit warmer. When I’d digitised the route I decided that I would use the two alternate routes between Ringsted and Sedgeford.  what I should have done is choose the  blue route up and then the NCN1 route back.  Since that would have made the journey back straighter. I didn’t though. So on the way back I found myself back on the some rougher tracks.

Fortunately they weren’t too sandy and the further south I went the more the sun managed to peep through the gloom.  Technically I was now back on the Peddars Way.  Except I wasn’t I have just noticed that the route I digitised went a step too far. I will correct the Bike Route Toaster Version – flip – it just shows I ought to pay more attention when digitising routes.  I turned off here and I should have turned off here.

Also according to the OS Map I shouldn’t have taken the short detour to Neat’s Ling (although that is the way shown on the OSM map).  Ah I see – the OSM version of the Peddars Way ride was the route I followed but from a rights of way point of view perhaps I should have taken a slightly different set of routes. So I am going to leave the BRT map alone. It currently follows the OSM Peddars way route.

Using Google Earth to look at the tracks in the area I think it makes sense. In fact it makes me thing that the Green dot route has been subverted just by Neat’s Ling.

The Alternate Peddars Way – near Neat’s Ling

What I will say though is the east-west track that returns the route to the road (and NCN1) was bl**dy awful – it had a surface of golf ball  size smooth round-ish stones. It one short piece of track it almost took away my will to live – well not really. But is was hard work, just when I didn’t need it.

After that despite my worried about yet another 30-odd kilometres to cycle it was quite pleasant. I knew it and so knew I was making progress. The sun was getting warmer and the distance soon rolled by.

Pretty soon and I was cycling  by the Sandringham Estate and then downhill onto Queen Elizabeth Way. At this point very little of the journey is on road. There is a shared–use path on the QE Way, Then you turn off along a bridleway that is a gravelled “road” to Castle Rising.  In fact it looks as if it was the course of the old road into Castle Rising. (A149). It crosses the Babingley River.

I took a picture of the Church of St Lawrence – a Norman cruciform church. I have unfinished business here – I want to take a better picture than this – but it will have to do for now.

Church of St Lawrence – Castle Rising

I probably ought to visit the Castle as well. However just across from the church was some glorious blossom – so fleeting that you have to take pictures when the opportunity arises. I think that garden is of the Old Trinity Hospital.

Castle Rising – when the blossoms out – take a picture

When I got through to King’s Lynn there was an awful moment, where the cycle route crosses the railway line. The barriers were down and I had visions of watching the train I should be on pull out of the station and cross right there in front of me.

It was a little thing but my heart lifted – it was the once an hour train pulling into King’s Lynn Station. Pretty good timing if I say so myself.

I bought my ticket. jammed my bicycle into a doorway and sat down and celebrated by having a few Jelly Babies washed down with some water. The King’s Lynn train does not have any dedicated cycle space. I did take a picture – but I was tired it was blurry – it didn’t make it into the Blog sorry.

It was all I could do do stay awake as the train rumbled down through to Cambridge. I had visions of waking up in King’s Cross. I managed to stay awake because a fellow passenger rambled on and on in a phone call to a colleague who was being promoted and this girl wasn’t sure where she might or might not get the deputy position…….. She got off at Downham Market – phew.

I also remembered to take a picture of the red bikes of Ely.  Boris eat your heart out – you can now Bike & Go from Ely, it will be £10 annually plus £3.80 for 24 hours use.

Bike & Go – Ely

It wasn’t long and the train rumbled into Cambridge.  I would definitely recommend that ride – it was great – although I probably wouldn’t go all the way to the golf course though.