Lawrence woke up with a cold and told us he didn't want to cycle today. There were only four of us booked, conditions were cold and the forecast was for heavy showers all day, so it seemed we had no choice but to travel to the hotel by car this year.

We played some computer games, then set off for the Ilsington Country Hotel at 11.45. When we arrived we spent the first hour enjoying the private indoor pool, jacuzzi, sauna and steam room. This was a lot of fun, although we had to share the pool with a woman who kept insisting that we stay out of "her side" of the pool at all times so she could swim up and down without distraction. It didn’t' seem to matter if we were at opposite ends of the pool, just the thought of us contaminating her lane was too much to bear.

Our meal was delicious as usual. Ash and Lawrence had a pear starter, Callum and Michael had parsnip soup. All except Michael had turkey, and the desserts were definitely interesting. Everyone seemed keen to take part in our forthcoming Easter tour.

We headed home at 3.30, but an accident on the A38 near Ashburton delayed us getting home until 4.20. Despite the bad forecast there wasn't any real rain today until 4pm.