title The BSCC Annual Bike Ride - Lenham, Kent - 7th - 9th May 2004 intro The pub cycle team decamps for its annual trip away somewhere. This year's trip is courtesy of Apple and Pippa who sort out a 42-mile route starting in Lenham, Kent at the Dog and Bear Hotel and going to Smarden, Tenterden, Sissinghurst, back to Smarden and the return to Lenham (via a staggeringly-steep hill that's around 7 miles long). The weather was slightly gloomy, but at least it wasn't the torrential rain that persisted for all of the previous night and right up until breakfast. However, the scenery was impressive, the villages were picturesque and the beer was good. dcp_9516 The evening of arrival, and Nosher wanders around to get a few scene-setting photos of Lenham itself. This is the churchyard. dcp_9519 dcp_9521 Our base of operations, the Dog and Bear Hotel: nice food, reasonable beer, a diverse clientelle but strangely miserable staff dcp_9523 dcp_9528 Phil examines the menu before wandering off to check out the Red Lion pub, down the road a bit dcp_9531 Back in "The Bear", the world's most expensive stick-game table gets some use... dcp_9533 Sophie from Oop t'North (like Nosher) joins in - having just narrowly survived a welcome snog-attempt from Wavy dcp_9536 dcp_9537 dcp_9538 dcp_9540 Marc pretends to blow Nosher's head off with a two-finger pistol dcp_9544 Ready for dinner... dcp_9546 dcp_9548 dcp_9549 Marc looks gloomy - but at least the food's arrived dcp_9552 Apple looks perpetually surprised by life dcp_9558 Guv stuffs a profiterole in dcp_9560 Spam and Colin prop up the bar dcp_9561 Sue proves to Jill that she's only drinking water dcp_9564 Phil and Guv sit on the pool table dcp_9567 dcp_9569 dcp_9573 The morning of the ride: Guv dons his paramedic's hi-viz and a parrot hat (and why not) dcp_9574 Marc expresses surprise as Wavy's vibrating Moo, strapped to the back of his bike, sets off dcp_9575 Jill, Spammy, Al and Colin prepare for the off dcp_9576 dcp_9578 First stop, around 8 miles out: the Smarden Bell, in the village of Smarden Bell dcp_9581 Team photo! dcp_9582 dcp_9583 dcp_9585 A few scenes from the delightful village of Smarden dcp_9586 dcp_9587 dcp_9589 dcp_9591 dcp_9592 dcp_9593 Just outside the half-way point, and lunch, at Tenterden dcp_9595 Phil and Pip inside The Vines at Tenterden dcp_9597 Bill zonks out as Sue hides from the camera (again) dcp_9598 dcp_9602 dcp_9603 Onwards... dcp_9604 dcp_9608 In the next pub at Sissinghurst dcp_9610 Apple goes through the next set of instructions (it was a bit like a treasure-hunt) dcp_9615 Sissinghurst Castle dcp_9616 Oast Houses at Sissinghurst. dcp_9619 dcp_9620 DH checks out the plaque in the Mediaeval barn dcp_9622 dcp_9623 A quaint, octagonal summer-house on the edge of the grounds dcp_9625 DH checks his phone for messages dcp_9626 DH cycles off-road (with pencil-thin racing tyres as well) dcp_9629 Back at the Smarden Bell (the first time round it was closed, this time it was a beer-stop) dcp_9630 dcp_9633 Team "A" head off a bit earlier to brave "the hill" dcp_9635 Bill drops his trousers to show off a bruise dcp_9636 So Guv reciprocates by showing of a particularly crusty scab dcp_9637 dcp_9638 Pip and Apple check out the property section of the papers dcp_9640 dcp_9645 A small flock of sheep warily observes Nosher take a photo of the view from half-way up "the hill of death" dcp_9648 Back at the bridge over the M20, Nosher persuades Guv to pretend to be a Rozzer and scare traffic by waving his parrot hat in the style of a speed radar dcp_9649 DH and Nosher briefly discuss the insanity of modern life whilst watching traffic endlessly stream past dcp_9650 Back in The Dog and Bear for dinner dcp_9652 dcp_9653 dcp_9655 Marc gets a few zeds on Bill's shoulder dcp_9661 dcp_9663 Wavy (plus Adam Ant make-up) offers Caz some of his beer to try. Caz, it would subsequently appear, seems unimpressed by beer. dcp_9664 Breakfast of the morning after dcp_9665