Updated Region 1 route
Hello folks,
(Very) last minute decision today - decided to try out the Region 1 route.
Apologies to those of you who would have liked to come along, but there will be a second trial run with Duchess. (In fact, halfway round I had second thoughts myself - it was f'ing cold first thing this morning!).
I kept to speed limits+10%, using the GPS rather than the optimistic BMW speedo for accurate numbers. I did the run as per the posted Mapsource file and ....... its ....... a ........ very ....... long ...... ride!! Although the route looks mostly A-roads, there's a lot of 30 and 40 limits in there, plus long stretches of 50. This dragged the average speed down to 43 and it took over 4 1/2 hours moving time to ride the route. Add an hour for fuel and tea stops and my original estimate is about an hour out.
Oops! (This was also on a Sunday, when the roads were fairly quiet and overtaking was easy.) Add this onto the distance each of us has to ride just to reach the start in Kings Lynn and get home from the finish at Thurrock, and it makes for a very long day!
I'm also concerned about threading the group through Colchester. Some of you know Colchester very well, but it's a bit of a traffic nightmare and it would be all too easy to split the group up, especially on a weekday afternoon during term time.
With this in mind, I've tweaked the route towards the end, to make it slightly quicker and easier to follow (particularly at the end when brains are tired!).
Route starts outside McDonalds near the A47/A10 roundabout near Kings Lynn. Note: The McD's is not actually on the roundabout—head towards KL for 1/4 mile, it's easily visible from the road on the left, next to the Campbells factory which looks like this:
From the A10/A47 roundabout, follow signs for A149 (A148) to Fakenham and onto Cromer. Too soon to stop for tea, but the view is nice!
From Cromer follow signs A149 Great Yarmouth.
From Great Yarmouth follow signs for A12 Lowestoft.
(Stop for tea in either Gt. Yarmouth or Lowestoft)
Stay with A12 and follow signs for Ipswich.
Turn right onto A14 over Orwell Bridge to Copdock services for more tea and fuel if needed.
Then join A12 signed London/Colchester.
Follow A12 all the way to Chelmsford, then join A130.
Follow A130 onto the A13 which will then take us direct to Thurrock Services
JOB DONE
Basically, I've cut out the A137 bit via Manningtree, the centre of Colchester and the twiddly B-road bit from Colchester through Maldon. I agree those bits are very nice, ideal for a Sunday blast, but I'm trying to balance that against time and fatigue!
I'll post a Mapsource file tomorrow (Monday) but if anyone violently disagrees with this change, could they let me know?
Right, my fingers hurt, I need a beer.....
Andy