This was a perfect summer's evening, and several youngsters had come out with swimming gear in the hope of a ride to the Avon Dam. They were not disappointed! The long climb past Nurston was tough payment for our new riders, but the rewards came with a fun half hour dipping into the deep rocky pools of the River Avon and enjoying slippery green rock-slides. Some went in fully clothed, but tonight it was so warm that it really didn't matter.

With the threat of dusk pressing ever nearer we pushed on to the reservoir itself. Here we discovered an oasis of beauty bathed in a magical peace, a feint summer haze blurring the distant hills. It really was a perfect moment, and we all savoured it in our own individual ways. The final pleasures of this adventurous ride came after we had picked our way along the edge of the reservoir and climbed the final hill along the Abbot's Way. The downhill ride across the moor was action-packed in the fast-disappearing light, leaving happy memories to enrich our midnight dreams.