This was a first tour for our three youngsters, all eager for action after being kitted out with the recommended equipment by generous parents.  Tao and Joe (13) were first to arrive at Newton Abbot station on this perfect spring morning.  Ashley (15) and James (12) arrived next in Keir's Land Rover, closely followed by Michael and Gavin.  Tao was inside the station when everyone else arrived, so Keir soon had to eat his comments about Tao always being late.

The First Great Western 1010 service was perfectly on time.  There were 6 free bike racks in the guard's van as booked, and after a longer than planned walk through the train we soon found our reserved seats and enjoyed the kind of conversation that reflected our anticipation of the tour to come.  In fact, we talked so much that we forgot to buy refreshments on the train, so the first task on arrival at Taunton was to seek out the cafe at Safeways.  Service was not exactly rapid: we spent some time trying to work out where we should be queuing, and then plenty more time standing in line to buy less than exciting refreshments.

The main roads were quieter than usual on this bank holiday Friday.  James had a problem with his single pannier falling off, but we were soon enjoying quiet lanes and the peaceful rural villages of Creech St Michael, Ham and Knapp.  North Curry village green provided an attractive, sunny location for lunch and photographs.

Next stop was the Willows and Wetlands Visitor Centre at Meare Green.  The Somerset Levels is a marshy landscape ideally suited to the growing of Willow.  And Willow, as we discovered at the centre, is made into all kinds of wicker baskets and boxes.  The youngsters particularly liked the hanging bee-hive seats, and had to test them thoroughly.

Burrow Mump is a small hill that stands out against the flat landscape that surrounds it.  From the ruined church on top we could clearly see the network of ditches and drains that helps keep the land free of water.  Without the series of pumping stations near the sea, the whole area would revert to an inlet of the sea. 

There was plenty of time so we took a short detour along some fun tracks around Earlake Moor and Middlezoy.  Burrow Mump soon began getting closer again, but the youngsters didn't seem to notice!From Othery the change of level on either side of the road was marked by Beer Wall, a sluice gate system controlled remotely.  Joe did not seem to appreciate the long straight lanes across King's Sedge Moor - he thought he might go to sleep and veer off the road into one of the water-filled ditches on either side.  The first real climb of the day brought us to Walton Hill and the National Trust woodland track to Street hostel.

The youngsters deserve credit for being so well behaved overnight - everyone got plenty of sleep right up to the designated time for getting up.  Tao felt thoroughly refreshed after 11 hours sleep, and once Michael had got over the shock of discovering that his cheesecake and yoghurt, purchased only the previous night, had been discarded from the fridge (presumably because it hadn't been given a label) we set off for the short ride to Clarks village in Street.

We spent an enjoyable hour and a half browsing the well priced factory outlets and sampling the hot pancakes while the clouds gathered above.  Gavin bought himself a rucsack-cum-camelback, presumably to make up for forgetting his water bottle, but there was no opportunity to fill it for the rest of the day!  We were ready to leave as the first drops of rain began to fall, but we had to wait another 10 minutes for James to return from a supposedly 2-minute shopping expedition to get some batteries.

We had lots planned for today, and next on the agenda was Glastonbury tor.  There was a nasty shower all the way to Glastonbury, but it cleared up as we approached the tor so we were able to climb it after all.  Everyone enjoyed the views, although Joe dismissed it as a pile of dirt just like any other!

We were clearly going to be late for lunch at Wells, and the significant detour we took to avoid main roads did not help, but a final cycle path along the course of the disused railway line eventually brought us past the Bishops Palace into the bustling market square by around 2.30.  Lunch was hastily purchased and then consumed in the grounds of the magnificent cathedral.  The famous clock (the second oldest in Britain) entertained us briefly with its twin knights striking the bells, but if we had thought to look inside the cathedral we would have seen the far more impressive display of two knights and two saracens riding around in a jousting tournament.  One poor saracen gets knocked down every fifteen minutes, and elsewhere a seated wooden figure strikes the bell and turns his head to listen after each strike.  Oh well, next time perhaps!

It seemed as though there would not be time to include our planned visit to Wookey Hole caves and papermill, but we made good progress and arrived in time for a visit of more than an hour.  James was feeling much better as we left and made good speed on the 200m climb to the top of Cheddar gorge.  Michael, however, was succumbing to the same fever that had attacked Tao earlier in the week.  The descent of the gorge was exciting and fun, and we surprised ourselves by arriving at Cheddar hostel shortly after 7pm.

Starting out a little earlier than usual we decided to explore Cheddar caves.  Entry fees were quite high and some of the youngsters were hard-pressed to find the money, but we all spent an enjoyable hour wandering around some truly spectacular formations with the friendly voice of the audio guides accompanying us all the way.  The café experience was not quite so enjoyable, with sky high prices for substandard refreshments.

There was time for a short stop at the Spar before we rode the short distance to Wedmore and Blackford.  We then turned into the Levels again and enjoyed lunch in a field on the banks of Cripps river.  The sun was hot in this sheltered spot, and nothing disturbed the peace except a single plane circling in the distance.

The afternoon ride took us past the Gold Corner pumping station to Bridgwater (where nothing was open on Easter day) and on to the foothills of the Quantock Hills where the ancient church in the village of Over Stowey looked delightful with its many spring flowers adorning the grassy churchyard.  James’ bike needed a little attention before the climb to fix a bottom bracket, and Tao continued his regular maintenance of the offending pannier that refused to do as it was told.  A challenging climb brought us quickly to the moor and tracks at the top, and James, who had never ridden this far in one day before, did not let himself down in any way.  We didn’t feel like any major track excursions so we took the quick descent to Crowcombe and set about negotiating the final lanes to the hostel.  On the way we were fortunate to see the steam train on the West Somerset Railway.

After our final breakfast of the tour we set off through the peaceful wooded lanes to Lydeard St Lawrence, Tolland and Wiveliscombe where we felt sure we would fine a cafe.  There was a cafe, but whilst the door was open the café was definitely closed.  the supermarket was open, however, and the seats in the village square provided an excellent spot for the consumption of beverages in the morning sun.

Pressing on we proceeded through many more typical westcountry lanes Bradford-on-Tone.  Lunch by the riverside in the shade of ancient woodland was absolutely perfect.  Our train was leaving from Taunton at 2.36 so we took our time on the final stage of the journey along the river Tone, through Hele and Upcott.  Cycle Route 3 led us usefully through some Taunton parkland direct to the Safeways near the station, so we were able to purchase some last refreshments and inspect the well-stocked cycle store nearby before boarding the train for home.