About

A feature of this 30-mile signed route is that it passes through the distinctive Breckland landscape of Mid-Norfolk. It follows mainly minor roads and a short section of the Peddars Way between Thompson and Wretham. Takes in North West Norfolk, King's Lynn and Fakenham, Thetford, Breckland and surrounding area.

Links: National Cycle Netwok Route 13 joins with Route 1 at Gately. It also passes close to Thetford Forest High Lodge (4 miles) which offers wide scope for off-road riding, and links with the Peddars Way.

Route: Setting off from Tower Bridge the route passes through East London close to the Thames. It then heads north from Tilbury to Chelmsford in Essex. After a stretch on National Route 1 (also part of EuroVelo 2) National Route 13 resumes at Colchester and continues north. The route is described here from Tower Bridge to Dereham.

The route can be broken down into four sections:

1. Tower Bridge to Grays /Tilbury

Sticking relatively close to the north bank of the Thames heading eastwards, Route 13 passes through Albert Dock and Rainham Marshes on its way to Grays and Tilbury. The short open sections are almost entirely traffic-free.

2. Tilbury to Colchester

The route now heads north from Coalhouse Fort on the Thames to Colchester, with open sections consisting of a mainly traffic-free stretch through Basildon and an on-road route from the northern edge of Billericay into Chelmsford.

3. Colchester to Thetford

This section is almost entirely on-road, except for the traffic-free Valley Walk alongside Sudbury and the route through Bury St Edmunds. The route is incomplete between Bures and Sudbury but the local Bures Loop A2 links the two settlements.

4. Thetford to Dereham

The route is fully open and almost entirely on-road through Watton and Dereham.