High pressure was settled over the UK this weekend so we had glorious weather all day. Unsure of our destination at first we rode along Colston Road, then through Staverton and along the higher road to Littlehempston for the first time. Michael wanted everyone to see the view of Totnes from Grattans, but this turned out to involve a detour towards the water treatment works so we contented ourselves with what we could see over the hedge before descending past some rather expensive-looking gated properties into the village.

Berry Pomeroy castle had always been an option, and now everyone felt up for the climb so we took the road through the woods to Berry Pomeroy and then up the B-road to the castle track itself. When we arrived the little café was bursting with cyclists - Plymouth CTC in fact, who had ridden up from Plympton this morning. Our youngsters had their heart set on Morrisons café so weren't interested in this one even though there was a strong smell of bacon everywhere. Castle entry would have been £3.20 each, and again that did not appeal. We contented ourselves with taking a few photos and chatting with the Plymouth CTC members - one of them had a battery upgrade that seemed to be of particular interest to John for some reason!

The road to Totnes was nearly all downhill so we were soon in Morrisons enjoying hot snacks and drinks at bargain prices. The cycle path along the river Dart was bustling with walkers today and full of colour in the brilliant sunshine. Dartington's Cider Press Centre was even more interesting than usual with their Apple and Cider weekend in full swing - there were magic shows, pottery classes, stalls and a live Irish band that created an uplifting atmosphere.

When we were finally able to drag the youngsters away we took the cycle path to Huxham's Cross and then followed the main road for a high-speed return to Buckfastleigh.

The weather was rather gloomy today so we decided on a reasonably fast ride to a destination that we haven't visited since 2003. We rode through Harbourneford to South Brent and Wrangaton, then took the road to California Cross. John always prefers to avoid off-road whenever possible, so we bypassed the Avon Railway track and headed straight for the café at Loddiswell. Along the way we couldn't help stopping at the picturesque Newmill Bridge where the geese, river, cottages and woodland made a delightful sight.

The café at the Avon Mill garden centre has been hugely expanded since our last visit, but so had the prices. Quality was excellent, however, and we managed to find some children's meals that were just the right size for cyclists with plenty of miles left to ride. It was Apple Day today at the garden centre: there were apples spiked onto every post along the entrance drive, and an apple press was in operation in the courtyard.

We knew we had some climbing to do, so we rode the hill past the old Loddiswell station and onwards through Woodleigh, Preston and Moreleigh, stopping only at Rattery for a short chocolate break. We felt very pleased with ourselves for making such an enjoyable ride out of rather drab weather.

When Will was finally ready we set off for an adventurous ride up Dean Hill, fixing Dillan's puncture halfway up the climb. The sun came out from behind the cloud at times as we passed through Bloody Pool and was very encouraging while we ate ice creams at Shipley Bridge. John, who doesn't really enjoy tracks at the best of times, enquired about whether the moor would be boggy today. Michael replied truthfully that he didn't know, although later admitted that if he were to speculate he would imagine it would be quite boggy in places after the recent rains.

The private road along the Avon looked delightful today with the sunlight shining through the autumn leaves. Lawrence was telling us that he had recently been hiking on the moors with his cousin and that to the left of our road was more than 20 miles of barren moorland.

When we arrived at the reservoir, which today was still and calm, some moorland mist was settling around us. After some stone skimming at the back of the reservoir we had to negotiate some boggy sections on the way to the Abbots Way - not without its challenges as Will discovered when he got his new shoes soaked.

By the time we had reached the top of the hill there was thick mist all around, preventing us from seeing any of the fabulous views normally afforded from this location. We had one more boggy section to complete, just past Water Oak Corner: Lawrence found the first bit so easy he thought he would ride the second bit, but sadly his bike had other ideas and he ended up in the mud. He remained cheerful all the way home however, riding through the ford near Cross Furzes to get rid of the worst of the mud.

This was a crisp sunny morning and we all recognised just how fabulous the countryside looked as we headed up past Hawson Court to Scoriton. Here we were pleased to see that our favourite dog Leo was out enjoying the sunshine, and he seemed very pleased to get some attention from us.

Dillan cleverly noticed that there was a Christmas Fayre on in Scoriton village hall, so we called in there and spent an enjoyable hour looking at the various stalls. There was a collection of original Star Wars VI drawings for sale as well as local produce and seasonal gifts. The café boasted soup and a roll for just £2 and some top notch cakes for only £1, so it's hardly surprising that we found a table and sampled the refreshments.

At Michelcombe Dillan remembered that he went here on his second ever ride, but this time he was really noticing the babbling brook and quaint old houses. We inspected the new equipment that had been installed in Holne Play Park, played with the Frisbee and then called in at the Holne Café for some more refreshments. It was so crowded, however, that we had to sit outside by ourselves while Dillan ate his second soup of the day.

We returned home via Hembury Hill: Dillan didn't much care for the potholes near the bottom or for the muddy stream that was running down the road, so we think he's going to need a bike with mudguards for Christmas!

This ride took far longer than intended for a variety of reasons, but it was great to be out cycling again for the first Sunday in three weeks. We rode along Colston Road and down the cycle path to the Cider Press Centre at Dartington, where Christmas decorations did not appear to be quite up to the usual standards. We pressed on along the cycle path to Totnes, passing the nearly completed HEP station by the weir along the way.

Morrisons had been selected as the restaurant of choice in view of the excellent value for money, but today our orders took over half an hour to be brought to our table. They forgot John's Ploughman’s altogether, so he got a free dessert by way of an apology. The food was very tasty however so we didn't really feel the need to complain.

Returning past the park there was a short delay while the youngsters played with the Frisbee, then we retraced our tyre tracks back to the Cider Press Centre. On the Dartington Hall road Lawrence got a puncture, but instead of continuing onwards to tell us he stopped at the back with Will and held his finger over the hole to stop it going down! He was still there when Michael finally noticed his absence and returned. Reluctantly he rode the bike on to the relative quietness of the cycle path where we removed the thorn and discovered that his tubes contained a self-sealing compound, so there was no longer any hole to fix!

There was another delay when George managed to damage Will's mudguard at the top of the path, so when that had been repaired and we had ridden the final leg through Staverton and Caddaford it was close to darkness when we finally returned home for games at Crofters.

We were pleased to welcome Gavin back to the club for his first cycle ride since 2011. Julian had joined us for a chat before the ride, so we left rather later than planned at 12.00. We rode through Michelcombe to Holne with Dillan on his new Specialized bike and received a warm Christmas welcome from Simon the chef at the café.

On the return journey through Hembury Dillan completed his testing of the bike and was very happy to confirm that the full length mudguards kept him spotless even when splashing through the many puddles.

Three of us set out just as the heavy overnight rain was turning to sunny spells as forecast. We took the old Ashburton road to Pridhamsleigh, rode up the hill to Five Lanes and then on past Baddaford to Penn farm where Gavin had a chat with his friend.

Approaching Landscove from Gullaford we encountered a lake larger than all the others we had passed. Gavin demonstrated the depth was sufficient to lead to wet feet, so Michael rode through barefoot and Dillan, who thought he didn't need to, ended up with wet feet too.

From Landscove we branched left to Fursdon and then, after contemplating lunch at Dartington, we returned home directly via Abham and Caddaford.

Tao joined us as promised for today's ride although Gavin had forgotten all about it and arranged to do something else. We rode up Wallaford Road at a good speed to Cross Furzes and then took the lane down to Coombe and on to Scoriton where Leo was out taking advantage of the morning sunshine.

George announced that he hadn't had breakfast so after climbing through Michelcombe we called in to the café at Holne for hot refreshments and a nice long chat. When we emerged a heavy shower was in progress, but this ended within five minutes and Tao and Michael were just able to persuade the youngsters to extend the ride down Holne Chase to Ashburton before returning home on the old road.

Lawrence amused everyone by texting Michael from his bed before the ride to say he was too cold with just his arms outside the quilt, so he would be giving the ride a miss today. Well it really wasn't THAT cold, and once we started riding everyone was soon taking off fleeces and coats.

The youngsters all wanted a longer ride today despite the forecast of a risk of light rain later, so after viewing OS maps online at Crofters we settled on Fermoys as a suitably warm and welcoming destination. We rode up Caddaford hill and got as far as the other side of Staverton before the light rain began to appear. It was heavier by the time we reached Torbryan, but everyone voted to continue to the café regardless.

We spent an hour and a half at Fermoys from 12.50, first enjoying tasty lunches and then reviewing all the inhabitants of the pet store. All in all it was a very enjoyable stop.

On the way home Michael detoured the quarter of a mile into Denbury so members could see what the actual village looked like, then we continued on to Broadhempston, negotiated a heavier spell of rain along the way. George's rear wheel had been playing up on the ride, and now unfortunately the cause became apparent as his wheel bearing came apart. With the rain being heavier again John waited for Kelly to collect him and George while Michael led the others home along the usual route.