With just Tao and Michael on the ride again we decided to tackle a really ambitious ride, despite the unpleasant heat. First stop was the local store at Chudleigh for cold drinks. In what seemed like no time at all we had ridden to the top of Haldon, crossed the newly-closed central reservation and descended the long hill to Starcross. Normally we would have stopped on the path for lunch overlooking the estuary, but today we had other plans, so we pressed on past the Turf Lock hotel and along the newly-improved path alongside the canal. The path was good of course, but somehow we liked the narrow tree-lined nature of the old path a little more!

Soon we were riding through the continental bustle of the quayside area of Exeter with its interesting shops and boats, but we pressed on to our chosen lunch destination - Pizza Hut at Exe Bridge. Perhaps we chose it because of the unlimited refills of ice-cold 7-Up, or perhaps simply because we knew Joe had wanted to do this ride for the last 12 months and we wanted to make him really envious that he missed it! Either way, we enjoyed an excellent meal in the cool restaurant and then enjoyed half an hour relaxing in the shade of a tree by the nearby canal.

Eventually we set off for home, trying Tao's suggestion of Longdown rather than our usual route through Underdown. It proved a good choice: the drag to the top of Longdown wasn't brilliant, but it was easier than Underdown, and once at the top the ride was pretty much all downhill right through the Teign Valley to Chudleigh Knighton! We certainly kept up an impressive speed.

We had time for refreshments, and the Riverside cafe at Bovey Tracey provided us with just what we needed - well priced refreshments and a well-earned rest in the shady garden. We rode home through Blackpool and Bickington, congratulating ourselves on a job well done!