Thursday 10th of April 2025
Since the previous post, the weather has improved enormously – dry, sunny, clear blue skies and the fading of winter’s chill. It’s still not warm, but neither is it bone-numbingly cold. This means, of course, it’s time to really get out on the motorbike! Since I already had the bike a few days prior to passing my test, I was able to start riding it basically as soon as I got home from the test centre. I’ve now put 1,400 miles on it, on pretty much all kinds of roads, and all kinds of speeds, and I love it. Compared to my 125, the power is liberating: I can go as fast as road conditions and my confidence allow, within legal limits of course, rather than as fast as the bike can manage. This is particularly noticeable on dual carriageways: on a 125, the throttle is fully open the entire time, and even then you’re struggling to keep up with traffic. It’s kind of stressful. On the Tiger, it’s a complete non-issue, as the bike will easily go far faster than the speed limit, and will get there in next to no time.
Not Very Far Away
There is an important road that connects Yarmouth to the rest of Norfolk: Acle New Road. It’s 7-miles long and has one mild bend; the rest is entirely straight. It’s also only one lane each way, and fairly busy, so overtaking is almost impossible, which is very frustrating when the driver in front of you is going well below the 60mph speed limit.
Unless one is riding a reasonably powerful motorbike! Ahh, the joy of no longer being stuck behind slow-pokes! As I said above, liberating.
Anyway, Acle New Road has near its bend a road that branches off perpendicularly, and I’d often wondered where it led to. With my new bike, and the fine weather, I decided to find out. First of all, that branching road is quite the rollercoaster: despite being similarly straight, it is not in the least bit level, and going down it at the speed limit risks breaking the bike’s suspension. Second, turning left at the end of it leads to a nice little parking spot, and from there one may walk the 5km across the fields to the Berney Arms, a pub that is otherwise inaccessible except by the occasional train.
Turning right at the end of the road leads, eventually, to Reedham, and thence to Reedham Ferry, the only way to continue your journey southeastwards. It’s a little chain ferry, and it’s lovely.
Some days later, I decided to let Calimoto create a ride route for me, and by coincidence it took me out to the other side of the ferry crossing via some lovely country lanes (and actually meant for me to cross the ferry, but I didn’t have any money on me). This led to me returning the next day, early in the morning when the light was prettier, to try and bring to life some of the photo ideas I’d begun to envisage.
I’m rather pleased with this picture, and have printed it on my nice but frighteningly expensive Hahnemühle paper, and it looks wonderful; certainly one to frame and put on the wall.
Pictures aside, these little journeys have been pleasing just for the riding itself, and the discovery of many fun roads. Prior to then, I’d kind of assumed that there weren’t really any such roads near me – certainly nothing like the beautiful places I see on YouTube, like the Yorkshire Dales, or the Peak District. That’s still true to an extent, since Norfolk is basically entirely flat; no, its beauty is quiet and small, not grand and awe-inspiring. Fun riding still, with its own unique charms.
As you head further south, into Suffolk, the terrain gets a bit more topographically interesting. More about that in the next post…
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