Having decided to use the fifth Sunday of November for a very special car-assisted ride to the Exeter Ship Canal, we were very grateful to Alex's Dad for helping with the transport of the bikes from Buckfastleigh to Starcross. Charlie and Dave met us at Black Forest Lodge on the dot of 11.15, and as bikes were unpacked Michael's promises of a totally flat ride were viewed sceptically by some.

The deer at Powderham seemed to appreciate the fantastic weather almost as much as we did, with the entire group showing themselves off by the lake just metres from the road. This all made Michael's offer of a chocolate voucher for the first person to spot a deer rather unnecessary, but Ashley claimed it anyway!

We managed to negotiate the mainline rail crossing without major loss of life, and when Alex and Ashley had finished teasing the Canada geese we headed along the narrow muddy track that runs along the side of the Exe estuary. Everyone splashed through the puddles, but no-one enjoyed them more than Alex - he even went back occasionally to ride the deepest ones again! After a while his lower half was so muddy that we felt Pizza Hut may exclude us all at lunchtime!

Turf Locks provided an opportunity for Michael to explain a little about the workings of canals to the younger riders, then we set off along the narrow towpath that was once used by horses pulling barges along the canal. Now it offered an easy and picturesque cycle ride that everyone thoroughly enjoyed.

The second part of the path was recently "upgraded" to a full cycle path, with the associated loss of a whole row of trees in order to make it wide enough for cyclists to pass in both directions. It was more interesting and secluded before the upgrade, but at least the new path encourages more cyclists to enjoy the sport.

We were soon at Exeter quay with all its bustling shops and cafes, but we had an appointment at Pizza Hut and continued along the cycle route right into the centre of Exeter.

Everyone was hungry by now, so we were eager to place our orders. Unfortunately two of our choices were "off", because they had run out of red onion, mushroom and - wait for it - ham! With so few ingredients on the menu one would think they could manage to keep them all in stock. And as Dave pointed out, even if they did run out of ham you might think someone would pop across the road to Tesco to buy some more!

When the three enormous pizzas were finally delivered everyone loved them, and there wasn't a single piece left at the end. Alex entertained us all with his story of a recent trip he made to the Avon Dam with his friend Edgar. Apparently he had ridden into an elderly woman from behind who had fallen to the ground, dropped her belongings and then picked herself up saying she was fine. Her elderly friend, however, had "legged it", tripped over a rock, fallen into the river and been swept downstream. Alex, of course, rode on!

The youngsters felt the meal, with its unlimited drink refills, had made the day totally perfect. Zac, Ashley and Alex, however, decided it wouldn't be complete without a visit to the ice cream factory. Zac got there first and got a reasonable dessert from the machine, but the other two managed to extract only bowlfuls of liquid white goo! They carried on adding sweets as though nothing was wrong, but when they returned to their seats neither of them could stomach more than a spoonful. As Alex said, with his face covered in liquid cream, it was just wrong! The waitress fixed the machine but we didn't really want the extra delay.

We eventually left Pizza Hut and continued along the path beside the river as it wound its way through the centre of the city. At the start the river was up to the edge of the path because of all the recent rains, but as we headed upstream the water lapped onto the path itself and was soon several centimetres deep! We could see the next exit and decided to press on, but some eager youngsters just couldn't avoid getting their feet soaked.

We crossed the bridge and continued up to the weir on the other side where there was no flooding. When we reached the far end and started to head back across the parklands, Zac noticed that he didn't have his rucksack! Fortunately we were heading back past Pizza Hut on the way home, and it was still there waiting for him outside - much to Zac's relief!

With the afternoon shadows beginning to lengthen we rode back through the quay, this time stopping to observe the huge flock of swans and pigeons that had congregated for the adoring visitors. Zac was getting understandably tired and Michael had forgotten his magic chocolate box, but Dave saved the day by producing some KitKats for those in most need. Zac also got an easier ride by taking the parallel cycle path while the rest of us rode the towpath.

Soon we were by the Exe again, where Alex proved that he could never get enough mud in a day, and Ben discovered the importance of looking ahead when riding along the edge of a steep grassy bank - he was observed picking his way gingerly back up the bank, hoping nobody had noticed!

Darkness was almost upon us when we finally returned to the cars at Black Forest Lodge. Most youngsters had been smart enough to bring lights, but everyone was reminded to bring them on every ride for the next couple of months. Amazingly, all the youngsters still had energy to spare at the end despite having ridden 23 miles, so congratulations to all for doing so well on this very memorable ride.