Various factors conspired together to discourage us from cycling to Ilsington this morning - rain at the start, forecast heavy showers, some people going by car anyway and Dillan having no coat to name a few. So we spent the first part of the morning on a coffee-break social at Crofters - computer games for the boys and big-TV Hobbit movies for John - then headed up to Ilsington by car, collecting Will from Ashmoor on the way.

The most disappointing thing about this year's Christmas Lunch ride was the fact that the hotel pool was out of action: it was being completely refurbished at huge cost and would not be complete until February. When we heard there would be a new Hydropool included in the refit we immediately planned a return visit in February, but for today we had to content ourselves with just a very enjoyable meal in our usual private room, The Library.

When everyone had eaten well on turkey, fish and puddings we had a nice chat by the open fire in the lounge before heading back over the moor past Haytor, following Ash who had come on his motorbike.