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.