With only rear lights to hand, we kept it short and rode up to Hembury, lingering by the BDS camp before turning back ahead of dusk. Curiosity led to videos later that explained their campfire songs and star‑gazing, and talk turned to a coffee cake for Dillan’s upcoming birthday.

An evening spin to South Brent doubled as the first outing for the new camera lens, with near-darkness providing a perfect test. We paused to photograph the sky before looping back via Marley Head and the Dean road, pleased that the lens—and the ride—performed well.

A gentle ride to Bovey Tracey doubled as Michael’s first outing with his repaired Nikon lens, prompting photos by the river and at the Devon Guild. Café 360 charmed but dawdled over drinks, and John’s freewheeling speed test and a lacklustre pickle stall raised smiles.

With Dillan not up to cycling, the planned evening ride was shelved and became a low-key social: he practised his driving instead, taking us on a trip to Sainsbury’s in Plymouth.

A routine ride to Widecombe-in-the-Moor was defined by frustrations at the Café on the Green—soups still dear and a ‘large’ jam pot that wasn’t. Michael’s dash for emergency rations and a decision to avoid Spitchwick’s troubled riverside gave the day its character.

With Dillan and Jude needing to catch up on homework, we scrapped the evening ride and turned it into a social: schoolwork first, then computer games.

Rain called off the morning ride, so the day turned social: computer games at Crofters then a coffee trip to Plymouth. We revived our interest in Pokémon Go, collecting creatures outside Costa, at Tesco in Lee Mill and back at Buckfast Abbey.

Our last evening ride of the season was a short loop via Buckfast Abbey to the Salmon Leap Café for hot chocolate and cake, before heading back to finish the night with computer games at Crofters.

A moorland ride to Avon Dam was marked by jarring changes: a roughened Shipley Bridge car park and piles of stones dumped into the Avon. A query at the ruins of Brent Moor House revealed its demolition by the army, before sweeping views and a fast return across the moor.

With Michael still suffering from tennis elbow, the group skipped the ride and met at Crofters for a low‑key evening of computer games.

An autumn ride to Loddiswell revolved around the Avon Railway path, glowing through Woodleigh Wood and shaping a quiet, scenic day. A Danish‑pastry picnic tucked between hedges and a rope swing that proved just too high added light moments before a swift run home.