The weather this morning was what one would expect for mid-July rather than late April. We knew we were heading for the beach, and Will and Louis were eager to break the 30-mile barrier for the first time - an amazing expectation for Will who had been off cycling for several months with a broken collarbone! Ben and Jason wanted to join the ride, but when they realised how far we were planning to go they contented themselves with joining us only as far as the top of Dean hill before turning back.

So, we were off on what promised to be our longest day ride for 12 months. With the sun beating down we reached the farthest point of our January attempt, near Diptford, but today there was no rain and everyone was pressing for more. The final downhill to Slapton brought us to Torcross by 1.25. I don't think we planned to stay there for an hour and a half, but some had to buy lunches from the cafe and of course there had to be time for playing in the sand and walking along the shore.

By this time we had already clocked up 21 miles, so it looked like the final mileage would exceed 40 miles. Ashley and Will were dubious about whether they would make it, but they found new stamina after the arduous climb to Strete and were spurred on by the prospect of completing a stage 4 mileage. Corkscrew hill at Tuckenhay offered plenty of downhill fun, and when Will had fulfilled the personal promise he had made to himself on his last visit to Bow Bridge, namely to ride across the ford the next time he was there, the youngsters had to dig deep to find new levels of energy to climb Bow hill.

The descent to Totnes was followed by a thoroughly enjoyable excursion along the Totnes cycle path and a final lap through Dartington to Buckfastleigh. Everyone made it, and whilst all the youngsters were tired they were all very pleased with themselves for achieving a 42 mile ride. After careful analysis we discovered that the ride broke more records: this was the first ride with youngsters in excess of 40 miles since at least 2001! Things are looking up for South Dartmoor!

(Previous recorded mileage for this ride was 42.0 miles)