Many members had been looking forward to this mid-winter hostel weekend, which had originally been booked with Gidleigh. YHA regional office contacted us eight days before our visit, however, with the sad news of the death of the warden, who had made our youngsters welcome on a number of previous occasions. Reluctantly we had to re-schedule the weekend to Instow, using rail assistance to keep it within the capabilities of our primary-age participants. We still lost a few bookings as a result of the change, however.

In view of the distinct possibility of rain and other unpleasant weather features we decided to take the train right into Barnstaple and try the 'new' cyclepath along the old railway track towards Bideford. A stiff headwind made progress difficult at times, but the journey was punctuated by occasional stops to investigate beaches. One of the spookiest sights along the way was that of a huge derelict power station being dismantled by a single machine operator, the crashes echoing weirdly in the mist.

Arriving at Instow with plenty of time to spare left us with the option of continuing along the track to Bideford and then returning to the hostel through the surrounding lanes. There was not unanimous support for the idea at the outset, but the interesting scenery eventually persuaded them that it was a good idea.

Instow hostel was in the throes of major alterations designed to improve fire safety. Before supper could be prepared we had to clean a layer of dust off the utensils and kitchen surfaces. We really had an excellent evening, however: we were the only bookings, so the youngsters were allowed to run around the spooky corridors and empty dorms that evening without restriction.

A rough night was followed by a bright sunny morning, although occasional showers were still in the offing. When duties had been carried out and photographs taken, we set off through the maize of lanes towards Kings Nympton railway station, the route taking us past North Devon's major TV transmitter at Huntshaw Cross. The descent into the steep-sided Taw Valley was grand, bringing us to the station with an hour to spare before the train was due.

After a short lunch we decided to make the most of the sunshine and cycle down the valley to the next station at Eggesford. Sadly we still had a wait, as the train arrived 25 minutes later - on its way up! We amused ourselves for the next hour playing silly 'I spy' games in the ever-chilling air, and certainly appreciated the warmth of the train when it eventually returned.