We chose Mothecombe for our first beach ride of the season, partly because it's one of the easiest to reach. After stocking up with lunch at South Brent (where today they had no sandwiches whatsoever) we sped down the hill to Ermington and were soon dropping down to the Erme estuary.

The tide was on the way out when we arrived, so we had lunch on the near side in the shade of the only tree we could find and then waded across the shallow waters of the Erme to Wonwell beach on the far side. All that remained was to cycle home via California Cross, which we managed in excellent time.