We were joined on the youth hostel weekend by Damian Cannon of Reading CTC who was getting in some practice for the Scotland tour. Having successfully rendezvoused with assorted bods at Drumbridges, Gappah and Starcross, lunch was eaten on the banks of the Exe estuary.

The canal towpath was bedecked with luxuriant vegetation, which impeded progress somewhat but provided ideal training for next year’s Venezuelan tour (book now with Section Secretaries).

Leaving Exeter by way of Alphington we passed through Shillingford St George and Dunchideock before the long climb over Haldon and the long drop to the Teign House Inn, where a head count revealed that we had lost Budgie. The group was split into a number of posses and a systematic search made, but we were unable to locate him so we headed for the hostel in the hope that he’d made his own way there – which he did eventually, arriving at 8.30pm much to the relief of all concerned.

Leaving the hostel next morning we followed the Teign upstream to Clifford Bridge where the day’s first repairs were effected. Fingle Bridge was reached by way of a long climb and a wrist-jarring descent, and popular opinion decreed that we stop for lunch on the Hunters’ Path (is this a record – only seven miles before lunch?).

Despite further workshop sessions we were only fifteen minutes late arriving at Widecombe to meet the Afternoon Riders (Richard Hopper, Roger Simmons and Richard Palmer) which brought numbers to twenty for our cream tea finale.