Norwich and Thetford, VT
5/13/23
Sunday May 7, 2023
With a distance of 15.39 miles, an elevation gain of 1,647 feet, and a time of 1:37 hours, this was a very quick and very sweet little ride for us. While we think of Norwich as well to do people in their beautiful houses on their 5 acres of land, this ride had a considerable amount of class four roads that were very challenging and very remote. We started out by parking at Huntley Meadow, 111 Turnpike Road, in Norwich. There is an electric car charger in the far end, Level 2, I think, if you want to plug-in while you ride. We geared up and headed out, going left on New Boston Road.
The first part of the ride was a steady shallow climb on paved roads out of Norwich and toward Thetford. We soon turned right onto a gorgeous, wide, gravel road, with yet more steady shallow climbing. The houses are what you would expect in Norwich, – nice construction, extensive outbuildings, beautiful rolling landscape, solar panels, hot tubs, and the works.
It was a beautiful day with just a little bit of wind. The sun was out. We even came upon a small lake with a lake club, and a mini castle (see pics).
At the end of that road, really quickly you enter the first class four road section on this route. This was a likable stretch of rough gravel. While challenging at times, it was quite do-able with a gravel bike. The first half is just going up while going down the second. I don’t know the exact distance, but it took about 20 minutes of tricky climbing, while later up on your pedals and navigation loose terrain.
This part eventually comes out at a gorgeous back road in Thetford, very remote, and barely developed. As we get closer to New Boston Road again, it slowly gets more and more developed and residential. Soon we are coming out onto New Boston Road again. We turn left and then very soon again a right onto a climbing gravel road.
That road had some climbing and some down hills, going on for quite a ways, and eventually ended in yet another class four road, very remote wooded. Chris called it Upper Turnpike. This class four road was a whole other ball part. We had to do some bush whacking. The whole first part of the climb was exposed ledge. There was some extreme erosion, with loose gravel and deep ruts. I had to walk most of it. Chris could have ridden it, I’m sure, but he walked it with me.
We lost our way for a little while -the Garmin said we were off track, but we figured it out.
Coming out of the Upper Turnpike Road, we suddenly end up in gorgeous farmland. We saw extensive rolling meadows and working farms on a hillside. Really beautiful, and increasingly more rare in Vermont. Finally, we were finding our way down into the Douglas Road area and eventually back onto new Boston Road, taking a right turn and booking it back to the parking lot.
Finishing this ride gives us two more towns, and it only took us a couple hours.
Norwich and Thetford, who knew?