Another damp Sunday, but this time we attracted a sizeable turnout at the Totnes pick-up. We were all pleased to see Jenny back on her bike again after her back injury, a little weaker than usual but certainly not short of enthusiasm.

A short stop at Harbertonford enabled Michael to buy some delicious- looking apple pies to complement his packed lunch, and Steven to buy a cake and knife (although he wouldn't say how many pieces he was going to cut it into).

We were soon into new territory at East Allington village. Twenty minutes later we were climbing the steep hill through the woods at Buckland Tout Saints. There seemed to be birds all around us as we climbed through the drizzle. The only real shelter to be found for lunch was in the church porch - we left everything tidy of course, and left a note of thanks in the visitors book after inspecting the interior.

When Martyn had fixed his puncture we took a short but very hilly short-cut to Loddiswell. Warren caused a few headaches when his chainset started rubbing on his frame, but the team of mechanics managed to remove the inner ring just to keep him happy. The B-road to South Brent was relatively easy going, and we were soon enjoying the warm hospitality of the Copper Kettle cafe at South Brent. It wasn't much fun putting wet trousers back on again when the time came to leave.