Cycling With A Smile

Peter Howe, a champion of cycling on the Broads and one of the architects of the Broads by Bike network, is keen to tell visitors and residents that there is so much more to the Broads National Park than its waterways:

“For many people the image of the Norfolk Broads is one conjured up by memories of reading Arthur Ransome’s tales of the Coot Club and The Big Six.

Thrilling sailing across the open broads, peaceful nights at secluded moorings, white sails across marshes and, of course, the Hullaballoos and their threats to the nests of the water-birds on the river. All these images combine to describe the enduring lure of Britain’s Magical Waterland, but this is more than a place of winding rivers and open broads.

The hinterland away from the rivers is equally magical in its own way; it complements the waterland and there is no better way to explore it than on two wheels. This is not mountainous, challenging cycling, the territory of Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome; it is gentle, easy-going cycling with a smile – not a grunt!

So dust off those cycles in your shed, pump the tyres, put some oil on the chain and discover the relaxation of some gentle cycle rides using the maps in this booklet. There is something for all abilities, from short routes of around 5 miles up to 35 miles for the more determined.”