M25 -> Southwold by bike

Living south west of the M25 and needing to get to Southwold next
weekend, the "car route" would almost certainly be M3 -> M25 -> A12. But
we're going by bike and the prospect of 140-ish miles of m'way and dual-
carriageway isn't terribly appealing.

I don't mind adding a few miles for a more interesting route - about the
only semi-interesting deviation I saw was to come off A12 and take A14
-> A140 -> A1120 - this last bit being around 20 miles of single-
carriageway.

 

Once you get north of Ipswich (A14), the A12 is all single carriageway
anyway.

I would personally go North and take the A414 at Hertford all the way
through to Bishops Stortford, then across into Essex and pickup the
B1057 through Finchingfield and out to Haverhill into Suffolk. From
there you can get the A134 through to the A14, a quick sprint to the
A140 and then take that all the way to Yoxford and back onto the
single
carriageway part of the A12.

It'll take you about 3 times as long as going via the M25 then A12,
but you'll want to come back the same way!

Going round south of London and across the Dartford crossing doesn't
give you any options for interesting routes.

 

I did the 414 the other day, i went to the White Horse, seems a nice
road.

 

Where?

 

The A1120 is tedious. I feel that you'll regret it.

 

You were a long way from home, weren't you ?

 

Any interesting bits?

Thanks for the suggestions - it may very well become a weather-dependent
decision...

 

says...>

Ah shame.