Cambridgeshire Route

[Capt Sisko]

Hi All, I've got to make my way to Sudbury (CO10 7HJ) this Saturday morning (8th Sept). I don't really have much choice from my neck of the woods to take the M6 / A14 route for most of the way, boring I know, but I though maybe I could at least make the last twenty or thirty miles interesting. Problem is, I don't know this area at all.

 

Anyone local who could point me in the direction of a good B road or two, or maybe a few points of interest I could thread together?

Edited September 5, 2023 by Capt Sisko

[bonio]

Two suggestions. One is to take the m11 then left on the the 505, right at the next roundabout down to Newport. There's a left turn in Newport that will lead you on back roads through Debden, Thaxted, Great Bardfield, Finchingfield, Castle Hedingham and on to Sudbury. Great roads.

 

 

 

Or stay on the A14 to the Quy junction, and make you way to Fulbourn. From there you do Balsham, Ashton, Finchingfield and then as before.

 

 

Can't really recommend the route from Haverhill or Clare to Long Melford: too much traffic and too many speed limits. If you really want a shorter rote then you'll have to be prepared to pick your way through the villages. A sat nav is essential cos none of the roads go in your direction for long.  Something like this: leave the A14 at Quy and follow the signs right into Newmarket where you take the right turn to Dalham. Then head towards Stradishall, but just before you reach the village take a left and head for Boxted. You'll end up on a lane that will take you down to the A1092 where you turn left to Long Melford. Right in Melford on the main drag where an easily-missed left hand shortly after the Hall takes you to the junction for Acton.

 

Have fun!

[bonio]

POIs... Finchingfield is a great place to stop for a cake or a bite to eat. Postcard pretty. I think you can visit Long Melford Hall. There's a horse museum in Newmarket if that's of interest. If not, Reiten Motorrad on the 1092 do good test rides and reasonable coffee.

[Capt Sisko]

Thanks both, and yes you're right, some of those villages really really do look postcard pretty, quite different from my part of Shropshire. The weather ought to be showing them off at their best, but it's also going to make it a hard day. It's about a 390 mile round trip and at the predicted 30c I guess I'm going to be drinking a lot of water! On the plus side, I'm not going to need my waterproofs!

[Capt Sisko]

On 07/09/2023 at 12:36, Capt Sisko said:

On the plus side, I'm not going to need my waterproofs!

Or maybe not:

[rennie]

We live in Shropshire too!

we have relatives who live in Diss,

we travel there and back a lot in either a car or the campervan.

 

I've yet to take my bike down there but I've been saying for years 

that I need to ride the A1066 from Thetford to Diss

[Capt Sisko]

Well, that was a long & hot day, 388miles, 33c somewhere around Cambridge on the A14 in the afternoon and stayed on the plus side of 30c for most of the way back. Some really pretty scenery and for me different architecture / village style compared to what I'm used to. Well worth seeing.

 

I reckon I drank about three and a half litres of water and only stopped for a pee twice. I must have sweated buckets. All I'll say if thank goodness for vented kit, but it'll definitely need a wash before it's put away. There can't be many days left before the heated vest & Gore-Tex comes back out. Make the most of them folks.

 

P.S. It didn't thunder on me!

Edited September 9, 2023 by Capt Sisko

[bonio]

I did about 400 miles today, in just three pees. Brutally hot. When we rode off the Chunnel train at 5pm, 31C had never felt so deliciously cool.