The heavy rain and frequent showers of the morning meant only a low turnout for what was actually a surprisingly dry afternoon. Colston road once again provided the route for the first part of the ride, then after a short distance on the main road we turned left by Dartington church and took the road through the college campus.

Roger suggested that we try the riverside path to Totnes, so being an adventurous bunch we decided to give it a bash. Despite a bit of manhandling due to sections of the path being absent it was a much better route than the busy main road, which unfortunately we had to rejoin at Brutus Bridge as the path terminated there.

After heading towards Paignton for a couple of hundred yards we turned into Boulton road which eventually petered out into a rough track. We passed the columns of an old turnpike gate and a well, and after an unsuccessful search for some fossils reputed to be in the area we crossed the A381 into Littlehempston. Here we stopped for a rest by the curious ‘double bridge’ over the Gatcombe Brook. Mark demonstrated how not to ford a river before we started heading back.

We had hoped to take the track from High Beara farm to the Dart Bridge Inn but the recent combination of sun and rain had caused the grass to grow rapidly and, ironically, we had to settle for Green Lane instead.