The forecast this morning was for occasional showers, and one hit just as the youngsters arrived at 10.15. They had to be dragged off the computers when the rain stopped at 10.35, but then we had no more rain for the rest of the morning.

We rode out along Colston Road with Ryan and Ash playing with sticks again along the way. After climbing the cycle path up to Huxham’s Cross the majority wanted a café, so we rode down the path to the Cider Press Centre and stopped in the new Venus café. Michael took a look at the huge slices of coffee cake in the display cabinet marked at £2.20, decided they were way too expensive and chose what he thought would be much cheaper alternatives for him and Ash – a shortcake slice and a tiny cupcake. When he checked the bill at the end he discovered he had been charged £2.20 for the shortcake and £2 for the cupcake! He was not happy and vowed to check the prices of even the smallest items next time.

Everyone’s favourite sweet shop had moved again, but we soon found it so we could pick up some affordable treats. The sun shone brightly as we rode back through Staverton, so we visited the railway station and found an adorable four-legged friend who seemed rather camera shy. At Caddaford we heard a steam train heading back to Buckfastleigh and tried racing it back to the bridge, but it was long gone by the time we got there – slow, but clearly a race-winning speed.