How to find East-Anglia’s well-hidden bends

Suffolk has no mountains. Neither to Norfolk or Essex - but the riding in East Anglia is anything but flat and dull. Our route from the historic horseracing town of Newmarket gallops along quiet back-roads, through half-timbered villages and quaint market towns. This is the driest corner of the United Kingdom - the perfect place for a ride at any time of year.

STAGE ONE

Newmarket to Thaxted: 30 miles
Leave Newmarket on the B1061 to Haverhill. Don’t miss the left turn a mile after the Dullingham crossroads to stay on the B1061. At the A143 go straight across the staggered crossroads, staying on the B1061 to Keddington. Turn left on the A1017 to Braintree. After one mile, turn right on the B1054 to Steeple Bumpstead, then turn left to stay on the B1054 towards Saffron Walden. Four miles later, in Hempstead, turn left when the road forks on the B1055 to Great Sampford. At the T-junction turn left on the B1053 which becomes the B1051. At the B184, turn left to go into Thaxted.

Morning coffee: Parrishes. Easy to find in the centre of town, Parrishes is a Thaxted institution. Nice line in cream teas, too.

STAGE TWO

Thaxted to Lavenham: 35 miles
Exit on the B184 to Great Dunmow. At the first roundabout, take the first exit towards Dunmow. After half a mile, turn left on the B1057 to Finchingfield. At the T-junction in Great Bardfield, turn left. Follow the main road as it becomes the B1053 to Wethersfield, then stay on it to Sible Hedingham. At the first T-junction, turn right, at the next one turn left on the A1017 to Haverhill — but after only a few hundred yards turn right on the minor road signed for Castle Hedingham (Station Road). Stay on this road until it meets the A131, then go straight on to Sudbury. Follow the one-way system round the town centre until you pick up the B1115 to Lavenham. Turn left at the mini-roundabout in Great Waldingfield and keep going straight as the road becomes the B1071 to Lavenham.

Lunch: Café Nini: For a sensibly priced and unpretentious bite to eat, we’d stop at Café Nini on Lavenham high street.

STAGE THREE

Lavenham to Mundford: 40 miles
Take the A1141 to Hadleigh. After four miles, turn left on the B1115 towards Stowmarket. At the T-junction, turn left. After about eight miles, take the easily missed left turn in Onehouse for the minor road to Rattlesden and Bury St Edmunds. Go through Woolpit, over the A14 flyover and, at the roundabout, turn left on the A1088 to Norton. Stay on it to the Ixworth roundabout, turning right on the A143 to Diss. At the next roundabout, turn left on the A1088 to Thetford. When you reach Thetford, go straight across three roundabouts to pick up the A134 to Downham Market. Stay on this road all the way to Mundford.

Afternoon tea: Brown’s Kitchen. Opposite the Mundford roundabout is the bike-friendly Brown’s Kitchen. The food’s great, whether you want a coffee or a full meal.

STAGE FOUR

Mundford to Newmarket: 35 miles
Head south on the A1065 to Brandon. At traffic lights after the forest, turn right to Lakenheath. At the T-junction turn left on the B1112 to Lakenheath. Don’t miss the right turn for the road to Sedge Fen as you enter Lakenheath (second right after tight corner). When this meets the A1101, go right to Littleport. After 2.5 miles, turn left on the B1382 to Ely. In Prickwillow, look for the left (on a bend) for the B1104 to Isleham. Stay on it until the B1102, turning right to Fordham and the A142 to Newmarket.

See

Hedingham Castle: This elegant, eye-catching castle is open only on Sundays and Wednesdays (and Tuesdays in school holidays) but is well worth a visit. Plenty to see but still easy to fit in with the rest of the ride. Admission is £8.50.

Shop

Newmarket Harley-Davidson: The Black Bear location has long been a popular Harley-Davidson dealership - and it’s still a great place for a mooch, with a good range of new and used bikes to admire.

Stay

Newmarket Premier Inn: There are lots of very nice hotels in Newmarket, but they tend to be quite expensive. The Premier Inn is simple but good value.

Route summary

Start/finish: Newmarket
Distance: 140 miles
Riding time: 4 hours
Download the GPX file

Please note: This page contains the motorcycle touring routes for The RiDE Guide To Great Britain which was published in October 2017. These website pages are not regularly updated, so please check all critical information before you travel. All route files are in .gpx format. Garmin and BMW users can download the main file, which contains all the routes. TomTom users can either download the individual routes or use the MyRouteApp (depending on the age of your device).