The heavy overnight rain had obligingly moved away by the time our December afternoon ride began, but the strong gales that had brought down many trees still lingered to make the ride up Dean hill a little harder than usual.

During the detour around Harbourneford Ashley, who was riding the new Club mountain bike for the first time, was most distressed when he punctured the rear tyre with a large thorn. Michael, however, was even more distressed to discover that his puncture repair kit was missing a vital component - the glue! Ben and Scott saved the day by generously offering to push the bike back to Crofters while the rest continued with the ride.

It was clear that North Huish was going to be way too far after all the delays, so we contented ourselves with riding the very muddy branch-strewn track from Marley Head towards South Brent, which the youngsters thoroughly enjoyed, and then returning on the main road to Marley Head. We then retraced our tracks to Buckfastleigh, pausing briefly at the top of the hill to splash through the deep puddles and test the strength of the wind.

Ben and Scott were waiting patiently for us when we arrived at Crofters. Some of the muddier individuals went home to change before returning for the end of ride social, where warm fires and good refreshments made a perfect end to a very blustery day.