Cycling through Essex and Suffolk – Day 3

Day 3 – Wantisden Park to Lowestoft, 41 miles, 1263 feet elevation

A good night’s sleep in our small wooden tent, a proper pillow makes the world of difference! We’re up early, today it’s the Morrison’s porridge (it’s ok, but not as good as the Aldi protein version we had yesterday), a cup of tea, then pack up and are on our way before 08.00. Quite the contrast to our start yesterday, the rush hour traffic consists of nothing but a couple of farm vehicles passing us in the first five miles. We cycle alongside huge fields of onions, spinach and potatoes, it’s just too tempting… a small onion is scrumped, but there’s no room in the panniers for any more (plus we are upstanding citizens, ah-hem).

We have a looser plan today, head to Leiston for the ‘proper’ breakfast and then maybe onto Sizewell C (to compare nuclear power stations, it was Dungeness last year), then perhaps onto the lost town of Dunwich (once a thriving port till storms took it in the 13th century) or possibly Southwold. It was all panning out perfectly, we even stop off at a friendly farm shop in Coldfair Green to pick up some delicious fresh strawberries, but then it all started to go a bit Pete Tong. Breakfast in Leiston was a disaster, no way to sugar coat it, it was truly awful! Our original choice of cafe was closed, with a sign in the window “closed till the end of June”: today was the 17th July, but we soon found somewhere that was open. The menu looked appealing, Sue went for the avocado and a poached egg on a bagel, I chose the smoked salmon with cream cheese. Let’s just say the food did not meet expectations; the bagel was untoasted, the avocado unseasoned and served cold from the fridge, the poached egg hard boiled, not soft and runny, the salmon was actually ok but not enjoyable due to the chewy, doughy bagel it was served on. Yes, ok, first world problems, I know but we’d been so looking forward to it. We didn’t complain, meekly left and then felt bad for not making more of it in the cafe. Then to compound it, I missed the turn for Sizewell and by the time we realised it was too late to turn around. We cycled on without many words being exchanged (not bad though, three days in before our first disagreement!). After some quick renegotiating, a new plan was hatched. We were heading to Southwold!

So on we went, following NCN 42 through Eastbridge where the national route up to Vault Hill became a muddy bog, almost impassable, and then back onto the road towards Blythborough. The arable fields around Wantisden are replaced in this part of Suffolk by field upon field of pig farms. If we’d been in the car the windows would have been wound up but this wasn’t an option for us; the stench was truly awful. Just before reaching Blythborough we took the road towards Walberswick where we stopped to chat to some friendly older cyclists (older than us even!) at St Andrews Church in the village. It’s well worth stopping off for a few minutes to look around. There are some remains of the old church (my first thought was that perhaps this was the work of Henry VIII and his reformation) but no, when the village fell on hard times in the late 17th century, it was partly demolished with materials from the old church used to build a much smaller one (I hope you like my photo, I was rather impressed with it!).

From Walberswick we crossed the footbridge over the river Blyth past the bustling working harbour which marks the entry point into Southwold. By this time, the sun was shining down on us as we made our way up to the town and headed to the sea front for lunch and then maybe a swim in the sea.

We took our bikes onto the pier and ordered some baguettes and a can of Adnams IPA (it was Southwold after all) and slowly started to melt in the warm sunshine. Within a few minutes of finishing our lunch, however, the clouds came in and the wind strengthened – perhaps not the time for a swim in the North Sea!

Time to get back on the bikes and head up to our final destination at Lowestoft. We cycled along more quiet lanes through small hamlets along NCN 31 with very little signs of life (or shops, or pubs or cafes) almost until we hit Lowestoft itself. We navigated our way through the park and some residential streets to find our AirBNB stay for the evening. Much needed tea and biscuits set out for arrival, plenty of space, a brilliant shower, but, strangely, also a chemical toilet (?). Wasn’t expecting that! Our friendly hosts recommended the Jolly Sailors on the cliff top above Pakefield Beach for our evening treat to mark the end of our adventure. We duly booked a table, enjoyed a pint and then spent a little time in the dunes watching the waves coming in and trying to work out what the strange constructions in the sea were, a little way out. It turns out they are man made sea bird nesting platforms (or Artifical Nesting Structures).

The meal was great, fish and chips for me (once again!) and a Crab Salad for Sue (but what is this new fad about thick cut chips the size of roast potatoes!). Both a little sad that our trip had come to end, but looking forward to planning the next one.

In conclusion, a great trip, always good to discover new places and doing so on a bicycle gives you a proper appreciation of the places you are travelling through. We think we would like to return to this part of England to explore the area a little more.