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.