The youngsters’ carefully planned evening slipped when we were stuck in a 20‑minute queue on the way to Lee Mill. Food finally bought, we headed back to Crofters and rounded it off with computer games.

With just two riders and dull skies, we kept it simple: a morning ride via Buckfast Abbey to Holne’s café, where two friendly youngsters stood in for the chef and offered a pared-back menu. We returned by the lower Hembury Woods track—muddy in places but downhill all the way.

Three back-to-back episodes of Agents of Shield Series 2 made for a concentrated Cinema Night, pushing us to the penultimate chapter and heightening the anticipation for the finale.

The youngsters chose a repeat of last week’s easy social, enjoying a mix of computer games, a quick supermarket shop and videos.

On a gloomy day we made a brisk return to Loddiswell, a destination we’d not visited since 2003, turning the ride into a pleasure. Apple Day at the Avon Mill café—apples lining the drive and an old press at work—set the tone, with a quiet pause at Newmill Bridge among geese and woodland.

Opting for a twist on our usual supermarket theme, we visited the large Asda in Plymouth, with aisles full of Halloween merchandise, then ended the day back in Buckfastleigh with the final episode of Blackadder 4.

A vote for Holne became a longer outing: after soup and a brief stop at the River Dart Country Park playground, Michael’s Bowden Hill lane proved far steeper and grassier than expected, but it returned us to Ashburton as planned, before a fast run home.

A relaxed Home Cinema night saw us finish Season 2 of Agents of Shield together in the clubroom, the clear highlight of the evening. Drinks and refreshments from the shop rounded things off neatly.

With Nando’s packed, we diverted to Pizza Hut and made the most of a 2-for-1 voucher, eating well for a modest outlay. We rounded off a relaxed evening with a few games of pool at Tenpin.

Work called one of our number away at Dart Bridge, so time dictated a shorter route up Green Lane to Broadhempston; we ate in the park, where the surprise was a new village hall taking shape, before heading back via Staverton and Caddaford.

Cinema Night proved a superb evening as we joined a packed house for the new Bond film, Spectre. Slick set pieces and a lively crowd made it feel special, and the nationwide rush confirmed it: the biggest UK opening weekend to date.

A misty, bog-strewn ride to Avon Dam turned a bright start into a squelchy adventure across the moor. Will soaked his new shoes in the mire, and Lawrence's bid to ride the last bog ended with a muddy tumble—spirits intact despite the lost views.