Description
Peddars Way is a 74 km (46 mile) National Trail that follows a Roman road in a near-straight line from Knettishall Heath on the Suffolk border to Holme-next-the-Sea on the north Norfolk coast. Most of it is bridleway, byway or unsurfaced country road, so it makes a flat, easy gravel or bikepacking ride across the Brecks and the Norfolk countryside, usually ridden in one long day or over two or three. Four short stretches are footpath only and cyclists leave them for road links, and the Norfolk Coast Path at the northern end is walkers only.
The Route
Peddars Way runs from Knettishall Heath Country Park, near Thetford, north-west and then north to Holme-next-the-Sea, where it meets the Norfolk Coast Path. It follows the line of a Roman road, so the route is long, dead straight stretches linked by short bends, across Breckland forest and heath, then open farmland, with Castle Acre and the villages of north-west Norfolk close to the line. Waymarks are wooden fingerposts reading "Peddars Way" and acorn discs, and blue arrows mark bridleways where yellow arrows mark footpaths.
Riders usually start at Thetford railway station, the start of Norfolk County Council's Peddars Way Cycle Route. It joins the trail at Bridgham Heath and runs north to Holme-next-the-Sea, and the council publishes a GPX of it on its Peddars Way page. Riding from Knettishall Heath is possible too, but the first stretch to Bridgham Heath is footpath, so cyclists take bridleways and roads around it.
Footpath Stretches and Cycling Alternatives
Most of Peddars Way is open to cyclists, but Norfolk County Council lists four stretches that are unsuitable for them:
- Knettishall Heath to Bridgham Heath, avoided by starting from Thetford station on the cycle route
- South to North Pickenham
- Fring to Ringstead
- South of Holme-next-the-Sea, a very short section near the finish
Each has a road or bridleway link that cyclists use instead, and the National Trails interactive map has a layer showing the sections suitable for cyclists. A few other places where the path runs beside a tarmac road are better ridden on the road. Follow the cycle route GPX and the map rather than the walking line, and expect signing and detours to change.
Gravel and Mountain Bike Riding
This is gravel and easy mountain bike country rather than technical riding. Gradients are gentle and much of the surface is stony or flinty bridleway, sandy forest track, field-edge track and short stretches of quiet lane. A gravel or cyclocross bike suits the whole route, a hardtail is fine, and a touring bike with suitable tyres will cope in dry weather. Expect gates along the way.
Conditions change with the weather. In dry weather the bridleways ride firm and fast. After rain the old road can be deep rutted and wet, and some field-margin sections get boggy, so most riders choose the drier months, and the first half through Thetford Forest and the Breckland can be hard work in wet conditions. Riders who link it with Thetford Forest singletrack report flinty, rutted going on the Peddars Way sections.
There is no climbing to speak of: the Wild Things bikepacking route records about 750 m of ascent over the full length.
Norfolk Coast Path
At Holme-next-the-Sea the Peddars Way ends and the Norfolk Coast Path begins. The Norfolk Coast Path is a footpath, so cyclists cannot ride it. Continue on the Norfolk Coast Cycleway instead, which uses quiet roads along the coast, and don't confuse the two.
Resupply and Accommodation
Thetford at the start and Hunstanton just beyond the finish have full services, including shops and places to stay. In between, villages close to the line such as Castle Acre, Great Bircham, Sedgeford and Ringstead are the places to look for food, but there are long stretches with nothing, so carry food and water for half a day. Campsites, bed and breakfasts and pubs with rooms are spread along the route, and there are no rights to wild camp on the trail, so ask the landowner first. The National Trails interactive map shows accommodation with secure cycle storage and cycle repair shops.
Getting Here
Thetford railway station, on the line between Norwich and Ely, is the usual start for cyclists. Knettishall Heath Country Park, the trail's official start, has a car park about six miles east of Thetford. For the finish, Holme-next-the-Sea has car parks at Beach Road and Holme Dunes. There is no railway at the finish: Hunstanton has bus links, and King's Lynn, about 30 km on by road, has the nearest station. Check journey times on Traveline.
The trail starts in Suffolk and ends in Norfolk, so a one-way ride needs a plan to get back, whether the train from King's Lynn, a bus, or riding out and back. Download a route or use GPS navigation before you set off, since the footpath detours are not always obvious on the ground. Nearby riding: Thetford Forest mountain bike trails, a short ride from the start.
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- If you have ridden Peddars Way, please share your reviews, photos, and videos to this listing.
- Photo: Evelyn Simak, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Geograph