I woke to an unexpectedly clear and starry sky. The view from the cliff top was astonishing with Jupiter above Orion and Venus above the east horizon and ships lights visible in the distance. The forecast was for rain later so I didn’t hang around and left just after 7am in the hope of escaping a soaking.

Morning view of the North Sea

I called in to the local church to see the last buttress of All Saints church before continuing through woodland and rural lanes to Walberswick. It’s a pleasant but isolated village and the sign at the entrance is not visitor friendly by warning of parking restrictions at all times and hefty parking charges.

The last buttress of All Saint's Church is preserved.

It is separated from the larger Southwold to the north by a river estuary. Both banks are full of busy moorings and a rough cycle track runs inland a ways to connect with a pedestrian bridge over the River Blyth. Once over a good then bad cycle track goes to Southwold which was tidy but quiet as I rode through which isn’t surprising as it’s a Sunday morning. The B1127 took me to Wrentham where I joined the main A12 road.

Bridge over the River Blyth

I always try and avoid such roads but with no alternative I had to put up with the high speed traffic and thoughtless drivers. Approaching Lowestoft I used a delightful cycle route along the coast which took me right into the town centre. On the way out I had a quick look at a bowling green which advertised itself as the most easterly in England. A steep switchback road took me back to Corton and Hopton-on-Sea.

Lowestoft Seafront

Lowestoft

Maritime Museum by the Bowling Green

Approaching Great Yarmouth

Great Yarmouth moorings

Haven Bridge, Great Yarmouth was opened by HRH the Prince of Wales on the 21st October 1930.
The double bascule lifting bridge measures approximately 230 feet in length, provides a navigation channel
of 88 feet in width. The 650 ton lifting arms are raised electrically,
although can be operated manually in the event of a power failure.

I had to rejoin the A12 for a while before ducking back to the sea front and riding to the dock area. I found an ‘Iceland’ shop where I bought a 5lt bottle of water for £1 then continued to Haven Bridge over the River Yare. There was a definite joint in the middle indicating that it could be a lift bridge but I couldn’t see any evidence to support this. Getting off my bike and exploring both sides of the bridge didn’t give any further clues. I now had water and was heading due west along the A47 across Halvergate Marshes towards Norwich.

At last I was off the A47

It’s definitely a road I would have avoided if possible but I was stuck with it. The length I had to ride was dead straight and about 7miles long. For such a busy and major road it is relatively narrow making it even harder for me on a bike. All I wanted to do was get this bit of the ride out of the way and turn left on to less busy lanes. The only plus side of the ride was a tail wind. Eventually the windmill came in to view that marked the turn off, phew. Through Halvergate I took a very minor road towards Hassingham where I’d seen a ruined church on the map.

Church of St Edmund doorway

Church of St Edmund doorway

St Edmund gravestone

My hope was that it would make a good camp. I saw the square tower behind thick bushes and trees. There was no entrance other than a gap in the hedge. I wheeled the bike through to a wonderful open area of mown grass and the ivy covered ruined church which looked Norman in construction. All that was left were the walls and tower and some gravestones at the far end. It is the Church of St Edmund and last used around 1870 when the congregation merged with the nearby Limpenhoe. Most of the grassed area was clear so I pitched my tent near the road behind a thick hedge. The most recent gravestone I could find was 1832. A short while after I got the tent up it started to rain.

Church of St Edmund, last used in the 1870s