Motorcycle Explorer February 2015 Issue 4 | Page 229

4) Peddars
Way
This is another Roman road, which links
Thetford in Suffolk to Holme-next-to the-
Sea on the north Norfolk coast. It crosses
an area known as the Breckland, which is a
gorse-covered sandy heath that traces the
retreat of the sea up to the Wash…the
sand you are riding on was once washed
off beaches on the east coast of England
far to the north of here. To add to that
‘desert’ feeling, this is also one of the
driest areas of England in terms of rainfall,
although you will find some fords along
the route, particularly at Castle Acre.
Like the Fosse Way, there’s a mixture of
unsurfaced road and tarmac lanes, which
give a nice break from wrestling a 250 kg
motorcycle through the puddles and ruts,
and the scenery varies from open
heathland to conifer forestry over about
50 miles. There are more legal trails in
nearby in Thetford Forest, too.
However, it should be noted that some
parts of the signed Peddars Way do not
have vehicular rights: being footpaths or
bridleways. Skip past these missing links
by using the tarmac road network.
There are no steep slopes or high hills on
the route, and the well-drained nature of
the track means that you can tackle it on
road tyres in the Summer for your first
taste of ‘real’ trail riding.