Norfolk, it has to be said, isn’t on the top of most adventure cyclist’s bucket lists.

There are lots of us who enjoy the self-flagellation that is hauling a heavily loaded bike up a steep technical incline, legs and lungs burning, but knowing that once you reach the top, you’ll be rewarded with a panoramic view of the land below as you slump over your handlebars trying to catch your breath. Amazing as this feeling is, it’s certainly not for everyone, sometimes just to be pedalling your way through beautiful countryside, discovering new landscapes and enjoying gently rolling roads in the company of friends is all you need. This is where Cycling UK’s new route, The Rebellion Way steps in. 

The UK-based charity have rolled out a number of routes over the years including the hugely successful King Alfred’s Way, The Great North Trail, West Kernow Way in Cornwall and the recent Cantii Way in Kent, and now they’re heading to Norfolk. Famous for being pancake flat and not a headline destination for rough and rugged sports, what Norfolk lacks in elevation and adrenaline it makes up for in big skies, fascinating history, picturesque villages, huge sandy beaches, varied terrain and an easily accessible network of quiet lanes and bridleways.

The aim of Cycling UK is to get more people out on bikes, encouraging us to leave our cars at home and explore the UK in a more healthy and sustainable way. The Rebellion Way will open up Norfolk to experienced cyclists who perhaps wouldn’t have bothered with it before and will also act as an ideal introductory route for newer or more casual riders. Far flatter than the likes of King Alfred’s Way, it’s the perfect route for introducing less experienced friends or family members to the joys of bikepacking. 

It includes a mix of tarmac and off-road sections and while it can be ridden on a wide range of bikes, I’d recommend a 35mm or above tyre - there are some sand sections and bits may get muddy after rain, so consider using something with a little grip. I was on my Mason Bokeh with 700x47mm tyres, others in my group were riding Cairn E-Adventure gravel e-bikes with 40mm tyres and Cairn BRAVe flat bar e-bikes running chunky 2.35” MTB tyres for extra grip and comfort.

Both Norwich and Kings Lynn have good train connections to London, or to the north via a change at Ely, so the route could even be split over a couple of weekends if you didn’t have time for the full 376km (235 mile) circular loop in one hit.

The route was devised by the wonderfully enthusiastic Guy Kesteven, an experienced rider, route planner, writer and weirdly… ex-archaeologist, so the route contains a lot of history. It officially starts in Norwich, loops south-west towards Thetford Forest before it heads up to Kings Lynn and north-east along some beautiful coastline to finally dip into the famous Norfolk Broads near Wroxham. The Rebellion Way is named after the historic Kett’s Rebellion in 1549 in which local people fought back against wealthy landowners trying to enclose their land, destroying fences that had been built to keep the common man out. 

One of the targeted landowners was Yeoman farmer Robert Kett, but instead of fighting back he joined forces with the rebels and offered to lead them, resulting in 16,000 people marching on the city of Norwich. This is something we can maybe all relate to - how many of us have looked at a map to try to plan a ride only to find that an allowed bridleway will stop abruptly or turn into a footpath? Countryside access issues are still a focus of many cycling and walking organisations, there are a huge amount of historic public access paths and bridleways that have been lost to private landowners over the years and of the whole of the UK’s rights of way network, currently less than a quarter of it its open to cyclists - a crazy statistic given that some of those disallowed paths will even be open to motor vehicles or on surfaces where bikes will do no more damage that the footfall of walkers. But let’s not get started on this one…

Riding back even further into Norfolk’s rebellious history, the route also passes Venta Icenorum, a model town created by the Romans following the rebellion of Queen Boudica and the local Iceni tribe almost 2000 years ago. You’ll need to use a little imagination, but remains of the walls still stand and through the wonders of modern technology you can view the town in augmented reality via a phone app.

A little way into the route you start to venture off road. A huge area around Thetford is covered by the UK’s largest manmade lowland forest, planted after World War 1 to deal with timber shortages. Since then, Thetford has been used as military training grounds, most famously as the home of the 7th Armoured Division - The Desert Rats, to whom a memorial stands, but if you’re a Brit of a certain age you’re more likely to recognise it as a filming location for the 70’s TV series Dads Army. If you have some extra time to spend en-route you can easily detour for a play in Thetford forest park, where a network of swoopy MTB trails radiate from High Lodge and weave through the forest, some natural and some manmade, graded green to red but easily ridable on a gravel bike by any competent rider.

If history isn’t really your thing, then maybe beer is? Duration Brewery is well worth a stop as you pass through West Acre, located in a beautifully and thoughtfully renovated barn. Set up in 2017 by Miranda Hudson and award-winning brewer Derek Bates, the story of their work to minimise the environmental impact of their production is fascinating and they use a mix of traditional and modern methods to create a range of beers available on tap or by can. The taproom is only open Fridays and Saturdays but they have a well-stocked fridge for picking up a back-pocket brew and a snack for the road if you’re passing on a weekday. 

Norfolk has some beautiful villages, quiet and unspoilt by the mass tourism that plagues some of the more popular destinations in the UK and Castle Acre was a highlight for me. A double ford crossing (wet feet are optional) and views of the ruins of both the castle and priory will welcome you before you ride up the hill towards the village, passing under the Bailey Gate to find a choice of pubs, accommodation and a small supermarket for restocking supplies. In contrast, as you ride up towards the north coast you pass through Kings Lynn, which I’m assured is nice if you know where to look… Glossing over this quickly the route goes a little more upmarket by sending you through the Royal Sandringham Estate before hitting the coastline.

The Norfolk coastline was a shock to me the first time I visited. Hunstanton has some of your classic British seaside town sights, caravan parks, amusement arcades, sweet shops with ice creams and sticks of rock, kids bickering over inflatable beach toys while elderly couples tuck into paper wrapped parcels of fish and chips…. but just a few miles further along the coast you will find the Norfolk Coast AONB (Area Of Natural Beauty). Here endless expanses of sand lie quiet and unspoilt and flanked by dunes, cliffs, marshlands and farmland. There’s plenty of chances to hop off route for a paddle or to find a quiet spot for a picnic.

When you say Norfolk, people generally think of two things, the Norfolk Broads and Alan Partridge. Sadly, Alan is just a fictional character and the statue of him that briefly graced Norwich town centre has long gone. The Broads are still there though, a popular spot for messing about on boats, this network of tranquil waterways was formed on low lying land by rivers flooding medieval peat excavations. The Rebellion Way route drifts through the area on route back to the city of Norwich. 

Probably the steepest hill of the route is saved for last, you may even have to push your bike, something you wouldn’t expect to say in Norfolk. It’ll take you up to Kett’s Heights, site of the famous rebellion and perfect spot for a panoramic view of the land below (although slumping over your handlebars so you can catch your breath probably isn’t required.)

Huge thanks to Stef from Pannier.cc for the logistics, snacks and of course his trademark “long pour” coffees to keep us going. The route file and digital guide book written by Guy will be available for free online at cyclinguk.org/rebellion-way from the 13 October.

All images courtesy of Saskia Martin, except where credited otherwise.