Tao and Michael had planned a route last week for today’s ride, so when everyone had finally arrived at 10.40 we set off up Dean Hill, impressed by the speed at which new rider Jude reached the top. Crossing the new and very expensive bridge at Drybridge we took the lanes to Venton Cross and continued on past Blakemore. The track to Peak Cross looked rather muddy so we crossed the main road at Gerston and took the lane to Harbertonford, a route we used frequently on our day rides in the 1990s. Michael recalled the time when veteran member Frank Boyes from Torbay pulled a starting pistol out of his saddlebag without warning to scare off an aggressive dog in the 1980s.

At Harbertonford the Post Office and Stores provided a convenient refreshment stop. The river and bridge, coupled with the disused telephone box purchased and maintained by the council, made the whole area very scenic. The lack of coffee and hot food coupled with high prices was disappointing, however. Perhaps we should have visited the garage around the corner?

Next we followed the Mill Leat road to Bow Bridge, busy and interesting as always. There is a ford across the river, but even the bravest members gave that a miss today in view of the high water flow. A short climb brought us to Ashprington village from where we joined the cycle path to Totnes. This felt much easier in this direction, offering great descents and spectacular views over the Dart. Michael and Tao remembered the times when some sections were just too boggy or steep to negotiate easily by bike, but the new tarmac path has solved all those problems.

We were heading for the Totnes Morrisons for lunch, and we arrived by 1.45. There was a 25 minute wait for food, but prices were cheap as usual and most were satisfied with the meals they were served. Tao bought a doughnut that was packed with jam so Michael then bought a pack of five from the bakery and shared them out. Tao reckoned they were the best doughnuts money could buy and did his best to make things difficult for John, who had decided not to have one.

We took the riverside cycle path back to Dartington, passing numerous Cider Press shoppers along the way, then after pumping John’s tyre on the descent to Riverford Bridge we returned along Colston Road after a very satisfying and varied ride. Jude still had plenty of energy when we got home - very impressive considering this was only his second ride with us.

Tao had come up with a 27-mile route for today’s ride which started by taking us around Ashburton. George had a problem with his rear hub at Bickington which took John and Gavin a few minutes to repair, but we were soon heading on again through Blackpool.

Our first section of off-road involved taking the track through Liverton’s Great Plantation to Heathfield. Tao then took us through some link paths to the Templer Way cycle path, only completed last year as a pleasant cycle route between Bovey Tracey and Newton Abbot. We had all seen the new cycle bridge over the A38 but had never ridden over it.

The route on the Newton Abbot side of the bridge was quiet and leafy all the way, taking us first past the point at Ventiford where the old Granite Tramway from Haytor meets the now disused Stover Canal. It was not hard to imagine the horse-drawn carriages unloading their Haytor granite onto barges for transportation to London.

The MT Tums outdoor café at Teigngrace was closed today but we had other plans for lunch in any event, continuing on to Newton Abbot and taking the cycle routes through to Costa in the town centre. Here we split into three groups, with Tao and Gavin buying lunch at Asda, John and George from Subway and the rest at Costa. We finished off with Asda donuts provided by Michael.

The next stage of Tao’s route involved the track past Bradly Manor which turned rather muddy near the gates and styles. We washed off the worst of the mud in the river and then pressed on up the hill to East Ogwell. The sun was bright and everyone was feeling great so we extended the ride by three miles with a detour through Ipplepen, returning via Staverton by around 4.10. Many thanks to Tao for coming up with such an interesting route, and well done to everyone for completing the ride effortlessly.

With heavy rain forecast all day we opted for badminton today at Ashmoor Recreation Centre, Ashburton. Michael tried out his new high-resolution Nikon camera and found that it could indeed take good indoor photos without flash. We'll be posting higher-resolution versions of the photos on our website from now on.

There were the usual computer games at Crofters before and after the badminton.

We made good speed to Ashburton but Jude felt a bit ill on the climb of Ausewell Hill. He improved after a good rest however so we proceeded as planned through Buckland in the Moor and arrived at Widecombe by 12:25.

The wood-burner in the Café on the Green was very welcome on such a cold morning, giving us the opportunity to thaw out chilled toes and fingers. Prices seemed even more extortionate than we remembered from last year, but there was certainly no shortage of customers.

Gavin needed to meet his family at Parke, Bovey Tracey at 2pm so he set off up Widecombe Hill at 1.15 while the rest of us returned home via Ponsworthy, Leusdon, Spitchwick and Gallant Le Bower. Jude was back to his normal speed after the refreshment stop so we got home in good time by 2.45.

Having ridden along Colston Road to Dartington and then taken the cycle path to Totnes, John got a text from home saying he needed to return for an afternoon family outing. He wasn't going to be done out of his visit to the Totnes Food Market however, so we all went there to get some tasty hot snacks for lunch, Michael and Dillan calling in to Morrisons on the way to pick up some jam donuts.

By way of a change, and to ensure John got home by the required time, we returned via Plymouth Road and the back of Rattery at a very good pace.

We've been planning to do a longer ride for some time now, and we've also been wanting to do a ride to Slapton for just as long. Today the weather was good and everyone was prepared so we decided to go for it, following the easiest route via Rattery and Moreleigh. Will had to turn back at Red Post for a family commitment but the rest of us made excellent progress and arrived at Torcross at 1.05.

The Boathouse Restaurant reopened last year after its devastating fire and both George and Dillan were intent on eating there. First, however, we had to visit the local stores so the rest of us could buy some slightly cheaper snacks to eat by the Ley, the usual array of wildfowl keeping a close eye on us. Back at the Boathouse we had to wait a while for the chicken breast burgers to arrive but they turned out to be excellent quality. The rest of us either had coffee and cake or just enjoyed the warm environment, offering useful respite from the chilly wind that had been building throughout the morning.

Lawrence had joined us today for his first ride since last summer’s tour, and he used his time on the beach to demonstrate his skimming skills. After a quick look around the memorial tank we started on the long road home, following a similar route but hampered this time by a chilly headwind and some unfriendly climbs. All this took its toll and after a couple of snack breaks we finally arrived home just before 6pm.

Jude was ill today, the weather was not particularly inviting and John needed to be back by lunchtime, so we decided on a short ride up to Cross Furzes, down through Combe and on the Scoriton where Leo surprised us all by being outside. After a few photos we continued on through Michelcombe to the café at Holne where we stopped for a very enjoyable range of soups and toasties.

The youngsters were not particularly keen on off-road riding today so we returned via Hembury Hill.

With a plan in mind of a 24-mile ride via Bovey Tracey and Haytor we set out along the old Ashburton road, meeting Gavin on his way back from a training ride. He decided to ride with us out to Caton before heading back for a Mother’s Day meal, but now Jude was feeling a bit ill and needed a rest. After ten minutes he said he was fine again, so we pressed on through Bickington and Blackpool, offering him a couple of options for shortening the ride which he repeatedly rejected.

By the time we reached Cummings Cross at Liverton he was feeling ill again, and after a long rest on the bench he decided it would be best to divert the ride back through his home town of Ilsington. This gave us an opportunity to ride lanes we rarely use, although the steep climb through the woods to the village was challenging. John stopped on the way up for a call of nature, and when he took more than ten minutes to re-join us at the top Dillan surmised, cheekily, that it was probably due to his age! The truth, of course, was far less colourful – a phone call from home about a certain son not pulling his weight on Mother’s Day!

We arrived at Ilsington village shop just before 1pm as Jude’s mother was about to close the store. The shop offers coffee and cakes as well as the usual provisions, and Sue very kindly took pity on us and kept the shop open so we could buy some very tasty refreshments and eat them on the table outside.

Jude went home to recover while the rest of us continued on through the village and down through the delightful lanes of Sigford to Ashburton and home.

On a wonderful sunny morning five of us rode along Colston Road to Staverton Bridge where the river was high and spring was bursting out everywhere. The riverside path towards the island was busy with walkers today so we only stopped long enough for a photo before crossing the steam railway line and heading back to the Hill House nursery at Landscove. Here Neil and Phil (Michael’s cousin) had arranged to meet us for refreshments, and they had already secured the sunniest spot in the garden.

We whiled away a very enjoyable hour chatting over our drinks and food, with nothing spoiling the idyllic surroundings except perhaps a few too many rooks in the enormous fir trees. When all had been said that had to be said Jude decided we should follow Michael’s optional detour on the way home via the track from Higher Penn. The first part, down the edge of the field, turned out to be very muddy in places, and whilst the woodland section was tranquil and scenic John decided Michael’s name should still be Mud for the afternoon.

We returned home by 2.20 and ended the ride there as Michael was busy with his relative during the afternoon.

Today was the hottest day of the year so far, with temperatures reaching 24 degrees at one point. With Tao joining us it seemed like a great day to visit Fermoys garden centre at Ipplepen, so we headed out via Caddaford and Staverton. Tao came up with what he thought was a clever detour as we rode through Ipplepen, via Dornafield Road, but it just added half a mile and a few extra metres of climb!

Arriving at 12.10 we settled in the garden area outside to enjoy good drinks and tuna Paninis which George rated nine out of ten. Then when Tao had finished checking out the herb seeds we left at 13.10 and returned along Tao’s preferred route, via the Rising Sun and Ashburton. Along the way we came across a junction that boasted no fewer than 34 manhole covers, at Bramble Oak Cross near Denbury.

To conclude an excellent ride we returned along the railway path and the old Ashburton road, getting home for 2.45. This suited John just fine as he had to be back for 3pm to prepare fish and chips for a special train from Buckfastleigh station.