Hethel & the Norfolk Lotus Loop

Every Elise, Exige, Evora and Emira was built at Hethel, a former wartime bomber airfield south of Norwich that Lotus has occupied since 1966. Part of the old runway and perimeter track became the test circuit where the cars were developed. This is not a great driving road in the alpine sense. It is the home trip every owner ends up making.

The drive

Start on Potash Lane, the road to the factory gate. Factory tours and driving experiences on the test track have been offered at various times, so check with Lotus before you travel. Classic Team Lotus is based nearby and preserves the Formula 1 cars.

From Hethel it is about ten miles down the A11 to Snetterton, the circuit where Lotus has tested since the 1960s and which regularly hosts Lotus Cup UK and Elise Trophy rounds. Then head north through Wymondham and Aylsham to the coast, and follow the A149 west from Cromer through Cley, Blakeney and Wells to Hunstanton before turning back.

In your Lotus

The Norfolk B-roads around the factory are where the ride and handling of these cars was signed off, and you can feel it. They are narrow, cambered, bumpy and lined with hedges, and any Lotus simply flows along them. The A149 coast road is slow in summer but worth it for the villages and pubs.