This was a sad occasion. It was the last Buckfastleigh evening ride of the year. The Hopper household had kindly invited us all back for refreshments after the ride, so we only had time for a short excursion. We had to include the Hembury track of course, in the semi-darkness, much to David Junior's dismay: he likes boulders sometimes, but not the ones he cannot see!

Riding up towards Holne Anthony's lamp fell into a fifty metre stretch of grassy verge. Paul HW kindly searched it out with the aid of a cycle lamp, but not before the nearby farmer came out to see what all the fuss was about.

The cold, starry sky watched over us as we rode back to Richard's welcome warmth and refreshments. No-one was in a hurry to leave.