With Tom out for his second ride we started with the relatively easy climb of Dean Hill, passing a very large and friendly black pig along the way. Tom was relieved at the downhill section around the Zempson loop and was so busy talking that he didn't really notice the uphill near the end.

This seemed like a good evening to take Tom on his first off-road adventure, so we rode the track from Marley Head to Stidston: the middle section had been severely rutted by winter streams but on the whole he seemed to enjoy it.

Michael pointed out the train tunnel that goes under Marley Head, although we had difficulty seeing the point where it emerges on the other side because of the trees that lined the road. We took the lane up to Rattery, then Michael discovered that Tom's front derailleur wasn't actually moving off the large ring regardless of the gear setting. Once he moved it to the small ring Tom suddenly discovered for the first time that climbing hills can be relatively easy, so it wasn't long before we descended past Pennywell to Buckfastleigh.