Tuckenhay and its old creek looked delightful in the afternoon sunshine even though the tide was out.  This had to be the far point of our ride, however, if we were to return before dusk, so we veered right past the mill stream and followed the valley through Harbertonford and on to the final climb from Tigley to Rattery.  Having reached the twenty mile point at Tigley we were now heading into "extra miles": combined with the plummeting temperatures this began to take its toll on the younger riders.  When they got close to the top, however, they all found plenty more energy and we were soon warming ourselves by the gas fire at Buckfastleigh and enjoying hot drinks all round.

Finally the time came for the main event, and as usual the hotel provided a delicious meal and a quality atmosphere.  When the awards and Christmas announcements were over, the Burgess family headed straight for Newton Abbot as they didn't all have lights, and the rest of us took the short route via Birchanger and Halsanger to Ashburton, arriving home just before dusk.

All our younger riders are progressing well through the training scheme and will soon be ready for harder rides.  We plan to offer some Saturday rides on an occasional basis for those working towards Stage 3 - watch the web site for announcements.

We had to include a muddy track to keep James happy, then we headed towards Landscove and home before rain and cold feet dampened the enthusiasm.  As usual, the afternoon was while away happily with a games social at Crofters.

We spent a few minutes observing the usual high prices of china in the Cider Press Centre shop, then headed back up the hill towards Rattery as the rain gradually fizzled out.  The final leg of the journey past Pennywell Farm was pleasant, although the cold air ensured that Will descended very slowly to avoid frostbite!

The whole experience of cycling the Abbots Way moorland track was completely new to Ashley, who thoroughly enjoyed the brisk descent to Chalk Ford without incident.  This really was a perfect day for this excellent ride.

Louis and James had the most difficulty with the last few miles, mainly because they had pushed themselves to come on the ride even though they were suffering from colds.  Nevertheless we got everyone home by a reasonable time.

The ride continued along the woodland track to River Dart Country Park, offering plenty of fun for our newer riders and helping them towards their first certificates.  The final road section from Ashburton to Buckfastleigh left plenty of time for an afternoon games social at Crofters.

Everyone had enjoyed the ride very much, but there was more fun during the afternoon games social as four youngsters passed their puncture repair test and received JTP certificates.

When the fun was finally over we decided to miss out Beaston track and head for the cafe at Landscove.  Our faint hope that it might have been open was dashed on arrival, so we made the most of Michael's mobile chocolate shop and headed back via Green Lane.  Perhaps Fermoys cafe at Ipplepen - open all year round - would be a good destination for next week's ride!

We chose a leisurely ride (for David's benefit) along Colston Road to the Cider Press Centre at Dartington.  The queue for Cranks restaurant was rather large so we visited Muffins outdoor cafe for some delicious drinks and refreshments in the morning sunshine.  The cycle path to Totnes was delightful this morning, affording David new insights into the activities of the Buckfastleigh to Totnes steam railway.  Our return route was through Littlehempston and Staverton.

We still had plenty of time so Tao suggested Dr Blackall's drive, ensuring that this was one of the most off-road and enjoyable rides we had organised for many months.

One of the highlights of this ride is the ritual crossing of the Erme - impossible at high tide and only really enjoyable at low tide.  Fortunately the tide was completly out today, so with bikes raised high and shoes removed we waded across the shallow waters to the far bank.  Tao and Oliver, who hadn't fancied the prospect of getting wet to the waste, found the whole adventure much more fun than they had anticipated.  With no map we just about remembered our way home, although the planned detour through Aveton Gifford, Avon Mill cafe and Totnes had to be replaced by California Cross garage and South Brent after some particularly unhelpful signs led us astray! 

By now the sky was showing signs of clearing, so we opted for the Staverton extension that took us down a couple of tracks and eventually brought us home along Colston Road.

Finding ourselves back in the Follaton area of Totnes (we didn't have a map) ee followed the main road to Tigley and then negotiated the steep climb to Rattery, Pennywell Farm and home.

Our return route took us through Broadhempston and home via Green Lane.

Fermoys restaurant - also part of the plan - was just too tempting to abandon even though we were running quite late.  Numerous freshly-squeezed orange juices provided us with the sustenance for our brisk return home via Staverton.  Will coped well with his longest ride yet.

The all-different return route through Broadhempston prompted Richard to get his map out when he got home.

We thought the only noteworthy buildings in Diptford were the church and primary school - until we noticed a Post Office sign above one of the houses on the other side of the village.  Keeping up a good pace we were soon climbing the hill from Rattery on our way to Pennywell Farm and home.  Once again, all the younger riders performed excellently, except perhaps Keir who was much less energetic than usual.

After a little watery fun on the Avon we sat on the grassy bank overlooking the reservoir for a few minutes, watching the thundery clouds gathering in the distance and trying to catch sight of the fish that must have been responsible for the various splashes that we heard from time to time.  Moving on swiftly, we managed to get home before the afternoon's rain set in.

Michael was certainly pushing the younger riders by taking the Buckland return route: carrots and sticks were required on the steep woodland climb to achieve acceptable performance.  Once on the descent to Ashburton, however, there were plenty of happy sounds - except for the one made by Will as he accidentally steered himself into the nettles;  and then the one made by Ben as he crashed into Will!  All part of the fun I suppose!

There was time for Joe and Keir to get their feet wet in the river, but a few heavy raindrops prompted us to head homewards without further delay.  In fact it turned largely dry again, and our return past Hawson Court was augmented with the fabulous smells of damp grassland wafting over the hedgerows.

Eventually we decided that we'd better be heading for home.  Because of the nature of the terrain we retraced most of our outward route to bring us, for the first time ever, riding down the Plym Valley cycleway.  We really do recommend it!

With the threat of dusk pressing ever nearer we pushed on to the reservoir itself.  Here we discovered an oasis of beauty bathed in a magical peace, a feint summer haze blurring the distant hills.  It really was a perfect moment, and we all savoured it in our own individual ways.  The final pleasures of this adventurous ride came after we had picked our way along the edge of the reservoir and climbed the final hill along the Abbot's Way.  The downhill ride across the moor was action-packed in the fast-disappearing light, leaving happy memories to enrich our midnight dreams.

With the sun coming out we sped home past Hound Tor with a tailwind that made us all feel on top of the world.  Oliver, who had failed to get up in time for the start of the ride, came down to meet us to finalise our plans for the summer tour.  Now it seems we are going to Norway on 4 July, so Michael had better get the bookings sorted out in double quick time.