On a perfect summer's evening we climbed the long hill from Buckfast to Cross Furzes and then rode the long stony track to Lud Gate, the gateway to the open moor. The views were fantastic in the setting sunshine and we were almost loathe to descend the long downhill path to Chalk Ford.

There were no deer visible in the deer park as we rode alongside the fence towards Scoriton, so we parked the bikes and walked a little way along the path to Scoriton Down, which runs right through the park. It wasn't long before we were rewarded with the sight of a fine pair of stags that watched our every move with very little fear. The rest of the herd soon became visible in the adjacent paddock, so we felt the excursion had been well worthwhile.

We completed an excellent evening ride with careful navigation of the long stony track into the village, returning via Oaklands Park.

28/3/25: Updated (photo enhancement & upscale, photo time correction)

Today's ride was cancelled as all our riders were involved with other activities.

Report and attendance to follow

Joe would have joined us this evening, but he was late to the start and just missed us as we were heading out on the old Ashburton road. We rode to Belford Mill (the long, wedge-shaped building behind Ashburton) and too the usual track through the woods along the river. At the far end a van driver had cleverly parked his van to almost completely block the exit from the path to the road - we had to squeeze between the van and some nettles to get out! We returned home via Ashburton and Peartree, arriving just as the rain was beginning to come in.

Gavin needed to start training for the summer tour today after completing his studies. He is concerned about knee pain, but tonight seemed the perfect night for a visit to the Avon Dam, and Gavin didn't complain despite the large range of hills.

On the ride up to the dam we noticed several pieces of animal, including what looked like a tail.

The dam was nearly full and the whole area was tranquil and warm, inviting us to stay longer than we planned. The return across the moor was as pleasurable as always, and Gavin didn't feel too bad considering it had been his first ride for several months.

28/3/25: Updated (photo enhancement & upscale, photo time correction)

With just Tao and Michael in attendance today there was nothing stopping us from enjoying a longer ride. We sped through the lanes to Red Post and Marldon, then took the lane to the delightful village of Cockington. We needed refreshments, but as we didn't want to stop cycling for too long we selected the village shop rather than the cafe. Sadly, however, the shop took longer than the cafe: there was just a single shopkeeper to serve customers, and whilst she was very friendly she would have needed two more clones of herself working flat out to work as fast a single shopkeeper anywhere else! We had to wait while she prepared what seemed like an endless sequence of ice creams from the freezer for one customer, then when she returned to the desk she had to answer the phone - well, I suppose we weren't really in a hurry!

We rode past the various refreshments on offer at Paignton sea front, continued to the harbour area and then took the cliff path through the golf course, an area neither of us had explored before. Tao, who seemed to be unusually keen to avoid upsetting pedestrians, pushed along the wide promenade to Goodrington, only to be overtaken moments later by a policeman riding a police bicycle! He decided at that point that perhaps it was ok to cycle after all!

Tao bought fish and chips, Michael bought sandwiches and both enjoyed hot doughnuts on Goodrington beach before we continued along the coastal path to Broadsands. This section involved a lot of steps, both up and down, but the views were tremendous. To conclude an excellent ride we returned home via Waddeton, Parliament Hill, Totnes and the cycle path to Dartington and Colston.

Matthew had a strong desire to ride through Hembury woods tonight, but the youngsters had other ideas and insisted we went to Staverton. Riding standards from Glen and Dennis left much to be desired during the first part of the ride through Caddaford, but when they had received a lecture from Michael things improved significantly. We had time to skim stones across the Dart at Staverton Island and throw Frisbees before returning along the same route to Buckfastleigh.

The lads wanted to go to Spitchwick, and since Michael felt Glen was probably ready for a longer ride now we set off through Hembury Woods and down the hill to New Bridge. There were a few people enjoying the setting sun at Spitchwick, but that didn't stop Dennis and Glen from having a dip in the cool waters.

Refreshed and ready for anything we took the longer route home via Buckland. Michael kept the lads moving fast by offering a chocolate bar to the first person to reach the top, so by the time we had enjoyed the long downhill to Ashburton and returned along the old road to Buckfastleigh, both lads had performed incredibly well and felt very pleased with themselves.

27/3/25: Updated (photo enhancement & upscale, photo time correction)