Cycling is a great way to explore the local countryside, there are also many National Cycle Routes that encompass Harwich,
and their route is close to Farm Cottage.
http://mediafiles.thedms.co.uk/Publication/EE-EET/cms/pdf/No.7%20The%20Witchfinders%20Way.pdf Local cycle route of interest.
Route 1
Route: Fakenham to Harwich via Norwich, Ipswich, Colchester and Felixstowe.
Distance: Fakenham to Harwich via Colchester is 163 miles.
The route via Felixstowe is 114 miles (uses 3 ferries). Map shows 199 miles of route of which 27 are traffic free. The main traffic free section is the Marriotts Way, north-west out of Norwich. The route is one of the flattest NCN routes and is the ideal way to experience the tranquil beauty of the East Anglian countryside.
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Hull - Harwich Cycle Route 369 miles
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The North Sea Cycle Route is a 6000 km cycle route through England, Scotland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, The Netherlands and Belgium. It is also known as EuroVelo route 12 (EV12).
The cycle route was officially opened in 2001, and is an international project between the countries participating, making 68 partners in 8 countries. In 2003, the route was awarded a Guiness record certificate confirming that the North Sea Cycle Route is the world's longest cycle route.
The English section of the route starts at the Port of Harwich at Parkeston. The signposted North Sea Cycle route meets National Cycle Route 51 in a park to the south of Dovercourt station. The North Sea Cycle route is then signposted with National Cycle Route 51 south-east to Colchester where it picks up National Cycle Route 1, although cyclists could also take the National Cycle Route 51 in the other direction to Harwich, then take a (seasonal) foot ferry north using NCR 51 to Felixstowe and then either head directly for the NCR 1 using Regional Cycle Route 41 to Woodbridge or take a more scenic route using RCR 41 up the Suffolk coast and join NCR 1 near Saxmundham
Colchester | Wivenhoe | Great Oakley | Harwich
This section runs from Colchester and National Cycle Route 1 to Harwich, where a seasonal foot ferry can be caught to Suffolk where the route continues.
For much of its length it is also the route of the North Sea Cycle Route, although this branches off at a park in Dovercourt to head to the Harwich International Port at Parkeston where there is access via ferry to Europe.
At Harwich the signs indicate the route is 22 miles to Colchester, 3 to the International Port and 1 to Dovercourt. The North Sea Cycle Route junction is 1 mile along the route from Harwich to Colchester. As at the 31st January 2009 the signpost at this junction had been twisted so the signs aren't pointing in the correct direction; the route to Colchester should be down the slope to the promenade, the route to Harwich should be up the slope through the park and the route to the International Port should be along the level route that joins the nearby roads.
The route from Harwich to Felixstowe uses the Harwich Harbour Ferry (summer only, check timetable) to Langard Point offering an impressive view of The Port of Felixstowe.
On the Felixstowe side the ferry lands near Landguard Fort which is rich with history. The route then heads along the sea front into the centre of Old Felixstowe itself, a fine Victorian seaside town.
From Felixstowe the route heads out of town though a residential area and then mainly along minor roads towards Ipswich. There is an 1400 metre section of the official route takes one along a dedicated cycletrack very close to the A14. For this section there is an alternative route that uses a single track road further away from the A14 but one may be hassled by motorists and buses which also use this very narrow carriageway. The route then heads through Statton Hall, Levington and Nacton into Ipswich via Landseer Park, Holywells Park and the new waterfront area, where the routes crosses National Cycle Route 1.
Alternatively from Felixstowe one can take the RCR41 up the coast through the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Ipswich | Needham Market | Stowmarket | Woolpit | Tostock | Thurston | Bury St Edmunds
A pleasant section of route, mainly using quiet roads passing the entrance to The Museum of East Anglian Life in Stowmarket, the charming village of Woolpit and then through Thurston using a couple of good quality off-road sections and final into Bury St Edmunds using another section of off-road good cycle track running parallel with the road.
From late 2008/early 2009 part a section for the route west of Stowmarket will re-routed to take advantage changes to the A14 and will use a section of road that currently forms to Eastbound carriageway of the A14 at Haughley Bends[1] and which will be turned into a traffic free route for cylists, walkers and horse riders as shown on the official map[2] of the works.
Bury St Edmunds | Newmarket | Burwell | Cambridge
Links to NCR 11 at Burwell and Cambridge
Cambridge | Girton | Swavesey | Huntingdon | Bedford
NCR 51 route through Cambridge city centre
NCR 51 leaves Cambridge on the Huntingdon Road, routing north via Girton, Oakington, Longstanton, Swavesey, to Huntingon. NCR 51 Blocked between Longstanton and Swavesey by a By-pass cutting through the Over Rd. At Huntingdon, it meets with NCR 6 for connections to Alconbury and Peterborough
NCR 51 is undefined between Huntingdon and Sandy
Between Sandy and Bedford, the off-road route follows the old Varsity Line converted railway, past Willington and the wetlands around Priory Marina, before arriving at the outskirts of Bedford where it follows the south bank of the River Great Ouse through parkland to the south end of Bedford Bridge. There is a bike shop with bike hire at Priory Marina.
Bedford | Cranfield | Milton Keynes
From Bedford, the route follows the north bank of the River Great Ouse through town, passing under County Bridge at Prebend Street, and following a surfaced path along the river before crossing the river into Kempston at a footbridge.
This section is prone to flooding, and an alternative cycle route is available by crossing County Bridge and following Prebend Street south to the Bedford Road cycleway.
NCR 51 follows a split cycle path (pedestrians/cycles separated by solid white line) through Kempston, past a supermarket, and through alleyways to Ridgeway School.
Section from Marston Moretaine to Cranfield
From the limits of Kempston, there is a well-marked route on roads, crossing the Bedford western bypass (under construction as of 2008), via Wootton to Marston Moretaine
The route travels through the Forest of Marston Vale (bike hire in the Forest centre) where there is a cycleway connecting with Millbrook railway station.
From the Forest of Marston Vale, NCR 51 takes residential roads, tracks, and bridleways to Cranfield
At Cranfield, there are no further NCR signs westbound until Salford, where the route crosses the M1 towards Wavendon and Woburn Sands.
http://www.cycletourer.co.uk/cycletouring/holland.shtml
Cycling in Wales