John needed to be back before 4pm so we chose Dartmeet as a destination, taking us up Silver Street, through Scoriton and Holne and then up onto the moor past Venford. The cloudy start was giving way to increasing spells of sunshine but the light breeze we felt at Buckfastleigh was rather more powerful on the moor.

Arriving at the Badgers Holt café we were greeted by a large sign telling us that new owners had been in residence since last month. Gone were the cats. Gone was the enormous and varied menu. A very limited range was available now, with soup at £5.95 and the cheapest meals starting from around £6.95. Apparently they wanted to focus on fresh food now, but we wondered how some of the previous snacks such as baked beans on toast could be any fresher than a newly-opened tin and fresh bread. Michael asked for a cheese and onion pasty with salad garnish that wasn’t on the menu and got it for £4 but the rest had to buy more expensive fare. We then discovered another consequence of “fresh food”: a half hour delay before our food arrived. Hopefully things will improve when they have settled in, otherwise we may be avoiding Badgers Holt in future.

Finally setting off at 1.45 we rode up Dartmeet Hill with a tail wind and then took the main road route home via New Bridge and Hembury, getting us back for 3.20.