No one has an idea about where to go. I offer the thought that, though the wind is from slightly West of North, we don't really want to go to Brandon. Still no ideas. I suggest Thetford Garden Centre and, by default, we set off in that general direction. I don't have a detailed plan, but Justin has a few ideas that get the ride rolling in the correct general direction, while adding enough loops and detours to give us a decent total mileage.
We are eight; Justin, Pauls Rooke and Callow, Ron, Tricia, Julian, Deane and SJH. The weather is cold and we are all struck by quite how hard it is to stay warm (the temperature is no lower than 2 or 3). The sun remains hidden for the whole ride, though almost appearing on the ride home. The pace is sensible. Deane has the puncture - see photo - and Paul C holds Deane's bike while the repair is effected, the rest of us ride up and down the road to stay warm. We go through Rushford, having first aimed as if we were going to Bressingham but then swinging North. A 
quick single file along the 1066, the left down the short steep hill with its always-greasy sweeping adverse-cambered left hander at the bottom and, in about three miles we are at TGC. Julian is very concerned about bike theft issues, so we go round to a back entrance to the plant display area. Doing this, we enter by a different door and realise just how enormous this place is. Not just huge, but densely packed with island units every shelf of which is crammed with merchandise; ornaments, place mats, tablecloths, napkins, crockery, glassware, garden furniture, garden tools, whimsical pictures, novelty calendars, sensible footwear, foolish footwear, scarves, knitted hats, wellies, indoor plants, outdoor plants, books, figurines, magazines, manuals and annuals, forks, spades, rakes, trowels, secateurs and gardening aprons, gardening gloves, gardening string and on and on and on. How do they keep track? Who buys all this stuff ? (OK the gardening stuff is allowable, I buy it myself).
quick single file along the 1066, the left down the short steep hill with its always-greasy sweeping adverse-cambered left hander at the bottom and, in about three miles we are at TGC. Julian is very concerned about bike theft issues, so we go round to a back entrance to the plant display area. Doing this, we enter by a different door and realise just how enormous this place is. Not just huge, but densely packed with island units every shelf of which is crammed with merchandise; ornaments, place mats, tablecloths, napkins, crockery, glassware, garden furniture, garden tools, whimsical pictures, novelty calendars, sensible footwear, foolish footwear, scarves, knitted hats, wellies, indoor plants, outdoor plants, books, figurines, magazines, manuals and annuals, forks, spades, rakes, trowels, secateurs and gardening aprons, gardening gloves, gardening string and on and on and on. How do they keep track? Who buys all this stuff ? (OK the gardening stuff is allowable, I buy it myself).Anyway, we navigate our way to the Café area and settle in the conservatory with a view across a field inhabited by an extremely busy bunch of moles (or one even more busy mole) to the stable block of Kilverston Hall on whose estate we were munching and slurping.
After tea, Paul R is kind enough to assist as I change gear (turn my wheel round); because the chain has stretched in the 2,000 or so miles that 'Pearson' and I have been together, we (Paul) had to adjust the mudguard stays to allow the wheel to be moved far enough back. The bigger gear made all the difference to my return ride, which used an ingenious route through Bridgham and East Harling to come down through Gasthorpe and Barningham to Stanton. Tricia sensibly jumped ship at Knettishall to go directly home. I swung off at Stowlangtoft, and found that I was comparatively fresh when I got home after 58 miles.
SJH
After tea, Paul R is kind enough to assist as I change gear (turn my wheel round); because the chain has stretched in the 2,000 or so miles that 'Pearson' and I have been together, we (Paul) had to adjust the mudguard stays to allow the wheel to be moved far enough back. The bigger gear made all the difference to my return ride, which used an ingenious route through Bridgham and East Harling to come down through Gasthorpe and Barningham to Stanton. Tricia sensibly jumped ship at Knettishall to go directly home. I swung off at Stowlangtoft, and found that I was comparatively fresh when I got home after 58 miles.
SJH
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