Quintessential English Countryside

Norfolk-Suffolk Stage 08 – Halesworth to Ipswich 62 Km (Thu 12 May 2022)

Weather: 10⁰C min – 18⁰C max, fine but overcast

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“Life is what you make it” ~ Grandma Moses

What a difference a day makes! After heavy rain last night the clouds have passed through, revealing a beautiful blue sky when I awoke this morning in Halesworth. After a good breakfast at the Corner House, I chatted to Steve and Simon for longer than I intended, so it wasn’t until 9 am that I had packed my panniers ready for the 62 km ride to Ipswich.

Sustrans has to be commended for the NCN1 Suffolk Coast trail that I followed most of the way today, as it was safe and very scenic. It wasn’t intentional to choose NCN1 when I planned my route, I just relied on cycle.travel to select the best route (which happened to be the same as the National Cycle Network trail).

Suffolk is just as gorgeous as Norfolk, with pretty villages, idyllic lanes and country roads, and quintessential English countryside. I think I am enjoying this tour as much or more that I have done anywhere!

At Framlingham I stopped to take photos of Framlingham Castle and Framlingham College, before enjoying a coffee at the bakery with a keen cyclist called Daniel. He is a lot younger, trimmer and fitter than me, often riding up to 100 miles a day. He says he has lost 50 kg by cycling which is hard to believe when you see the condition he is in now … you have to admire someone with such commitment.

Ipswich is the largest city in Suffolk and seems a nice city, but I’ll tell you more when I have had a chance to explore and take some photos.

And so ends another enjoyable day of cycling around Norfolk and Suffolk. Only three more days left now and all is well .. bike and rider holding up well to the rigours!