The ride towards Owley was cut short by heavy rain on Dean hill, a disappointing first taste for newcomers. After a damp debate, the group split: the hardy pressed on to the Copper Kettle, while the rest returned to Crofters for another game of Risk.

A sunny run to the old Avon railway became a mud-and-weather test: boggy track, bikes rinsed in puddles, then a black squall drove us back to Bickham Bridge, where the youngsters overshot the only shelter. We finished soaked but smiling through the lanes by Diptford.

For the third year running, Give us a Clue was a season highlight, with everyone joining in and teams reshuffled so most tasted victory. From Richard to young Toby, the all‑age enthusiasm set the tone.

A day at Haldon Forest turned sombre when Mark Williams and Richard Burge tangled after the Chudleigh descent, leaving Mark with a broken elbow—the club’s first in ten years. Earlier, Glen Johnson had mistakenly chased the Torbay Section to the pick-up.

Chosen by the youngsters, Mannequin (PG) proved a hit: a shy window dresser’s mannequin springs to life, helping him revive a failing department store while rivals scheme. A light, good‑humoured evening, with new rider Luke Hatherly joining the group.

With downpours forecast, we dropped Lukesland for the snow-strewn moors, pausing on little bridges before Avon Dam, brim-full against white hills and alive with distant voices like the Alps. A lively return over snowy slopes brought a few harmless slips; we beat the rain by minutes.

The rain arrived ten minutes after we left and never let up, splintering the group onto different routes before we abandoned the ride. Everyone eventually regrouped at Crofters for a fabulous session of entertainments.

Three teams worked their way around three maps in a map‑reading quiz, following a sheet of clues, with Andrew and Mark emerging triumphant. A careful crawl over gridlines and a few puzzling moments shaped the evening.

Floods shaped the ride to Slapton Sands, starting with a ‘road closed’ lake at Weston Hill that had some riding barefoot through freezing water. After finding the usual cafés shut, we pressed on, only to be doused again at dusk when a drainage pump’s hidden outlet soaked the return crossing.