Saturday's trip to Salcombe youth hostel had been cancelled by the warden, much to the disappointment of the youngsters who had booked, because his water pipes had been frozen by snow.  There was no way we were going to be done out of a ride through the snow today, however, so off we set towards Slapton Sands, stopping frequently for the inevitable snowball fights.

It was near East Allington that Marc fell into the snow and made the fatal mistake of lying there asking for help.  He quickly became soaking wet and cold, in that order, and was more than grateful to settle into the warm dining room at Torcross.

Progress towards the Primrose cafe was impeded somewhat by the Bovey bypass roadworks which had cut across the old railway track, but eventually we arrived to enjoy a superb spread of tea and cakes.

When the 'exchange' (with Torbay Section) had taken place we set off up the steep wooded little lanes near Rudge for the thirty minutes journey to the destination.  Colin was able to guide us to an interesting little cave up in the woods which boasted a boy-sized exit at the rear, providing endless opportunities for lunch-time amusements.  One amusement which wasn't cave-related - covering Michael's bicycle with huge dead branches - did not amuse Michael at all!

Bright sunshine and a good group helped to make this one of the best rides of the month.  We met Vicky and Gabrielle at Maidencombe beach a little later than planned owing to the presence of Gary on his first full ride.  He felt better after a good lunch, however, as could be seen from the way he joined in with the mad antics of the other youngsters on the shore!

Our two new lads coped remarkably well today considering the hilly nature of the route.  An indication of how well they did is provided by the fact that we reached the destination by lunch-time despite a somewhat gruelling push across the open moor near Laughter Tor against an unfriendly headwind!

The main event of the afternoon, apart from the hiding and relocation of Michael's mini-roll, was unfortunately a spectacular somersault by young Philip, caused in part by the cyclist in front who stopped without warning.  He was not seriously hurt, but the incident highlights the need for members to ride predictably at all times.

Rectification of defective wiring led to a belated departure from Buckfastleigh, but those waiting at Totnes were used to taking our 10.45 pick-ups with a (large) pinch of salt, and were not unduly worried by the delay.  We ambled through Tuckenhay, with its imposing old factory dominating the village, and having joined the main Dartmouth road at Forces Cross, followed it as far as Hemborough Post, where we took the lanes once more for the last few miles to the coast.

On arrival there was no sign of tower or trams, just a few cold looking cyclists - the hostellers - who got even colder waiting while the day riders ate their lunches.  A brief nterlude was provided by a sprightly gentleman who astounded us all by not only going into the sea but actually staying there for a good ten minutes!  The most comical aspect to the event was the sight of Mark Moxham watching the gentleman with the sure conviction that he was watching Colin Brierly: 'I never knew Colin had so much stamina!' he was heard to say, before Andrew pointed out that Colin was in fact behind a nearby tree, reading his paper!

Once comestibles had been consumed, we re-mounted for the fairly short run back to Forces Cross, passing the splendid ruin of Oldstone Manor on the way.

Having completed the exhausting climb from Bickington to Haytor, the track from Jay's Grave provided a welcome stretch of sheltered grassy bank for lunch and its associated activities.  On this occasion, Gary provided the entertainment by climbing an overhanging tree like a chimp and dropping dead sticks onto Luke and Andrew.

The ascent of Hamel Down, whilst proving somewhat tiring, did provide us with some spectacular views across Dartmoor and beyond.  Grimspound was but a short excursion away from the Cairn near Hameldown Tor, adn then we could lie back and enjoy the spectacular trackwise descent to Widecombe, which took nearly half an hour.

The early morning weather forecast was for showers, dying out by afternoon - which is why we all set out bravely at 10.00 despite the rain.  Either the forecast was wrong or the showers were very long, as it was still raining when we arrived home at 5pm!

This was one of those 'easy' rides that turned out to be a little harder than originally planned.  It was all Michael's fault of course, according to the none-too-happy youngsters, but that is one of the drawbacks of running a cycling club!

The morning went extremely well, with an interesting ride through the steep lanes between Gappah and the Obelisk.  When lunch had been consumed, views admired and silly games played, a decision (almost unanimous) was made to ride to the nearest good cafe for afternoon tea.  Stoke-in-Teignhead would not normally have been out of the question, but by the time we had repaired Chris' puncture near Dawlish and then climbed the wrong hill from Shaldon it was nearer supper time than cream tea time when we eventually arrived.

When pannier straps had been tied up (thanks Vic!) and Martin's punctures had been repaired we set off towards Cold East Cross from the Bickington pick-up, hoping that the stiff climb would not prove too challenging for the younger riders.  The direct route via Ponsworthy Splash brought us eventually to Dartmeet, from where the riverside footpath was taken through the woods to the cave.  Sadly the rear exit (just large enough to squeeze through) had been sealed off with a large boulder, so amusements were relatively short-lived - until the stick fight commenced that is!

Colin, Vic and Iris (Torbay and Plymouth sections) all deserted us at Avonwick, preferring to select their own terrestrial routes rather than accompany us over open moorland.

We pushed through Wrangaton golf course to the peak of Ugborough Beacon for lunch, where fine views from Erme Valley to Teignmouth could be enjoyed.  A passing train seemed to take an eternity to travel from Ivybridge to South Brent despite its '125' status, but we managed to follow its progress right through to Marley tunnel before its distance rendered it invisible.

Crossing behind the beacon we quickly joined the old tramway, following its course into the heart of the South Moor at a snail's pace (Mark Moxham was the snail, probably because he didn't want to scratch his new bike).  We then followed the Abbot's Way from Crossways back to Cross Furzes, which (much to Glenn's dismay) involved careering down a bumpy slope, crossing a clapped-out clapper bridge, tackling a number of bogs and streams and climbing a stile.  We made it, however, and still had time for afternoon tea at the Crofters cafeteria.

The steep hill to Rattery did little to dampen the enthusiasm of young Julian Juste from Scoriton, who had joined us for his first club ride.  We decided to take the little country lane between Culverlane and Shorter Cross, only to discover that the farmer had brutally felled every single tree and bush that had previously made our rides such a delight.  Michael was not at all pleased.

The lane from Diptford to North Huish was, by way of compensation, particularly attractive, passing as it did over the river Avon.  The little bridge, which didn't appear to be very substantial, was probably being held together by the many flowers that adorned it!

Our Section certainly seemed to enjoy this year's event, kindly organised by Arthur Browne of Exeter.  The track through Bridford Wood, near Dunsford, was certainly a pleasure but I was surprised when Chris and Gareth came around again!  Clearly the fork at the end failed to make it clear which route was the way out, and Colin being in the wrong marshalling place couldn't have helped them.

Nevertheless a good time was had by all, everything being rounded off nicely by the generously-provided tea.

Along Colston road to Hood Manor, we carried on to Staverton and Broadhempston, our official goal.  Some took the track from Beeston to Forder, while others avoided the promised (but non-existent) mud-bath and took the road instead.  Some shaky navigation caused a delay before we met up again, and then it was back through Pridhamsleigh to Buckfastleigh and welcome refreshments for the remaining dozen at Crofters.

Another perfect day saw us taking some unfamiliar roads and tracks across Dartmoor, our home territory.  Following an extortionately-priced coffee stop at the cafe near Haytor, the pretty road to Manaton brought us to a local gentleman who was highly enamoured with our 'new-fangled' gearing mechanisms.  He could scarcely believe his eyes as the pedals flew around during our departing climb!

Having done their stint at the Torbay Fair Michael, Philip and Brett sped back to Buckfastleigh (by car) to join the club ride through Michelcombe to Venford.  The high spot of the afternoon (apart from the visit to Combestone Tor) was the cafe at Dartmeet, which was new to us.  The peacocks which strutted around the premises added a touch of elegance to the place, but the refreshments themselves were only of average quality.

The original plan for this ride had included the use of a train from Totnes to Plymouth, the extra time gained allowing us to return via Princetown.  A subsequent phonecall to BR however revealed that there were no suitable trains available, so we were prepared to change the destination as the youngsters rolled up to the start.

After making a courtesy visit to the Avonwick pick-up a unanimous decision was made to go for the original destination via the A38, making a return through Cornwood and Ivybridge.  We don't normally choose to ride on dual carriageways, but everyone took advantage of the opportunity for a faster sprint and thoroughly enjoyed themselves in the morning sunshine.

When we finally reached the start of the cycle path (a BMX park was responsible for the delay) food was beginning to dominate the conversation.  A delightful grassy glade, about a quarter of the way up the valley, made an excellent dining area, providing remote peace and woodland tranquility as added extras.  Wildlife abounded here - the whole scene could easily have been taken from a storybook picture.

We followed the old railway track for several scenic miles, crossing three viaducts and blundering through a pitch-black tunnel along the way (this latter activity giving plenty of scope for amusement).  The youngsters still showed no signs of wilting, so Richard and Michael decided to risk the originally-planned moorland return.

This route got off to a bad start when the last stretch of track to Clearbrook turned out to be cut off nearly at the end, and two punctures and a collision were collected during the backtracking.  Nevertheless we soon braved the hills through Wigford Down and Meavy and even had the time (and energy) to divert past Burrator reservoir, which always seems to have a magnetic attraction.

But then began the hard work.  The road to Princetown proved to be little short of a four mile climb, and quite a steep one at that.  As if that wasn't bad enough, the thunder clouds that seemed to have been hovering over the moor throughout the day now deprived us of our sunshine so that when we finally arrived at the Fox Tor cafe we were more than ready to enjoy its warmth and other delights.  Some of the lads queued up outside the gents toilets - for the hot air driers!

This stop saved the day for many of us, the return route through Hexworthy feeling relatively easy despite its occasional climbs.  When the sunshine returned at Scorriton everyone felt pleased to have completed the Section's hardest ever ride.  But there were more rewards to come - a full tea at Crofters was all that was needed to complete one of our most adventurous rides of the year.

Exeter A Section decided to join South Dartmoor Section for this joint ride, but sadly the meeting didn't take place as planned because the Sections went to the rock on different Sundays!  Evidently the geographical location of the Sections in Devon does not aid their intercommunications.

The ride turned out to be another favourite with the members.  No doubt the Primrose cafe helped to get the day off to a good start, but the water frolics at North Bovey's ford and the ice-cream stop at Hound Tor rounded off proceedings nicely.

The Bovey bypass contractors' efforts to prevent us from accessing the old railway path to Lustleigh became more desperate with each passing week.  The past seven days had seen the appearance of a new 'Keep Out' sign, several strategically-placed mounds of rubble and a sheer-sided rectangular chasm situated centrally in the track!  We expect to lose a few cadets on the assault course during our next visit.

It was as Michael left the Primrose cafe that he noticed the absence of his expensive GoreTex rainjacket, left temptingly at the Bovey Tracey car park.  A phone call to Andrew Billington revealed that the coat had vanished, so there was little else to do except continune up the hill (somewhat belatedly) towards our destination.

Hot, very hot.  We set off along Colston Road with the intention of making Littlehempston.  This evaporated by Staverton Bridge, where the bunch arrived to find Luke already in the river.  We pressed on into the village and made our way to the weir, a bathing spot to rival Spitchwick.  For a pleasant half hour nearly everyone (except Michael and Richard H) got at least their feet wet.

With eighteen riders signing up, Luke's efforts in preparing our 1987 Treasure Hunt were not in vain (unlike one of the clues).  Four teams of enthusiasts followed well-chosen routes through the Coombe and Rattery areas, collecting various artifcats along the way and noting the answers to the sometimes cryptic clues.  Those who struggled to find the answer to the clue "a tea-stop frequented by Luke" had only to note the name of a nearby house "Wayside".

The weather looked rather threatening and the forecast had not been promising when the first six set off from Buckfastleigh.  Along the way to the ferry at Starcross six more were added to the party at the agreed points and we arrived there in good time - 12:20.  Lunch was consumed while we waited, and the appearance of the diminutive craft reminded those of us who had been on the Scotland tour (1986) of the 'ferry' between North Uist and Harris.  It was a squeeze to get us on, with the master rather concerned about his paintwork, but at 80p per bike he couldn't really complain.  It's worth noting that he left five minutes early, so a last minute dash for the ferry might not be worthwhile.

At Budleigh, Jason was the last to join the group, and Michael let the youngsters play on the beach for a few minutes - the weather had held so far.  On to Sidmouth and the Mocha cafe, where 'Patrons are requested to keep their dogs leashed and on the floor'!

Over the river Sid and British Gas jokes, up the worst hill of the day for the delightful sight of the hostel.  It now started to rain.  We realised how hard when Graham, Jackie and Matthew from Torbay dripped in an hour later.  Further entertainment was provided partly by the warden, who had a fire drill at 10.30, and partly by Brett, who was annoyed to find that he had put some holly in his own bed.

After a late start the rain cleared almost instantly and we all set off for the famous Buttered Scone cafe.  Here we bumped into Exeter A-Section and we all sat out a short bout of heavy rain.  After lunch at Woodbury Castle we proceeded to Dunchideock in the hope of finding the day riders.

Meanwhile, having found Gappah devoid of any sign of life, the damp duo who constituted the day ride were soon on their way, enjoying the long descent past Mamhead before taking to the lanes to Exminster and Ide en route to the 'alternative rendezvous' at Dunchideock church.  After about half an hour at this tranquil corner the first of the hostellers hove into view and the assembled throng was soon tackling the climb to Lawrence Castle.

The five from Totnes met with the campers at the destination, where there was plenty of time for swims and walks.  The water looked particularly inviting from the overlooking cliff ridge, but a few were not to be persuaded to take the plunge.

The great adventure began shortly after departure from the Primrose cafe (it was a wonder that Budgie and Gary managed to climb the first hill after their tea-drinking competition).  Firstly, however, Brett had to draw attention to himself by braking one of his brazed-on gear lever bosses, rendering his rear derailleur useless.  He spent the rest of the day grumbling about the hills!

We took one of the footpaths that cross Lustleigh Cleave, discovering (when it was too late) that the area was overgrown with ferns and other tropical vegetation.  The trek to the Nutcracker Stone would have involved leaving what there was of a path, so we decided to continue down the steep slopes to the river Bovey, gurgling noisily through the woods (the river that is).

An interesting footbridge, consisting of a slab of wood with a rail on one side, provided a useful crossing point when lunch and water fights had been completed to everyone's satisfaction.  Then began the arduous ascent through Houndtor Wood to Becky Falls.  Philip had a few problems with the gradient, as his shoes had very little tread on them - he seemed to slide back one step for every two steps he took forwards!

The final descent to the falls took us along forestry tracks and was particularly enjoyable.  There was time for light refreshments at the cafe before continuing along a 'new' road from Manaton to Hound Tor: it was a bit narrow in places, so we had to go back when we met a large van.  A very hot climb to the rocks themselves meant that another ice-cream stop was called for, but eventually we set off again for the return route via Cold East Cross.

The next destination was the wonderful tea-room at Chagford, at which Andrew had last year found himself paying for three cream teas after ordering only one!  In order to verify that this was in fact just an unusual mistake, we tried again today, only to find a menu which offered just two items: cream teas at £1.25 or cream teas at £2.25!  Extensive negotiations eventually yielded an agreement to provide fruit juice and cakes as separate items, subject to a minimum charge of 70p per head, but he could not say exactly what it would cost.  And when the two ordered cream teas arrived with six scones we challenged again, only to discover that he thought we had ordered three!  When the time came to pay, he presented us with a bill for £5.95 and then failed to reproduce his calculations when asked for a breakdown!  Cyclists beware!

The Buckfastleigh to Totnes Raft Race gave rise to more confusion along the nearby roads than it does in the river Dart.  It was almost impossible to count our cyclists at the Totnes pick-up as the madding crowds dashed hither and thither in their attempts to catch a glimpse of the action below the bridge.

Today was a special occasion in another way for Torbay Section's Dawn Brewster, as she found out when we reached the Gallery restaurant at Dartington Hall.  There, in all its glory, was a huge birthday cake kindly provided by the Presland household.  Sadly, however, its life was short.

Leaving Torbay Section at Dartington Church we returned via Staverton Bridge and the lanes through Bumpston Cross, choosing (as always) to ignore the 'Road Closed' sign.  On this occasion however it turned out to be well and truly closed as the gas board were working on a huge trench which stretched right across the lane!  Had they not agreed to assist us by stopping their JCB we would have been forced to retrace our tracks.  Needless to say they were highly amused at the sight of us struggling across the gap.

When our three Paignton lads had joined us we set off for Scorriton and the moor, the conversation revolving around Mark Williams' assurances that there were numerous television sets located in the woods near the hostel, all of them working!  Some people humoured him, others questioned his balance of mind, but Simon had a puncture and so the subject was temporarily forgotten.

Dartmoor really does look its best at this time of year, clean and fresh in the autumn sunshine.  The temperature was plummeting as we crossed the Laughter Tor area from Dunnabridge, but the laughter really rose when the woods revealed no televisions!  It was Mark who had the last laugh, however, during our excellent supper (huge helpings of soup served with croutons), when the warden told us of the weird 'Willo the Wisp' art exhibition which had resided in the nearby woods during the summer!  He also told us what he thought of it!  (Going back to the supper, the warden even washed up for us, but the self-catering Hopper clan seemed content with their rice mountains.)

Evening entertainment included the over-pumping of Philip's inner tube, a number of nameless members cowering behind a glass partition in unashamed fear of the impending explosion.  When the end finally came it had more to do with Gary and the candle extinguisher than the now weary pump!

Sunday morning was perfect in every way, although Richard Burge may not have agreed as he laboured over the cleaning of the warden's brass lamp.  There was time for photographs outside the hostel before we ambled along the peaceful moorland roads towards Princetown's Fox Tor cafe, led by our capable eight-year-old pace-setter Toby Hopper.  The prison road formed part of the route to Wistman's Wood, much of the remainder being provided by the muddy and rocky track from Two Bridges - Vicky just loved the mudbaths!

Lunch, which was consumed within the ancient woodland itself amidst games called 'hide the pannier' and 'hunt the pannier' was followed by a more intelligent return along the upper reaches of the hills, thereby avoiding most of the rocks.

Climax of the homeward route was the use of the track from Bel Tor to Aish Tor known as Doctor Blackall's Drive, offering some of the best views of the Dart Valley we had yet seen - thanks Luke for the idea.  The track from New Bridge to Holne seemed likely to be equally exciting, until the seventh stile finally killed off all enthusiasm!  It was enjoyable, nevertheless.

We had almost forgotten the beauty of the lower reaches of the Dart.  Today there was time to admire it as we walked up Corky (collecting chestnuts along the way) and cycled along the delightful lanes to Dittisham.  There was a little confusion at Bozomzeal as we tried to find the correct route through the fields.  A cleverly-disguised gateway eventually revealed itself, and lunch was enjoyed on the sunny banks of a steep meadow near Hole Copse amid BMX-style cycling antics.

The final section of the track was a bit muddy, and not at all to Noel's liking as he was riding a new bike which he was testing 'on approval'.  When we emerged at Old Mill Creek he decided to wash his wheels off, but sadly got stuck in the creek and succeeded only in washing his feet!

Once we had struggled up the hill against an almost unbelievably large crowd of walkers that had suddenly appeared from nowhere, we discovered plenty of action in Dartmouth.  There was some sort of boat race or regatta taking place on the quay, commentary about which was being provided over a public address system.  To our amusement the commentator seemed to know as little about the event as we did, referring to the winning boats as 'the green thing' and 'the galleon' right up to the winning post!  We quickly despaired and retired to a nearby cafe.

The ferry crossing, far from being our last hurdle, heralded the start of a new set of disasters for our happy gang.  Luke stopped at the bottom of the hill to fix a slow puncture that had turned somewhat faster during the crossing.  Jeremy stopped half-way up with another puncture and the rest of us waited at the top for half an hour for them to catch up.  Luke had sadly had a second puncture on the way up, and now everyone was well frozen.

We managed to make good speed though Marldon, Red Post and Staverton despite the darkness and lowering fog, but when Andrew punctured near Riverford at 6pm we decided that it was time to send people homewards.  We finally reached Buckfastleigh by 6.30.

We regret to inform readers that two of our younger members declined to ride the Torbryan track towards Denbury, even though one of them had a mountain bike!  The track, incidentally, did not turn out to be as muddy as might have been expected.

Our most popular hostel weekend began with a certain amount of amusement.  Brett had been entrusted to obtain the box of fireworks from Torquay and was waiting at Totnes with said fireworks stowed away in his rucksack when the eleven arrived from Buckfastleigh.  There was then a three-pronged hunt through the town's fruit shops in search of some pumpkins for the 'Pumpkin Carving Competition'.  Sadly there were none available and so a couple of medium-sized swedes were obtain instead.

The ride to Maypool was punctuated with a number of mechanical problems, providing some some degree of variety on this rather grey afternoon.  Dodo's saddle persistently refused to remain attached to the bike, and his handlebars seemed similarly discontented with life awheel.  Then there was Jason's slow puncture and Warren's chain .. so it was well dark when we finally arrived at the hostel!

Last year's display, organised by the wardens, was undoubtedly excellent, but sadly it made a big loss for the hostel.  This year they were under strict instructions to take no risks, so we were asked to buy our own fireworks.  A £20 box could not hope to compete with last year's £100 box, but the evening was entertaining and no-one had to pay more than 50p.

During the prolonged preparations for departure there was some consternation at Mark's efforts to pump his tyre to the state pressure with the assistance of his new pressure gauge.  We had travelled not more than a few hundred metres when a loud explosion shattered the tranquillity of the Galmpton lanes!

A few souls left us at Paignton as we set off along the sea front route to Brett's house, where refreshments were enjoyed.  We then proceeded to the Newton Abbot pick-up, arriving one hour late and just a few moments before the two Johns had given us up for lost.

In line with our new policy of finding some 'new' lanes on every ride, we rode through Humber to Ideford after enjoying a somewhat brief lunch part-way up the golf course road from Kingsteignton.  The autumn leaves were looking at their very best today, particularly around Ugbrooke House where numerous pheasants also adorned the picture-book scenery.

Blackingstone Rock was the next stop.  The stiff wind threatened to blow Mark off the top of the rock, but proved useful in propelling armfulls of dead leaves towards their human targets.  When the entertainments were concluded, a 'new' tearoom at Moretonhampstead provided us not only with excellent refreshments in pleasant surroundings but also a vast art gallery which Gary found particularly interesting.

A huge long table occupied the mahogany-panelled dining room, and numerous staff were buzzing around the hall as we took our seats.  Immediately the steaming soups were brought in, quickly followed by the excellent main courses and finally the Christmas puddings and other sweets.  The atmosphere was perfect, and it seems certain that we will return again next year.

We were pleased to reach Bigbury: the fresh sea air and rough waves made lunch on Burgh Island all the more enjoyable.  (We have heard, incidentally, that Bigbury youth hostel is due to close, so we will now never be able to find out what it was like!)