Double Dutch, Ship of the Fens 200

[drossall]

Mixed day for me. It was a really good ride, but I bailed out at Ely station, after basically blowing up somewhere after Downham Market. I'm going to blame the Covid from which I had only recovered a few days before

I enjoyed both the run out to Kings Lynn, which was quite quick, and some new roads on the way back. I'll have to go out and do the last section, or maybe the whole thing, properly some time

[bhoot]

So disappointed I couldn't make this one, especially as I think the weather was as good as in 2019!

[GdS]

from the Norfolk Tulips website but they looked the same on the day



These should be ready in a few weeks (S of A47 in East Winch)

[GdS]

I've changed the route sheet and GPX for any new entrants please email if you want one 

I’ve plotted the Rampton bridleway option, since it’s just a few fine stones.  This may or may not get me ahead of others if I’m riding with them at the time the routes diverge!

a few of us used that diversion it was fine just 800m of fine gravel no problem for road tyres (if anything the proper road before even Cuckoo Lane was worse very rutted) it will be used on the next Ship of the Fens event

[Lightning Phil]

Agree the concrete road before was worse, bump bump bump….

[Lightning Phil]

Ah wondered what had happened to you. I thought I'd see you pulling in to the ASDA shortly after me.

I spotted another petrol station down a side road while I was stopped so went there for supplies/POP. I didn’t realise the Asda was only a few hundred metres up the road 

I didn’t know the ASDA was there (on the right) till I saw the petrol price sign.  I was just hoping that something would be on the A148, at least by that roundabout at top of hill, to get some water and a receipt. I was starting to get receipt anxiety!

[ElyDave]

Coming into Kings Lynn with my fellow recumbent rider







Fens stretching to infinity





Leafy lanes and some shade after Grimston

One of my regular routes is Ely to KL, so I recognise all of those views. Looks like you had great weather for it, not so welcoming in the winter with the wind from the north

[cygnet]

apparently the section between Haddenham and Earith is closed although will check on Friday if it's passable by bike, alternatives will be advertised on the day either the A142 (with cycle path) via Sutton or via Cottenham for even more (mis)guided busway

Local sign says closed until 13/05/2022, but always worth a check with fen roads

a few years ago the whole road S of Crowland was closed but it was just one bridge that hadn't been surfaced yet. It was passable by bike and indeed I met a group of Easter Arrow riders coming the other way.

Think that was us 

[Lightning Phil]

So disappointed I couldn't make this one, especially as I think the weather was as good as in 2019!

Weather was as good as it gets.  I did wonder if I’d catch you having started late. But now know that wasn’t ever a possibility.

[Lightning Phil]

Coming into Kings Lynn with my fellow recumbent rider







Fens stretching to infinity





Leafy lanes and some shade after Grimston

One of my regular routes is Ely to KL, so I recognise all of those views. Looks like you had great weather for it, not so welcoming in the winter with the wind from the north

Wind was weird, seemed to be from east in the morning and south in the afternoon. But the wind was just a light breeze anyway.  Weather about as good as it gets.

[GdS]

Entries into the mid 70s expect they will nudge 100 by the date, I'm not planning to close entries until the night before.
Looks like the Huntingdon station work is finished so the usual start on the WEST side car park.
Judging by my front garden the daffs should be at a peak around the time.

The Kings Lynn ferryman is also on board!

https://www.audax.uk/event-details/9866-double_dutch_infinity_beckons

[drossall]

What are the roads like? I think it's going to be a dry week, so they may recover from recent weeks? The Essex & Suffolk Borders route was pretty skoggy, as they used to say about the Norfolk Nips.

[GdS]

I've only been through Ponders Bridge and Ramsay Forty Foot on the route in the last week or so, they were fine. A local rider route checked at the weekend and didn't report anything apart from road closures due to roadworks (passable by bike and updated to all riders). The road was advertised as closed by flooding at Sutton Gault when I rode but had no problems other than skog.

But I would be prepared for Skog; did the Nips use similar roads around The Wash? I'm optimistically hoping that the planning by Cornelius Van der Whatsit will have helped

the wind is looking like a moderate Easterly (I always add 10 knots to the BBC estimate) which should help after Kings Lynn

[drossall]

Thanks. Skog seems likely. The Nips ran from Norwich and were only 100km events. They tended to loop north-west and north, so didn't really reach the Wash - I don't remember their getting past Fakenham, though I'd have to check.

[Lightning Phil]

I did a one way ride from Watlington to home on Sunday; taking advantage of the north easterly blowing.   No floods or skog what so ever encountered.  Sixteen foot bank is subsided on quite a few sections, but that’s on the south side, we will be going opposite way this Sat, and thus that’d be fine. My route only overlapped Double Dutch there, and can’t speak for other roads, but it was bone dry, though I could see flooding away from roads. Daffodils along some banks were looking great. I went through Chatteris before heading south west to east of St Ives. All dry and clean roads round there.

[Pedal Castro]

Another excellent ride, thanks for organising perfect weather. 

[JellyLegs]

My first attempt at this ride.  Thanks to the organisers for a lovely route with plenty to see.  We were blessed with sunshine almost all day as soon as the early mist burnt off and the sun warmed the initial chill.  The fens produced a bit of a headwind but nothing to what they throw at you. All very benign.  Thanks also to the bunch that towed me back for the last.60km, I reckon they shaved best part of 40 minutes off of my time.

[Lightning Phil]

Good day out, ridden with Howard all the way round.  Lots of daffodils 🌼 seen, some of which will never get picked.  Weather brighter than I was expecting, nice surprise.  Pie and chips at Kings Lynn.  Didn’t try ferry as thought could be awkward to carry my recumbent. Went over the bridge instead. Winds about light as they get in the fens.  Really liked the other worldly feeling out near Holbech St Matthew / The Wash. I was just waiting for banjos 🪕 to start up. Sat on logs 🪵 at Welland bank in the sun, enjoying a feed whilst gazing over river and landscape.  Had pint and crisps at finish before catching train home.

[DavV]

One of the best DD's ever! Many thanks Martin and Ann for superb organisation.

[drossall]

Really sorry to have missed this owing to a bout of sickness, especially given the weather. The photos just make it worse

[wajcgac]

Next year will be on Saturday 30th March, I may consider moving the start to a more user friendly car park in town than the tortuous apcoa system at the station 

Firstly thank you for organising this event. It was a great day out (made so much better by the benign fenland wind that day) and a lovely route.

I drove down from Lincoln and avoided the station car park because of the apcoa system. I used the Mill Common car park instead as I knew that I could pay by coins - although it accepted cards as well. It was mostly empty when I got there just after 7-30am and was about the same when I returned. There was a nice bike path across the common which avoided using the main road to the station and was only 1km away.

[Paul H]

I enjoyed that, thanks to all involved.  Just about perfect weather, which might have contributed to me finishing with plenty of daylight left, rather than in the dark as last time, about 5 years ago... Really beautiful route, loads of interest, a proper touring ride, the sort I like best.  Missed out on a daff field photo, rode passed a couple that would have been OK, but assumed there'd be more later on, last time the best were between Spalding and Crowland, but the only daffs along this stretch were well passed their pick date.
Stopped over at the Swavesey Travelodge, which was 30% cheaper than the one three miles closer, TL pricing is a mystery. Rode home yesterday mostly with the wind on my back to make a great Easter.

[drossall]

Stopped over at the Swavesey Travelodge, which was 30% cheaper than the one three miles closer, TL pricing is a mystery.

I bet they've got some kind of algorithm running that adjusts prices according to bookings and capacity, against a baseline price that takes account of whether it's a premium location. So if you actually asked someone at TL HQ to explain why the price for a particular hotel is X on a particular day, they probably couldn't do it without taking the algorithm apart

[JellyLegs]

The parking was no different to almost any other station car park I have ever used.  The negative feedback wouldn’t be for you as the event was superbly run but firstly for APCOA as the car park management company in that their app and their instructions are far far less user friendly than any of their competitors and secondly for Network Rail or whoever runs Huntingdon station - you really need to review your car park management arrangements.

[GdS]

No I meant I have personal negative feedback for the parking system, especially as they ripped out the expensive new ticket machines from a couple of years ago which I was expecting to still be there and had advised riders of in the welcome email. I just think it's unfair to have riders arriving from all over wanting a quick park and then ride to have to download apps etc, which may be different for different train operating companies (my online statement says I paid GTR who run the trains)