Matthew's suggestion of taking the track from half-way up Hembury hill started us out on an enjoyable but somewhat muddy adventure. Matthew managed to miscalculate the size of a log and ended up flipping himself spectacularly into the air - much to the amusement of the girls! Recent storms had brought down several trees along the final section of track by the river, making progress even slower than usual.

By the time we reached River Dart Adventures (the new name for River Dart Country Park) we decided to skip the planned climb to Gallant Le Bower and ride instead along the bridleway near Hele. This was another of Matthew's suggestions, so we weren't completely surprised when the second part turned out to be a sea of wet, smelly cow dung! We spread plenty of manure on the roads into Ashburton, then took the back road home to Buckfastleigh.