The ride to Elender Cove is always tough, but today's excessive heat made it especially arduous. It was early afternoon when we finally arrived at East Prawle and descended the hill to the Elender Cove track.

To our disappointment the main track was blocked by a huge lake of muddy water that stretched from one hedge to the other. First Robert tried to ride through, but he quickly found himself in deep water. Michael then tried edging along the bank, pushing his bike through the water while the rest watched with interest from a safe distance. When he reached the half-way point the mud gave way and he found himself standing in a disgusting soup of mud and aquatic wildlife: the sight of Michael with muddy paws is somewhat unusual to say the least, so there was a good deal of merriment from the onlookers.

Charlie, James, Dave and Bob quickly decided that the village would be a safer place to enjoy lunch. The others found a way through an adjacent field and so avoided the bog completely. We still had to contend with the brambles, gorse and nettles that smothered the tiny path down to the cove, but the lunchtime views across the bay made it all worthwhile.

When the cove had been explored and Michael had washed his shoes, socks and feet in a rocky pool, we fought our way back to the village, bought refreshments from the Piglet Stores and attempted to rouse Dave and company who were sunbathing on the village green.

Buckfastleigh starters finally got home at about 6.45pm. Philip had chosen a tough ride for his first full-day excursion, but he coped very well indeed.