James Allason, a new member from Paignton, met us at Chudleigh Bridge today to suss us out: he was suitably impressed and vowed to bring his bike next week.

This really was an excellent turnout. After riding up the Teign Valley, Richard Hopper turned off to lead the senior ride to Laurence Castle, but he had no followers today - which virtually sealed the fate of senior rides! We continued along the B-road, climbed to Longdown and were just about to turn left for the destination when Julian and Martin decided to go to Exeter instead: apparently Julian had never ridden all the way to Exeter before, and now that he was this close he wasn't going to miss the opportunity!

We followed the road past the church, then took the farm track down to the woods. Here we enjoyed a peaceful lunch time in the dappled sunlight, pursuing various discussions about the relative merits of Red Dwarf (which Michael hated) and Fawlty Towers (which Michael liked).

The way out was hampered by several stiles and some overgrown undergrowth - we so wished that Ken had been out on his tandem to enjoy these obstacles. Scratched and stung we finally found the main road. Bob and the rest of the Paignton contingent thought rain was in the air and headed home, but the rest of us took the climb to Bridford and the reservoirs. Trenchford was surprisingly low for the time of year.

We were aiming for Bovey, but a cafe sign at the entrance to Beadon Farm caught our attention. The onset of a heavy shower settled the matter, so we quickly moved in to occupy all four tables. Other customers were turned away before we realised that several of the members didn't want to buy anything! Michael sent them outside in disgrace while he awaited his glass of fresh farmhouse milk with eager anticipation. What eventually arrived was a glass of double cream, which he forced down with as much dignity as he could muster.

Catastrophe struck as we descended the steep hill to Bovey: Daniel hit a wet patch in the road, lost control and grazed his arm rather severely. The hospital was conveniently close (sited at the bottom of the hill for just such eventualities no doubt) so no time was wasted in dressing the affected area. He managed to cycle home without too much difficulty after stopping off at Buckfastleigh for a drink and a rest.