title The BSCC Cycling Weekender, Outwell, West Norfolk - 7th May 2016 intro Given that the Fens can be flat, bleak and unforgiving, where the occasional tree grows at 45°, the land is dark and everything smells of cabbages, a bike-club weekend to the middle of it might not have appeared too promising. However, the hotel is very good, the weather is the best for years and it turns out that riding around the flat fenland landscape offers plenty of nice-enough scenery, even though drainage canals like the "hundred foot drain" can appear a little alien as they disappear in a straight line to a vanishing point on the horizon. As usual, the thirty-mile route involves several pubs and a lunch stop - this time at the community-rescued Kings Arms in Shouldham. imgp3244 Matthew and Fred at the Crown Lodge in Outwell imgp3246 Fred at dinner time imgp3249 In the hotel restaurant imgp3251 Gaz and Paul at the bar imgp3253 The (relatively) late-night gang at the bar imgp3254 It's breakfast o'clock imgp3255 The River Nene's old course through Outwell imgp3261 Fred inspect a skeleton called "Steve" imgp3263 Fred and the derelict shop imgp3264 Fred by the derelict shop's window imgp3267 There's a tree growing out of a window frame imgp3268 Riverview Cottages sign imgp3269 The nave window of St. Clement imgp3270 Outwell's church of St. Clement imgp3274 Cherry blossom in the churchyard imgp3279 The traditional BSCC bike club photo imgc3338 Alan and Matthew wait around imgc3339 A couple of swans float up the drain imgc3342 The bike club turns right onto Gravel Bank imgc3343 Colin, Spam, Jill and John Willy cycle past imgc3344 Pippa fiddles around with something imgc3346 Cyclists disappear into the Fens imgc3349 Fred gets a real stomp on imgc3350 Paul checks the map imgc3351 Matthew and Alan in a lane imgp3283 The Cock Inn at Wiggenhall St. Mary Magdalen imgp3284 Paul walks back from the bridge imgp3285 Alan stomps up the middle of the road imgp3286 An old brick building imgp3288 Paul gets a beer as Marc waits imgp3289 Fred and Matthew mess around on the pool table imgp3290 Marc looks surprised imgp3292 Paul reads the paper imgp3293 Amusing pub sign imgp3294 Marc and DH's his'n'hers tee-shirts imgc3352 We make it to the Kings Arms at Shouldham imgc3354 Matthew and Alan do some sort of gurning imgp3296 The bike group assembles for lunch imgp3300 Harry - Pox Boy - and Fred imgp3303 The BSCC does lunch imgp3307 Fred's got a paper serviette on his face imgp3310 More bike-club mingling imgp3311 Apple and Pippa at the bar imgp3315 Fred does some drawing imgp3317 The back of the pub imgp3319 Shouldham's village green imgp3321 The Kings Arms, Shouldham, and a K6 phone box imgp3322 The Kings Arms imgp3323 Isobel and Harry have joined for lunch imgp3325 Fred and Harry interact with Pippa and Apple imgp3326 Fred pretends to sleep on a red-leather sofa imgp3327 DH and Gaz at The Heron imgp3328 Another stop: The Heron at Stowbridge imgp3330 Marc and The Boy Phil watch the sheep imgp3331 A lamb imgp3335 The eponymous Stow Bridge imgp3336 Gaz, DH and Marc imgp3337 Gaz takes a photo imgc3355 We head off from The Heron imgp3338 The boys are dressed for dinner imgp3339 Suey chats to Harry and Fred imgp3342 The Saga side of the dinner table imgp3344 Gaz gets head of the table