Day 7, Saturday 22 June

Hethel to Gt Yarmouth

Leaving Old Thorn Barn, Hethel

Lotus Cars Headquarters

Elevenses in Norwich

Another good English breakfast and Ceri and Vladimir arrived for the final day in overcast conditions with the risk of rain later in the afternoon. I locked my unridable bicycle to a tree in the Old Thorn Barn car park for us to pick it up on the return to Birmingham. Ceri and I motored off towards Norwich while the remaining team set off past the headquarters of Lotus cars.

We met up at The Forum in Norwich to hear tales of Tom having had a further puncture on the same wheel as yesterday finding a tiny piece of flint in the new tyre. He found a local bike shop who lent him a track pump and told him to blow them up hard. That seated the tyres properly. He bought another inner tube! A further 15 miles took them to a café on the banks of the River Bure just beyond Acle where Ceri and I met them for lunch. Tom commented that they had “got a wriggle on”. I think they quite enjoyed the freedom of travelling at their more comfortable speed.

Before Ceri and I left Norwich we drove to the cathedral, parked in the cathedral grounds and spent an hour or so absorbing the atmosphere. Some years ago I had accompanied my local church choir when we spent a week singing the cathedral services during the summer holidays when the cathderal choir was off duty. I found it quite nostalgic.

Another 15 miles or so took them through Caister and then down the coast to Great Yarmouth Where we all met up at the Britannia Pier car park, to be met by Mark in his people carrier that happily accommodated Tom’s, Huw’s and my bikes. Ceri and Vladimir heading back to Norwich for the remainder of the weekend, and Mark drove Tom, Huw and me back to Hethel to collect my bicycle and then on to Birmingham.

A couple of weeks later we met up at Flea and Huw's for a commemorative meal in the knowledge that we had raised very nearly £5,000 for Brain Tumour Research. All in all, a commendable effort, and thanks to Tom for having the initial idea for the project and to everyone else who had made it happen in many different ways.