During the past year or so most of the path has been given the tarmac treatment so that it now resembles a country lane.  This "improvement" seems to have removed much of the character of the route, but it was nevertheless and enjoyable ride.  The newly opened section of the path near Bickleigh was definitely welcome, however, obviating the need to use roads at any point on the route.

From Clearbrook we road the short distance to Meavy in the hope of refreshments outside the village inn, but unfortunately it has changed hands since Michael last visited, offering only a very expensive luncheon menu on Sundays.

Andrew was keen to have a meal out, so we headed back to Clearbook with all speed.  Whilst retracing our route back to Plympton along the cycle path we met Freddie and his family heading the other way.  Freddie quickly jumped ships and joined our gang back to Plympton, from where we took the car to Pizza Hut at Plymouth for a very tasty pizza meal with Andrew's Mum.

The conclusion of the day's activities was a games social at Crofters, where Wolfie joined Freddie and Michael for some entertaining computer games.

The meal was excellent as usual, and whilst Michael had not managed to work out the junior attendance winner he was able to award the Devon DA trophy to the section for attending the most youth hostels during the year.

All except Charles and Heidi rode back to Buckfastleigh along the lane from Birchanger to Halsanger and on to Ashburton.  Making a good speed were were able to reach Buckfastleigh before dark.

Having parked in the gateway car park near Bullers Hill we first rode the Play Trail as a warm-up, offering interesting and mainly level paths around the nearby forest.  There were interesting play activities around almost every corner of the route, which of course Ashley and Olly just had to try out.  Next was the Family cycle trail, which was a little longer and slightly more hilly.  We then rode the few miles across Haldon's autumnal lanes to Mamhead Obelisk, which offered magnificent views to the Exe Estuary and beyond while we ate lunch on the comfortable seats.  This was a new location for all except Michael, and they were so impressed that they will undoubtedly return again.

A few spots of drizzle began to fall as Olly and Michael chased each other around the nearby undergrowth, so we headed back along the tracks near the Obelisk and arrived back at the Forest Park just as the rain seemed to become more settled.  We had seen a van selling hot pancakes earlier, so now was the time to sample them whilst giving the weather a chance to decide what it was going to do.

Freddie, who was also cycling around the park with his family, met us briefly, but the rain was definitely in for the afternoon and neither Charles nor the youngsters could be persuaded to do any more riding today.  We headed back to Buckfastleigh for some computer games, looking forward to returning to the park at a future date.

The day started with torrential rain which continued right through lunch.  We played computer games at Crofters while we waited for conditions to improve, but it was 4pm before the rain finally stopped.

An unmarked path across the moor led us to Buckland Beacon and the Ten Commandments Stone.  It was here in 1928 that a stonemason from Exeter was engaged to engrave the ten commandments into granite slabs by the Lord of Buckland Manor.  The work took six months, during which time the stonemason lived in a cow shed on the site and was supplied with a loaf of bread each day for his efforts!  Nobody except Michael had been here before so there was a race to find the stone first.  Sam won, but only by asking another visitor where it was!

When we had found the only letterbox on the tor we headed along a different moorland track to Cold East Cross, passing some rather lazy-looking black cows along the way.  It was getting rather close to lunchtime and nobody really fancied Michael's idea of climbing Rippon Tor (not even Michael himself), even if there were several letterboxes there.  We headed instead for Bonehill rocks which offered shelter for lunch and an abundance of letterboxes.  Ashley, whilst looking around for boxes, discovered a young australian man and his friend with full mountaineering gear trying to climb a big boulder that was only twice their height!

A steep downhill brought us quickly to Widecombe, where the Green cafe provided useful refreshments for those who had neglected to bring a packed lunch.  Freddie, always cautious here after the time he put handwash into Michael's water bottle, returned to the table to discover everyone looking at his own bottle that he had left there unattended.  Their looks alone were sufficient to convince him his bottle had been doctored, even though it hadn't been touched!

We headed back to Leusdon for the downhill to Spitchwick which everyone thoroughly enjoyed.  Charles and Heidi then took the left for Buckland and the car while the rest continued through Spitchwick Common itself which was pleasantly deserted today.  Hembury tracks provided a grand finale to the day's activities, with the usual computer games to follow.

There was a good turnout today for one of our most popular rides, including Reuben who hadn't been out with us for two years.  We parked the cars near Black Forest Lodge, unloaded the bikes (and youngsters) and set off for Starcross and Powderham.

The Powderham road was closed to motor vehicles to protect runners who were taking part in a charity event.  When we passed the Powderham estate we were rewarded with the sight of hundreds of deer racing across the grounds.  Perhaps they had been frightened by the runners or perhaps they just felt frisky in the morning sunshine, but they provided Olly with an ideal opportunity to use his camcorder.

Fred, being Fred, led two others straight past the track turnoff.  When they eventually returned we crossed the railway line and headed with good speed along the narrow path that runs along the edge of the Exe estuary.  Everyone loved the track, and there were plenty more after we reached the beginning of the canal at Turf Lock.  The canal seemed to be full of wildlife, including swans and even a heron that blocked our path at close range.

Hunger was beginning to bite, but the youngsters still found time to watch some mini motorbike riders on a piece of rough ground near the centre of Exeter before we covered the last mile or so to Pizza Hut.

Our last two visits to Pizza Hut have been excellent, but today things were very different.  When we arrived at 1pm we asked for a table for 9.  The waitress looked at the sea of empty tables near the window and announced that they wouldn't have a table for our size of group for around 15 minutes.  Apparently the empty tables were closed off because they were short-staffed!  We thought about suggesting that we had one of those large tables and that they closed off two smaller tables in the used area to keep the total number of tables the same, but we decided this would be too complicated for them and contented ourselves with asking whether they could moved two tables together for us.  She looked around vaguely and said she would see what she could do.  Meanwhile we asked if we could order in advance of sitting down.  The answer once again was no, because they were short staffed!

Thirty minutes later we had checked out the menus and decided what to order but were still waiting by the door.  Several twos and fours had been allocated to tables, and some of those had left again 15 minutes later because nobody had taken their order!  We asked again about placing our orders before sitting down, but were again told no.

It was nearly 2pm when we finally got a table.  We had been determined to get the waitress who took us to our table to take our order before she left us, but again we were foiled: she was not a waitress, she was just clearing tables!   At 2.12 we had our order taken, and the food finally arrived at 2.35.  Unfortunately one of the orders was wrong, but we had enough food to be going along with.  We asked whether we could speak to the manager and were told that the chef was off too so the manager was cooking the pizzas!

Then we got to the part the youngsters had been waiting for: desserts.  They all wanted ice cream factories, but once again it took a while to get a waitress.  She eventually came and took our order, but didn't make any attempt to clear our table.  And after the first two servings the ice cream machine turned out liquid ice-cream - apparently it needs a rest after every serving!

It was 3.45 when we finally got away from Pizza Hut.  We negotiated free drinks on our order which provided some compensation for our troubles, but now we had precious little time to complete the ride as we had planned.   Our excursion of the park started with the trampoline which provided endless entertainment for the youngsters.  Maybe they should get one put in at Buckfastleigh?!   We checked out the bridges and then paused briefly to admire the young skateboarders showing off their undoubted skills in the skate park.

As we headed back along the canal for home a huge group of youngsters merged with our group, all riding Giant Rock bikes.  We found out that they were a group from Millfield School at Taunton, out for a ride on hire bikes, but Zac happened to have exactly the same bike and he was mistaken for a member of the school group on two occasions!  We rode with them past the busy quayside shops and came across a few Exeter youngsters on bikes who seemed to want nothing more than to demonstrate that they were better cyclists than Millfield!  Because Zac was with us we had to deny that we were part of the Millfield group!

Our rather belated return to the cars at Black Forest Lodge was punctuated by a toilet stop at Turf Lock and some repairs to Freddie's saddle at Starcross.  We didn't get back to Buckfastleigh until nearly 7pm but the youngsters insisted on at least half an hour of computer games to round off what had been an adventurous and enjoyable ride.

Julian, back in Devon for a week's holiday, joined Michael for a speedy ride to Marley Head, returning via Rattery to ensure we got back before dark as Julian didn't have lights.

The steep climb towards Holne was followed by the descent past Shuttaford farm and then the lower Hembury track - much more enjoyable today in the downhill direction.

By the time we reached Buckfastleigh everyone was filthy, but that didn't stop them returning to Crofters for a few computer games before heading homewards.

We'd like to remind everyone that working lights must be brought on all further evening rides this season.

Ashley joined us for the afternoon social at Crofters, but Harry was so keen he wanted to go out for another ride!  Sadly he's moving away from the area next week, but he hopes to return from time to time for more biking fun.

With 6 bikes and 4 people packed into Charles' car and 3 bikes and 5 people in Michael's car we finally set off at around 10.45 for the hour-long journey to Bodmin.  There was a single shower on the way down, but by the time we parked in the Camel Trail carpark the sun was shining and summer stayed with us for the rest of the day.

Michael had brought his new high-definition camcorder on the ride today, making sure it was working well for the forthcoming Lake District tour.  The camcorder offers true high-definition recording, which consequently also allows much higher quality still frames to be taken from the video than are possible with standard-definition video.  Compare the widescreen stills attached to this report with those taken on our 1993 easter tour to see the improvement.

We made good speed along the Camel Trail through Wadebridge despite the huge number of cyclists, as we didn't want to be too late for lunch.  The tide was in and the Camel estuary looked magnificent in the afternoon sunshine.  Poor Freddie, who has a Giant Rock mountain bike, was devastated to see that almost every other bike on the trail was a Giant Rock too!  Many had numbers on them however, so we presumed that one of the hire shops probably had nothing but Giant Rocks for hire!

Many of the group headed for Rick Stein's fish and chip shop when we arrived at Padstow and were very pleased with their purchases, but Michael, who wasn't so keen to part with £7 for battered fish fried in "beef dripping", preferred the wide range of vegetarian pasties in the Presto pasty shop.  Everyone settled down on a conveniently-vacated seat amidst the bustle of Padstow harbour and were royally entertained by a brass band that struck up nearby.  It really was a surreal atmosphere with the attractive boats and the moving music, which included the theme from the film The Mission.

There was time for shopping, then we headed around to the other side of the harbour for the main attraction of the day - the fifteen-minute speedboat trip around the estuary.  Initial interest from the majority fizzled down to just three takers for the trip for some inexplicable reason, so only Henry, Ryan and Michael ended up enjoying what must be one of the most exciting boat trips available anywhere in the south west.  The driver performed plenty of twists and turns than ensured Ryan got soaked by the spray - but that's all part of the fun!  The 'landies' bought BB guns from the local shops and seemed very happy with their purchases.

Time was pressing so we reluctantly said goodbye to the bustle of Padstow and headed back along the trail, over the railway bridge and through Wadebridge.  Olly was smart enough to spot and capture a tiny shrew by the side of the trail, which he proudly showed off to the rest of the group.

Everyone was strangely tired when we got back to the cars, so the journey home was relatively quiet.  We made it back to Buckfastleigh by 6.25 after what had been an action-packed and very enjoyable day.

All that was needed to make the evening perfect was to do one of their favourite rides.  It had been too wet recently to consider the Avon Dam, but Totnes cyclepath certainly qualified as an excellent evening ride.  Our youngsters rose to the challenge of what was a longer evening ride than usual, completing the ride along Colston road in double quick time.  Julian, having a road bike, avoided everything that looked even remotely like a track, and Matt, whilst taking every opportunity there was for off-road riding, proceeded with caution to avoid the possibility of anything chipping his new paintwork.  The youngsters wanted to try it, but he refused unless they were prepared to pay a cash deposit that exceeded £1000.

The cyclepath was fun and the weir had a good flow after the recent rains.  When Julian had met up with us on the bridge at Bridgetown we popped down to Vire Island for a short exploration then headed home via Dartington and Rattery.  The youngsters performed remarkably well on what they saw as an unwelcome climb, particularly Ashley who is now showing real ability at his new sport.  A final downhill past Pennywell Farm brought us back to Buckfastleigh for 9.35, but the senior members were keen to continue their evening at Crofters with a pre-release viewing of the 2006 Switzerland DVD.

Olly seemed surprised when we took the old Ashburton road to get to Landscove: being an ex-pupil of Landscove primary school he thought he knew everything there was to know about getting there!  He was reassured when he saw the sign to Landscove, although wasn't so happy when he saw where it was pointing - up the steep hill to Chuley cross!

We turned left at Parkfield cross and then took a vote on whether to take the muddy track or the Thornecroft lane route to Landscove.  There were some tense moments when the votes were evenly split, but eventually Jordan swung the decision by changing his vote (under a little pressure) in favour of the track.

The field sections were fine, but around one of the middle gates there was what can only be described as a mudbath.  Jordan was beginning to regret his change of vote as he carefully picked his way through the mud.  A few seconds later he chose just the wrong spot to step and his foot became totally submerged in the quagmire.  He hopped around swearing for at least a minute during which time of course he got even muddier - poor Jordan!

The gardens at the Hillside tearooms have been improved recently with the addition of lawn seats and a circular pond where the large oak seat and table used to be.  We enjoyed Salcombe Dairy ice creams and other refreshments, then the youngsters had a lot of fun running around the many paths that surround the garden, hiding from each other.

On the way out Olly, Sam and Zac practiced their fishing skills by trying, unsuccessfully, to catch fish from the nursery fishpond, and Dennis found himself in deep trouble with Michael for interfering with one of the lemons in the greenhouse.

After a few minutes playing in the nearby playing field we headed home via Green Lane, delayed a little by Olly who suffered the consequences of trying to turn on gravel.  Fortunately he was wearing gloves and long trousers, so he got away with just a few bruises.

The downhill track to River Dart Adventures was the main attraction this evening, but as Michael wanted to be sure nobody took the wrong turning near the bottom (as they did last time) he told everyone to wait at the first cross tracks they came to!  He found them waiting around the first corner at a junction he hadn't even noticed before, so told them the correct cross-tracks was about three times as far down the track!  When he got there with Tom, the rest had once again shot straight past, so high on speed that they forgot all about waiting anywhere!

We returned to Buckfastleigh along the old Ashburton road and concluded an enjoyable evening with computer games at Crofters.

We rode home through Denbury and Broadhempston, stopping briefly at the play park so that Jordan could jump off the fort repeatedly for the camera.  Congratulations to new rider Conor for an excellent performance!

We completed an enjoyable ride with the climb from the viaduct to Rattery and Pennywell Farm.

The sun was quite hot by the time we reached Bickington, but everyone coped well with the long climb to Haytor, Ashley putting his new hill-climbing skills into practice.  There was an ice-cream van at the bottom and top of the hill near Haytor, but both sold only luke-warm drinks - much to Jack's disgust!

When everyone was was doing the ten tors had walked up to Haytor and back we rode the short distance to Saddle tor where we settled down for lunch at 1.15.  Michael was amazed when Heidi produced a picnic blanket from her bike and settled down on it with Jill - clearly the grass is no longer good enough for some of our members!

There was considerable interest in letter boxes in view of our missed letterbox special a few weeks ago, so our youngsters ran all over the tor finding dozens of boxes in various locations.  We collected several stamps and left our own cat stamp in some of the boxes.

Michael took a minor tumble on the descent  to the road while waiting for Heidi to walk in front of him, but with no harm done we continued to Hemsworthy gate and walked the short distance up the hill to Top Tor.  The ladies settled on the rocks for a lengthy chat while the rest of us found letterboxes left right and centre and walked on to Pil Tor and Hollow Tor to find even more.  The youngsters were most impressed with a box at Pil Tor that had an intricate dragon stamp with a gold ink pad.  On the way back from Hollow Tor we were greeted by some very friendly dogs, and our youngsters just had to make a fuss of them.

It was now past three o'clock and everyone was getting very thirsty, so we made the decision that six tors and loads of letterboxes would be quite enough for this year's event.  Bonehill, our final tor of the day, provided plenty more letterboxes and even a junior letterbox owner who didn't want us to look while he hid his new box!

A brisk and steep downhill brought us quickly to Widecombe where we were very disappointed to discover that the village store was closed!  It always used to be open on a Sunday afternoon, but now, according to the sign on the door, it closes at 12!  We went to the Green restaurant and ordered multiple drinks and a free glass of water each, enjoying them in the cool of the garden.  Fred helped Ashley fill all the water bottles from the back room, but he wasn't very popular when Michael found that his drink tasted remarkably like Tesco Value handwash!

We took the short route home via Ponsworthy, pausing briefly at the ford to see if anyone could slip off their bike while riding through the water.  Ashley tried to emulate Tao's route (from our 1993 rides DVD) and ended up not only coming off but also landing face first in the water - much to everyone's amusement!

Temperatures were much cooler as we descended through Leusdon.  Spitchwick was crawling with visitors, more than we had ever seen there before: there was no room for us to ride around, so we quickly moved on to an unobserved rope swing and allowed the youngsters a minute or two each before we pressed on to New Bridge and home.

Fred left us at the top of Holne Chase while the rest of us headed back to Hembury Woods.  This was Henry's first attempt at the Slalom track, and he had to admit it was a lot of fun. Ashley seemed to have even more energy at the end of the ride than he had when he started, and Jack had done remarkably well considering he hadn't been out with us for  ages.  We were all tired when we got home, but everyone agreed it had been a perfect moorland adventure.

Some other youngsters from Buckfastleigh happened to be at Staverton recreation ground while we played frisbee there in the evening sunshine.  We headed home along our usual route past Riverford with Tom assuring us he would be back again next week.  This had been his longest ride ever.

On the way to the top of the open moorland Ashley and Alex ignored Michael's advice, took their own route through the gorse and ended up in a cul-de-sac of prickly bushes with no obvious way forward - Sam said it served them right.

Views from the top to Buckfastleigh and the rest of South Devon were stunning as usual, although there was little time to enjoy them on the downhill to Cross Furzes.

We're not quite sure what happened to everyone else tonight, but Ashley thoroughly enjoyed his first exploration of Hembury Fort and his tenth ride along his favourite downhill track - the Slalom.  He overcame his dislike of the Hembury Hill climb by getting a percentage readout from Michael every five minutes!

Zac loves Avon Dam but as there were only two of us he decided to switch the ride, taking us along Colston Road to the riverside path at Staverton.  We ventured into Staverton station and were greeted by the station master as Zac tried to get a milky bar from an antique chocolate vending machine.  Zac asked more and more questions and the station master seemed very willing to answer them all.  We ended up with Zac pulling some disused levers in the signalbox and getting a full commentary on the signal and gate procedures as the 12.20 pulled into the station.  Every action by the station master had to be logged in the special book in the signal box to ensure the highest standards of safety.

The climb up Green Lane was made more complicated by a succession of tractors heading down with enormous trailers of grass - we had to keep dashing for passing places to avoid being squashed!

Michael brought the group to the promised downhill track, from Baddaford to Landscove, and they all thoroughly enjoyed the descents through several fields, taking care of course to avoid the rows of grass that the farmer was preparing for collection!  Jordan got quite cross with the farmer when he got chased to the gateway at the bottom of the field.

Our route then took us into Landscove.  Sam, Olly and Fred are all ex-pupils of Landscove primary school, and when they saw the playing field opposite the school they just couldn't resist the temptation to rediscover the pleasures of playing football there.  Michael had some difficulty dragging them all away at 8.30, and when Sam then got some derailleur trouble there was no option but to take the shortest route home, back to Green Lane.

Continuing through Totnes park and the Plains we quickly joined the Sharpham cycle path, pausing briefly for the youngsters to take two turns each on a death-defying rope swing attached to an overhanging branch on a very steep section of woodland.

Further along the track we met two very friendly horses who captured our attention for a full fifteen minutes.  The dark horse had a very good nose for food, quickly deciding that Michael's pannier would be worth very close investigation!  Jordan got so friendly with the brown horse that he would happily have taken it home with him.

A final climb through the bluebell-covered woodland brought us to the quiet village of Ashprington, where the play park boasted an amazingly high swing which our youngsters just had to test.  We had lunch at the bottom of the hill, by the stepping stones on Bow Creek, then headed along the relatively flat road to Harbertonford.  Here the cavernous village stores provided welcome ice creams, which we enjoyed by the riverside.

The return home via Rolster Bridge was completed with the same good speed as the outward journey, although Jordan didn't appreciate the climb from Tigley to Rattery in the now sweltering heat.  Everyone loved the downhill from Pennywell however, and we had made such good speed that the youngsters got nearly three hours of computer games to round of an excellent day.

We followed the bridleway from near Combestone tor down the hill to the stream at the bottom, arriving just as the cloud was clearing.  It made a perfect spot for lunch, with shade for those who wanted it, plenty of fun to be had following the course of the stream, and an interesting valley that required some new frisbee techniques.

The day now began to feel like mid summer.  We continued along the bridleway to the long downhill across the fields, bringing us to the stepping stones by 1.45.  Today, unlike our last visit, the water was low so crossing the stones with bikes was so easy that the youngsters had to find a more challenging crossing nearby.  This session of stone-hopping caused some difficulties for Dennis, who got stuck with one foot on two distant rocks, and for Alex who required much encouragement from Matthew before he would finally attempt a rather large leap.

Next stop was the cafe at Dartmeet which offered us cool drinks on the tables by the river.  The presence of further stones in the river proved irresistible for everyone, although Dennis and Alex performed such a long and complicated excursion that they ended up stranded on the far bank!

There was time for ice creams, but then we could postpone Dartmeet hill no longer.  Even Alex and Dennis did well on the climb after recovering from the shock of finding a dead adder by the roadside.

The outstanding views of the Dart valley from Mel Tor impressed everyone.  We sat on the tor for some time marvelling at the scenery, then Mat discovered a very robust Dartmoor letterbox under a nearby rock.  Everyone was fascinated by it, and were pleased to hear that Michael had planned a special letterboxing ride for later in the year.

An exhilarating track descent brought us quickly to New Bridge, where more ice creams prepared us for the climb to Galant Le Bower.  The Hembury Slalom track then rounded off what had turned out to be one of the most enjoyable - and hottest - rides of the year so far.

Ashley had got it into his head today that the ride was going to be hard, so he just couldn't motivate himself to put any effort into the climb to Holne.  It took us all morning to get to Venford, so after some debate we decided to change the destination from Dartmeet to Venford.

Suddenly Ashley was a confident cyclist again.  We rode around the reservoir path to a secluded wooded lunch spot, and when everyone had finished lunch and conducting sword battles with sticks we continued to the road and headed back for the track through Hembury Woods.  It was amusing to see Ashley cycle up the same hill that earlier he had walked!

Today, after weeks of unseasonably warm weather, the north wind moved in to make our March morning ride more challenging.  An early shower drenched us with icy water and hailstones as we rode to Dean, and since Alex hadn't brought a coat (he had apparently left it at school) he decided to head home even though the sun was emerging as he left.

The rest of us tackled the climb past Nurston farm, where the dogs came out in force to greet us but thankfully were not in biting mood today.  The cold wind made the climb harder, but eventually we reached the top where a horse rider warned us of the bitter winds on the open moor.  Since Osian was out with us for his first ride in more than a year we decided to head to Skerraton Down instead of the intended Avon Dam.

When we had negotiated the narrow track and reached the gateway to the moor we stopped for a chocolate break and some respite from the strong headwind.  The final climb to Skerraton Down was painful, both from the gorse bushes that seemed to block every path, and from the two short hail showers fired at us by the powerful wind.

The view from the top was indeed magnificent.  We were turning away from the wind, and soon we were heading downhill with the wind and bright sunshine behind us.  Dennis and Sam found a grassy bank for shelter before we tackled the descent to Cross Furzes and home.  There were several cold fingers when we arrived at Crofters and everyone looked forward to an afternoon of computer games in the warmth of the clubroom.

Fingle bridge was reasonably busy.  Zac seemed keen to abandon his packed lunch in favour of a visit to the attractive-looking restaurant by the river, but Michael encouraged everyone to press on with the steep climb to the Hunter's Path.  The views were excellent during the climb, and even better when we reached the top, but the wind was significant as we settled down for lunch overlooking the steeply wooded Teign valley.

We followed the path to a viewpoint and then down past Castle Drogo.  From the road we then joined the Fisherman's Path that leads back to Fingle Bridge beside the river.  This was altogether more challenging, with more twists and climbs than the former.

For some of the youngsters one of the best features of the ride was the opportunity to meet so many dogs along the route.  It seemed that every five minutes some new exciting breed would come along and get loads of attention from everyone, particularly Dennis!  As we approached an incredibly steep flight of steps we were greeted by the best dog of the day, picking its way very carefully down the steps towards us.  It got a very warm welcome when it reached the bottom!

Finally back at Fingle Bridge again we called in to the restaurant to enjoy drinks and light refreshments beside the river.  Michael was somewhat surprised, therefore, when everyone flocked to his chocolate shop as soon as we left!  Evidently toasted teacakes just don't hit the spot like chocolate!

To conclude a highly enjoyable ride we retraced our route back through the two woodland tracks to the cars.

Eight members met at Crofters shortly after 9am for our first mid-winter youth hostel weekend since 1991 - there would have been nine if Matt hadn't left his coursework to the last minute!  Careful packing and the use of two bike racks enabled us to fit all 8 members and bikes into our two cars, and by 10am we were heading for Cornwall in bright winter sunshine.

Taking the Torpoint ferry made the outward journey more interesting as well as cutting several miles off our journey.  At Seaton only Alex, Ryan and Hallam made the most of the short stop at the beach, the rest retreating quickly to the shelter of the cars once they discovered there was a chilly breeze!

The changeable weather and the forecast of heavy showers throughout the afternoon made the decision of where to park the cars all the more tricky.  Finally we plumped for a verge near the Monkey Sanctuary, two miles this side of Looe, realising we might only get an hour of dry weather all the way to Golant.

Everyone enjoyed the steep coastal track down to Millendreath beach, but the many steps up to Plaidy proved more of a challenge to the younger members, who were grateful to Tao, Ben and Michael for helping them with their bikes.  The coast path then provided magnificent views and a steep descent into the picturesque fishing village of Looe.

The town was surprisingly busy for February and there were plenty of pasty shops open for those who didn't bring a packed lunch.  After eating by the river we checked out the nearby joke shop, where Sprite Bombs and Fun Snaps were the most popular purchases!  Four youngsters then decided to pay 40p each for the passenger ferry to West Looe rather than riding the 5 minute journey around the bridge!  When we met on the other side they were engaged in a hearty conversation with the ferryman who seemed quite taken with their youthful enthusiasm!

The rain started right on cue as we climbed the daunting West Looe Hill, and everyone, including Michael, felt that this was likely to be the prelude to a very wet and miserable afternoon.  The rain eased as we neared the top however, and sunshine returned by the time the youngsters were splashing through the enormous lakes of water near the main road.

The fine weather held while we took the cross-country route towards Bodinnick.  When we had recovered from the shock of watching Alex pick a daffodil and then shred it in front of our eyes, we came across a major flood at the bottom of a hill.  When we saw a smart car partially-submerged in the fast flowing waters and an elderly man walking around it, we immediately assumed that he needed help.  Closer inspection, however, revealed that the man was carrying a bucket - and a brush: he was making good use of the surplus water by washing his car!  It was all very amusing: Tao joined in the fun by washing his bike, and Alex and Hallam rode through the flood several times just to see how wet they could get!

Arriving at the junction near Trefrawl we were greeted by a very friendly Jack Russell terrier who was determined to get attention from everyone in the group.  The owner told us the dog was called Russell and that he had another dog called Jack!  When the time came for us to leave he just didn't want to say goodbye and followed us for nearly a mile.

A good downhill from Lanteglos Highway brought us quickly to the Bodinnick ferry, where Michael managed to negotiate a good discount for our group to cross the short distance across the river Fowey.  Tao, who doesn't like boats at the best of times, felt distinctly queezy during the windy crossing.  Once on the other side we headed into Fowey for a final refreshment stop, and now, finally, the rain began again.

We paused on the climb to admire the view across the estuary to Polruan between two tall buildings and were promptly accosted by a female resident in a woolly hat who informed us that the view would soon be blocked by the owner of the hotel below who planned to raise his building to the same height as the others!  We presumed she wanted us to add our names to the petition, but with the next shower on the way we just didn't have time.

Another vicious shower got us drenched by the time we reached the higher roundabout, but the final climb and descent to the hostel was relatively dry.  We were greeted by an Australian receptionist who wasn't quite up to speed with the latest YHA membership regulations: he wanted to charge the youngsters extra because they weren't YHA members, and he didn't believe Michael when he told him they were covered by the two adult membership cards.  It was two days later before the matter was finally resolved with a call to head office!

We were allocated to an excellent twelve-bed dormitory on the top floor.  Four of our youngsters were new to hostelling, and apparently Michael had neglected to remind them to bring a towel!  When apologies had been made and the youngsters had discovered the location of the showers, Michael apologised again, this time to our two room-mates, for having to share a dorm with all these noisy children.  To his surprise, one of them burst out laughing and said that we were the ones who would be suffering, as his friend was probably the world's worst snorer!

The youngsters coped well with the self-catering kitchen, managing quite successfully to boil the kettle and add the water to their pot noodles with only minimal assistance!  Alex, who always seems to have a problem recognising healthy food, managed to buy 20 lollipop sweets from the hostel shop before Michael discovered what he was up to and closed off that particular avenue of unhealthiness!

There was high drama later in the evening when the youngsters saw a strange man enter our dormitory and lock the door.  They were sure he was rummaging through our panniers, but suspicion turned to panic when they got the door code off the warden, went into the dorm and discovered that Michael's laptop was nowhere to be seen!  They were sure they knew what had happened to it - until they found Michael and he told them it was hidden under his pillow!  It turned out the warden had allocated two more people to our dorm without telling us.

The predicted heavy rain drenched everything outside while we enjoyed games of pool in the games room and Bomberman in the dorm.  At 10.15 the youngsters discovered that Michael had the first episode of the new Doctor Who on his laptop - still there from our 2005 Easter tour - and from that moment up to bedtime Michael and Tao didn't hear a single peep from any of them!

Ashley reckoned this felt like a massive sleepover and all the youngsters were having a lot of fun, but when the time came to be quiet they all did their duty.  During the night the snorer was a good as his word, one of the other two hostellers joined with him to make a duet, and Ben discovered that he had gone to bed with a wasp!  He struggled manfully with it on his own without waking anyone but was sufficiently concerned to text his parents during one of his trips to the bathroom.  Nearly all evidence has disappeared when they rang during breakfast to see if he was ok!

Morning dawned bright and breezy.  We liked the sign outside the bike shed: "Don't even THINK of parking here" and took several photos around the impressive grounds.  Everyone seemed much faster today, including Alex who was back to his usual form, and Hallam who completely vindicated Michael's decision to allow him to join the weekend trip for his first ever ride with us.  The winds were stronger than yesterday but they were behind us, making everything a real breeze!

The ferryman couldn't help commenting "They're back again!" as we boarded the ferry for the return journey.  After climbing the next hill however and starting out on the detour route to Polperro we saw a sign to the Polruan passenger ferry - we'll have to explore that one next time.

After a short climb and a minor incident where Ryan was forced into the verge by an inconsiderate driver, Tao proposed an alternative route through Lansallos that had a good deal more climbing than anyone really wanted.  It was nevertheless a pretty village and we were soon enjoying the helter skelter downhill to Polperro.

We stopped at the pasty shop for some very nice but very expensive pasties, including rhubarb apple and custard, steak, and banana and chocolate.  Zac then insisted that we stop at the Chocolate Dream shop to look at the many ridiculously expensive chocolate treats before we pressed on to the harbour.  Here there was sunshine, sea, boats, seagulls and seats - a perfect setting for lunch.  Ryan's discarded piece of pasty led to two seagulls entertaining us for a full 5 minutes with their cat-and-dog chase around the harbour.

There was time to buy some fudge before we set off up the steep climb to the coast path.  AS we neared the top and looked back at Polperro harbour Tao immediately recognised the view as the picture on the front of the Plymouth and Launceston OS map that we were using.  By careful comparison he was able to tell us which houses had recently been extended or repainted!

The coast path to Talland Bay offered dramatic sea views and challenging off-road riding, although a few youngsters led by Ashley seemed to manage the final rocky downhill sections without too much difficulty.  Michael had been letting word out about the forthcoming MOAH (Mother of All Hills) however, so there was some apprehension as we arrived at Talland Bay.  In fact it didn't turn out to be so bad after all: it was no bigger than yesterday's hill out of Looe, and everyone was faster today.

So we got to ride down West Looe hill, and at the bottom we managed to persuade the owner of the Tasty Corner cafe to reopen just so that we could buy loads of his fabulous Knickerbocker Glory ice cream desserts.  As Michael tucked into his, Tao noted with some amusement that the KBGs were listed in the menu under "Children's desserts".

The passenger ferry was not running today so the Lazy Brigade had to ride around the bridge.  We retraced yesterday's route back to the cars, wishing we had time to go down to Looe beach which looked very inviting in the afternoon sunshine.  Some took great pleasure in riding down the steps from Plaidy, and a challenging final track climb brought us back to the cars by 4.45.  We repacked the bikes quickly and, remembering the delays on the Torpoint ferry last autumn, headed home via the Tamar bridge.

This had turned out to be a remarkably exciting mid-winter adventure for everyone and a great introduction to hostelling for our four new hostellers.  We're taking bookings now for our four-day Easter tour to Somerset, so get your booking in early before all the places are taken!

We were pleased to welcome the Acland family and their friend Fred, out for their first club ride on a dull but mainly dry morning.  As we rode along Colston road it was clear that the newcomers were all good cyclists, so we had no trouble riding along the Totnes cycle path and getting to Totnes before 12.

The Barrelhouse cafe at the top of town once again provided the venue for our refreshment stop.  This time we took two large tables on the upper floor and discovered a very homely atmosphere complete with log fires - and of course the usual excellent range of refreshments. 

Next stop was Longmarsh, where the youngsters couldn't resist playing on the boat and posing for photographs.  When the entire length of the path had been explored in both directions Zac realised he had left his helmet at the cafe, so Charles kindly volunteered to fetch it while the rest of the group continued along the main Newton Abbot road to Littlehempston.

Puncture Alley, which once gave our group 6 punctures when descending its short length, was today thankfully lacking in thorns, so the youngsters were able to enjoy its challenges with no nasty side-effects.  As we passed the railway bridge Michael gave the younger riders a chance to rest by telling the story of the steam engine journey that came to a sad end on Dainton Rise.

There was time for a short frisbee and chocolate session at Staverton park before we headed homewards via Hole Farm and Caddaford.  Everyone did remarkably well and we hope that our new riders will return for many more rides with us.

The early morning rain had obediently given way to drier weather by the time we met at the start, but a strong headwind made the outward ride harder than expected.  We had only reached Dean Prior when Matt realised he was rucksack-less: by the time he had returned to the start and battled the headwind for a second time it was nearly 11am.

We pressed on to South Brent, meeting Kevin Presland unexpectedly at Harbourneford, and then continued along the back lanes to Wrangaton.  The part of the forecast that predicted a dry day after 11 didn't turn out to be too accurate, and when a particularly heavy shower drenched us as we met up with Zac at Wrangaton bridge there was a unanimous feeling that the planned ride to Lukesland should be shortened.

A grassy verge on the lane up to the golf course made a suitably-sheltered lunch venue.  While Michael fixed Matt's puncture Matt generously gave out Breakaway bars, throwing them with remarkable accuracy so he didn't have to get up.  The one aimed at Ben caught him on the knee and left him howling with pain, and when people questioned whether a Breakaway bar could really do that much damage he showed everyone the bruise!  Matt, being a very naughty boy, saw an opportunity for fun and chased Ben around the lane with another Breakaway bar he had retrieved from Michael!

The climb from the golf course to Ugborough Beacon was challenging to say the least, and by the time we reached the top the wind strength was overpowering.  Michael tested everyone on recognition of Brent Hill, an impressive landmark that had been glimpsed all morning but was now laid out clearly for all to see, and everyone admired the extensive views across South Devon from this 371m viewpoint.  We then proceeded to the tor at the far side of the Beacon, where Matt and Ben tested the wind strength and Dennis and Zac sought shelter from it.

Next came the fun bit, the downhill moorland ride into the Owley valley.  The ground was so waterlogged that streams seemed to be rising from every part of the landscape, but this just made the descent all the more fun for everyone.  Charlie managed to do a flip that landed him on the soft ground, but the bike then came down on top of him, making the experience a little less pleasurable!

Now with a tailwind we made good speed back to South Brent and Harbourneford, and the final downhill to Dean made a fitting high point to end an interesting mid-winter ride.

Ben and Michael were a few minutes late at the start of today's afternoon ride, and by the time they arrived Alex had gone home!  He rang from home and we said we would wait for him to return, so eventually the four of us set off for our romp through Hembury.

During the first climb of the main Hembury hill we noticed several interesting tracks heading off to the left that none of us had explored before, so we decided to explore them later.

From the high gate we headed to the main clearings and then took the left hand track that leads to a path running down the far side of the woods.  This was new to most of the group, but Ben got carried away and missed a track off to the left near the bottom.  While Michael chased after him the two younger lads were caught answering a call of nature by a horde of walkers who suddenly appeared out of nowhere!

We followed the riverside path back to the car park and then climbed part-way up the hill again to the track we had seen earlier.  It turned out to be fun and challenging, bringing us to the lower Hembury track that we often take to the bridge.  We saw another wider and less steep track coming out at the same point that seems to demand further exploration at a later date!

Six of us made good speed to Bickington and up the hill to Birchanger Cross.  Zac met us here, transported by car at Michael's insistence to make the ride more managable for him.

There was a stiff breeze on the moor once we reached sight of Haytor.  Soon we were on the granite tramway, built in 1820 to transport granite slabs from the quarry to the Stover canal.  It is rare to find tracks built of granite.  The tramway led us into the old quarry where we hunted around for shelter from the cold wind.  Finally we found one spot where there was no wind, and when the sun came out for its only appearance of the day we knew we had chosen a perfect place for lunch.  The youngsters found plenty of amusement on the lake, with Ben and Matt vying for the best performance on the log. 

Cloud cover had once again returned, but we opted for the extreme off-road route to HoundTor by a narrow majority.  Dave Robinson didn't fancy such antics on his touring bike however, so he headed for Buckfastleigh and the warmth of his car.

The younger members weren't too impressed with Michael's first short-cut across the gorse-strewn moorland beside the quarry, but they soon warmed to the challenging descent to the bottom of the valley.  Some walkers warned us of the mud and puddles in the woods, but they didn't really slow us down that much.

After every good descent comes a stiff climb, and today was no exception to that rule.  Charlie and Michael helped Zac and Dennis carry their bikes up the side of the hill, and soon we were examining the remains of the medieval village of Hundatora, just behind Hound Tor.  Zac searched for and quickly found the Dartmoor letterbox he had hoped to find, and then we enjoyed the exciting descent to the car park where the food van, aptly names the Hound of the Basket Meals, was waiting to serve us.  Michael was particularly grateful for their service as he had neglected to bring a packed lunch!

Matt took a shortcut across a corner near Bone Hill, and even though he had been warned of a boggy area by Michael he still managed to sink wheel-deep into the mire!  The descent to Ashburton was somewhat chilly, so we were all glad when we finally reached Buckfastleigh.  Those who forgot to bring gloves will certainly do so for the next ride!

After riding out through Buckfast in brilliant sunshine we set out along the lower Hembury track.  It was wet and muddy in places after the recent heavy rains and storms, but nearly everyone enjoyed the challenge and we were soon back on the tarmac, tackling the final hill to the high road.

The three-stage downhill to New Bridge offered plenty of fun for everyone, but Dave Robinson was slightly disappointed on arrival that nobody else wanted to stop for a cup of tea at the refreshment van!  Instead we took the track down to Spitchwick, a surprisingly new destination for several of our members who could just imagine how perfect it would be in midsummer.

Frisbees, football and refreshments joined with the magnificent scenery to keep everyone happy for at least half an hour.  The frisbee kept getting stuck in the branches of a tree, but Josh the Monkey retrieved it for us every time - with just a little help from his friends.  And when the football ended up in the icy waters of the river Dart and several youngsters were debating who should be given the task of retrieving it, a passing canoeist, pleased to be useful at last, rushed to the rescue!

We had planned to return home via Buckland to make a circular route, but several had to be home by 1.30 so we headed back up Holne Chase, which Ashley helpfully reminded everyone would now be a three-stage uphill!  The single wintry shower that had been forecast for the day chose now to make its presence known, but it held back the worst of its unpleasantness until we had completed the famous "slalom" downhill track through Hembury Woods, a new and unforgettable experience for several members.

Matt was charged with leading the group through Jordan Street and up through Barn Park, so quite why he watched from the bottom of Barn Park while three non-Buckfastleigh members disappeared around the corner towards Hapstead we will never know!  Michael quickly retrieved them as the freezing rain did its best to give everyone frostbite, and the warm clubroom then proved extremely welcome with its hot drinks and refreshments.

The huge attendance of 14 for this mid-winter morning ride was the largest we have had for several years, reminding us of the times when we regularly attracted 18-30 riders on half-day rides.  We hope that members will spread the word so that we can once again get good such attendances for all our rides.

Alex and Zac were showing off their new bikes today, but the early forecasts of dismal weather did not bode well for our afternoon ride to Broadhempston.  Several were put off by the weather, but 6 were determined to do at least a short ride as the 2.15 start time drew nearer.

A downpour on the way to the start prompted us to head for home via Buckfast, but the rain proved patchy, so there was some enthusiasm for a spin through the Hembury tracks by the time we reached the end of Grange Road.

We took the riverside track as far as the swing, and then headed back to the car park via the higher track, finishing with a brisk descent of the final section of woodland track to the bridge.  A few short spells of heavier rain left Scott and Zac a little less than enthusiastic, but Alex and Matt more than made up for it, and everyone felt pleased to have braved the elements as they posed for the group photo.