After a leisurely start we left the hostel at around 9.50 and took the fairly easy route to Land's End itself, a journey of around five miles. The whole site was commercialised a few years ago, but entry was free for cyclists so we wandered down to the First and Last house for some photos and videos. There were cafes on the site but they were more like canteens so we decided to ride the half mile to the Apple Tree café, leaving John to get a funny photo taken by the Land's End sign. This was a small farm café that offered exceptional coffees and cakes, so everyone was more than happy. Dillan and George bought expensive luxury mochas with infusions of vanilla and caramel that cost more than £4 each!

Continuing we took the fairly flat route to Mousehole, avoiding our usual steep route through Lamorna but still entering Mousehole from the coast road direction. Michael had identified four cafes that may serve for lunch, and after ruling out some on cost grounds the youngsters eventually selected Jessie’s Dairy. They had good value Paninis but no washroom, so George had to make a half mile trek through the town. Still, it was a pleasant stop and the food was good.

The route to Newlyn along the coast was flat and easy, including a section of coast path, and the harbour there was large and bustling. We had plans for a final café stop before catching the train, however, so we didn’t hang around. Cycling onwards along the Promenade to Penzance we got some good views of St Michael’s Mount.

Now, at last, George got his wish of a Costa café when we visited the one in the Wharfside Shopping Centre. The great thing about Costa is that you get very large coffees for your money, but by the time we had finished the youngsters had to admit that actually some of the independent cafes we had visited during the tour were a lot better. They live and learn!

After a short ride to the station we loaded our bikes easily onto the 1530 train and took our seats. Seeing a first class carriage in position B where usually there would be second class carriage confused us a little, but we proceeded to our reserved seats in Coach D. Only later did we discover that the first class coach B was being used as second class today: by then, however, all the table seats had been taken, so only Jude and George settled there.

There was time for a few games of Bomberman on the train before we arrived back at Totnes on time at 1758. Michael, who had not planned ahead with the car parking, ended up paying £24 to park in the station car park for five days! He’ll be checking Parkopedia in future to find somewhere cheaper.

This turned out to be another great tour with some very memorable moments and perfect cycling weather throughout. There are plans for an adventurous tour to Norway this summer, so watch this space to find out how we get on.

Michael was suffering from a bad cold but the youngsters still wanted to do the Princetown ride they had planned on the tour, so Michael led the ride from his car. We took the easiest route via Holne and Hexworthy but the youngsters went so fast that we arrived at 12.30.

It was good to return to the Foxtor café after a seven-year break. A huge group of cyclists occupied all the outdoor seats at the back, but inside the café was as cheap and cheerful as ever, with generally average food at generally average prices.

The youngsters were keen to make the ride into a full circuit by returning south of the moor with some car assistance. We went to the start of the cycle path to Burrator but it was not clearly marked and Michael wasn’t totally certain it had been completed all the way. Because of the uncertainty we returned to the main road and joined the path at the bottom where we could see the new bridge had been erected.

We met up again at the reservoir, followed the lanes to Clearbrook and then separated, the cyclist taking the Plym Valley cycleway and Michael taking a rather long road detour. He only reached Plymbridge two minutes before the youngsters, but then the path is downhill all the way.

We continued to Plympton and took Cycle Route 2 through to the northern end of the town. Here we started the car assistance, with Michael taking Jude on to South Brent while Dillan and George continued along the cycle route to Tesco at Lee Mill. From here Michael collected them both and we all met back at Crofters after an adventurous and extremely enjoyable ride.

Our evening ride today took us up Dean Hill, around the Harbourneford circle lane and then down towards South Brent. We turned right along the Splatton lane and stopped for photos on the conveniently-located bench, offering great views across South Brent. Michael was pleased that his new camera could take such good photos when the light was so poor.

We bought a few snacks from the Co-op – the first time we have ever done that on an evening ride – and then returned home via Marley Head and Harbourneford for 9.20. After the ride we looked at some of the video footage from our recent tour.

Julian and Gavin joined us today for a brisk ride along Colston Road to Dartington. Riding through Dartington village we joined the Totnes bypass and followed it right to the top before diverting homewards via Rattery. It was a tiring ride and some were quite chilly by the end, but it made a pleasant change to do a more energetic ride.

Perfect cycling weather prompted Jude and Dillan to take up Michael’s planned 27-mile ride to Cockington. An outward route that took us via Green Lane and Red Post brought us to Marldon in just seventy five minutes, and it was just a few more minutes before we arrived in the picturesque village of our destination.

When we had taken a quick look at the new visitor centre that was put up two years ago we checked out some of the cafes, one of which boasted a live pianist in the garden, and settled on the Weavers café for lunch as the prices were more attractive. The food was good value and the courtyard setting of our outside seats ideal.

Dillan and Jude bought ice-creams, then we wandered up to Cockington Park. We couldn’t resist taking a photo of a pair of enormous Newfoundland dogs on the way, but when we reached the park there was a very large group of doggy people, all with dogs. Cockington Court does organise dog events from time to time but we couldn’t see one advertised today – perhaps it has just become known as a doggy kind of place, for dog lovers to meet and chat! We sat on the grassy lawn above and watched the proceedings with interest.

The shire horses for some reason hadn’t yet started their trap-pulling excursions from Torquay yet so the journey to the sea front was unremarkable today. We rode along the harbour – a new experience for both Dillan and Jude who had not really been to Torquay before – and then doubled back for scones and coffee at a large Costa we had seen.

It was definitely time to be heading home now, so we rode out to Kingskerswell and then home via Two Mile Oak and Broadhempston, which Google reliably informed us was the best cycling route home. We arrived back at 16:04 and had a games social at Crofters until 5pm.

Our plans for an easy introductory ride for two prospective new members had to be abandoned when they were forced to cancel at the last minute, so after some discussion we decided to make the most of the good weather with a longer ride to Bovey Tracey. On arrival the youngsters wanted a café stop but the Brookside Tearooms seemed to have increased its prices yet again, making them virtually unaffordable. We relocated to the Craft tearooms down the road and found things much more reasonable there, although there was still a large bill at the end as the food was so tempting.

We popped into the local Spar to get some sandwiches for lunch, then rode through the park to the old railway cycle path known now as the Wrey Valley Trail. Here Michael was surprised to discover that the bridge at the far end that had been missing for years had now been replaced so that the path could continue much further towards Lustleigh. This was apparently only completed last year.

Riding along the path into Lustleigh village we found ourselves being told off by an irate woman with a dog. Apparently she had seen us coming and had brought her dog under control for us as we rode past: none of us had noticed this, but apparently we were very rude for not thanking her and she wasn’t going to accept that we genuinely hadn’t seen her do anything. Oh well, there are some people you just cannot please.

Google Maps really wanted us to take a different route home but Michael had his mind set on the very steep climb through Lustleigh Cleave so that is the way we went. We stopped on a grassy verge near the top to eat our sandwiches, then continued on past the clapper bridge over the River Bovey where some trial bikes had left a lot of mud on the road. After some steep climbs we then took the Hayne Down road past Bowerman’s Nose, a stack of granite rocks that looks remarkably like a man’s face.

After some ice creams at Hound Tor we continued home via Cold East Cross, saying farewell to Jude at Hemsworthy Gate as he returned to his own home at Ilsington via Haytor.

We hope Jake and Tom will be able to join us on a ride soon.