Dillan overslept this morning and woke up just as Tao and Michael were leaving in the car. We had soon collected him, loaded his bike and headed off to Bodmin through cloud and light drizzle. Heavier rain this side of Bodmin gave us some cause for concern, but once we had parked up by the Trail conditions were nearly dry.

We had planned an early stop at the Boscarne café, so it was somewhat fortuitous that Tao got his puncture just outside. He forecast the fastest repair we had ever seen, but when his tight tyre beading broke one of his plastic tyre levers the repair time got extended to about 12 minutes.

After an enjoyable café stop we set off with good speed through Wadebridge, passing countless families on hire bikes. We were looking out for dogs in hired dog trailers, but on the outward journey the intended occupant of the only trailer we saw was sensibly running along behind getting some exercise.

As we approached Padstow we ran into drizzle that was more like light rain. The narrow streets were heaving with visitors, no doubt due in part to the bank holiday weekend. Michael wanted a cheese and onion pasty, but the assistant in the only pasty shop without a queue managed to drop the only pasty she had, so he decided to join Tao and Dillan in trying Rick Stein's fish and chips.

Tao's scampi and chips were apparently the best he had ever tasted. Dillan's chips were good although apparently not as good as John's from Buckfastleigh. Michael wanted fish, but all the fish was cooked in beef dripping so he had the vegetarian option which was halloumi - very tasty, but not quite the fish he had hoped for.

We headed back with great speed, the rain stopping once again as we neared Wadebridge. On the final section to Bodmin we were finally rewarded with the sight of a trailer with two dogs in residence, although the large one seemed to be leaving little room for the small one. Tao embarrassed himself as we passed a lake with some rather loud sea birds: he made a joke about seagull noises but was told in no uncertain terms by two passing youngsters that they were actually geese!

This had been a busy and interesting day that proves just how much fun cycling can be even when the weather isn’t 100% ideal.

With George apparently unable to find the motivation to get out of bed this morning the three of us set off on a slightly more ambitious ride than usual, along Colston road to Dartington and then along the cycle path to Totnes weir. Here we were in for a shock: the usual picturesque spot by the weir where we have often stopped for a rest and photos had become the centre of a building site. Closer inspection revealed it was the construction of a new Hydro Power scheme for Totnes, primarily built to supply Totnes School. It didn't look too attractive at the moment, but hopefully it will be better when completed.

John had heard that the Totnes food market was open today (being the third Sunday in the month) so we rode up the main straight to take a look. It was very busy with plenty of different types of food on offer, so it was no surprise that we all ended up buying something tasty. Dillan thought it would be a good idea to make a point of visiting it every month, but perhaps every other month would be more sensible.

We were in no particular rush today so we detoured down to Longmarsh and were greeted with a most unusual sight: around twenty Canada Geese were swimming up river in a single-file line, maintaining a fairly consistent distance from the goose in front! They only broke formation when they reached the quayside, where it was every goose for himself.

Next stop was Littlehempston, where the stone bridges made a peaceful resting spot after the demands of the downhill track - fortunately causing no punctures on this occasion. We passed the Devon Shiatsu centre near Buckyette, but after reading the sign we still had no idea what it was. We found out later it is a kind of Chinese massage using only the fingers, thumbs and palms, but with the remote location and absence of all vehicles we didn't expect they pick up much passing trade.

Arriving at Staverton station we popped in to see the train off and took a brief look at the Meccano exhibition before heading home. On the way past Hole Farm John noticed a squashed snake on the road. At first we thought it was a grass snake, but on checking the markings at home we discovered that it was an adder!

Our ride this evening took us up Green Lane and then on to Higher Penn from where we took the bridleway that descends through four fields to Landscove. George had found a miniature tennis ball on the way out of Buckfastleigh, so we called in to Landscove school playing field for some ball and Frisbee games.

With darkness falling we had to abandon plans for an extended ride, heading home to Buckfastleigh by the shortest route.