Recommendations wanted for East Anglia

diplomaticdanny

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Going to visit a couple of friends over the weekend on the bike, we are going to end up in Sudbury on Tuesday morning with a few days to get back to Southampton, don’t know the area at all, are there any good roads, places to stay and look around for a couple of days.

Should we go to Cambridge for a couple of days?

Any local knowledge/help gratefully received.

Myself & my wife by the way.
 
It is going to be a scorcher over the weekend and it will be a bit cooler by the coast. Having said that, it is a Bank Holiday weekend so some places on the coast will be absolutely heaving such as Southwold and Aldeburgh.
If you want to mainly ride, I recommend choosing the B roads. Most have little traffic and they will take you through some lovely villages.
Lavenham is great if timber framed buildings are your thing.
Constable Country is worth a visit. Flatford is where The Haywain was painted and it is very unspoilt. Dedham is also nice and you can hire a rowing boat. This will be less stressful than a punt on The Cam!
Clare, Cavendish and Long Melford are also worth a visit, if only to pass through.
Cambridge is a vibrant city due to all the students and has some great pubs on the periphery of the town centre. It is quite expensive though. An alternative might be to stay in St Ives and travel to Cambridge on the guided bus which follows an old railway line. St Ives has some decent pubs and a rediculous number of Indian Restaurants for a place of its size....all of them good.
It depends what you like. Wherever you go, it is worth planning routes via the minor roads and just bimble along taking in the countryside and villages.
 
Agree with what Mark has said, in addition Bury st Edmunds is a pretty town (possibly some shops for T'missus!) nice roads around Newmarket (look up five mile bottom) also a bike meet in Stanningfield on Tuesday evenings. Have you decided where to stay yet?
Cheers:beerjug: John B4
 
Booked two nights in Cambridge Tuesday & Wednesday so I’ll do some B roads on Tuesday, maybe fit in a few of the towns & villages you guys are suggesting, day off the bike Wednesday to wander round Cambridge then try and find a good route southbound for Thursday, maybe take two days to get home.
Duxford & shopping don’t really do it for either of us.
 
if in sudbury try the road to finchingfield then on to then onto saffron walden to cambridge , the roads are great there is a bike meet at finchingfield on sunday morning. great little village for tea on the green. audley end house at saffron walden is good to visit .
 
Booked two nights in Cambridge Tuesday & Wednesday so I’ll do some B roads on Tuesday, maybe fit in a few of the towns & villages you guys are suggesting,

My advice is simple. Stay in the areas already suggested. Do not try and travel north into Norfolk this weekend, traffic is horrendous tonight and will only get worse if the sun continues to shine.

Save the best, the gently rolling Norfolk countryside and North Norfolk coast with its quaint small fishing harbours until school return time in September, or next spring time up to late June/early July.
 
BSE is a good suggestion, if you’re there go to Krazyhorse motorcycles worthy of a gist food good to.
 
My advice is simple. Stay in the areas already suggested. Do not try and travel north into Norfolk this weekend, traffic is horrendous tonight and will only get worse if the sun continues to shine.

Save the best, the gently rolling Norfolk countryside and North Norfolk coast with its quaint small fishing harbours until school return time in September, or next spring time up to late June/early July.

My favourite area also. Didn’t suggest it as it is a good 2 hours from Cambridge, so bit too far. Currently chilling after watching the sun go down from Beeston Bump. Check out ‘Shelley’s Nook’ if you fancy staying in the area, but book directly with me for a 20% discount!
 
Did Lavenham, Hartest Fete & Bury St Edmonds yesterday, ate dinner in the Cote Brasserie next door to Bills, very good and not expensive. Had planned to do some of the B roads suggested today but it was just too hot so we rode straight to the hotel in Cambridge, checked in early, had lunch then rode to Ely this afternoon, found a cracking parking place, did the 90 minute walk from the tourist office, great day.
 

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Lovely:thumb2 Sounds like you're enjoying our part of the world, don't tell too many though:D Cheers, :beerjug:John B
 


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