Today was the 85th anniversary of the Devon CTC group and was also the last ride Michael will be running before his spell in hospital, so it was really good to have so many of our keen riders out today. Ash was out for his first cycle ride with us in more than a year and was particularly keen to do some off-road riding, so we decided to head for Chalk Ford.

We rode up Wallaford Road to Cross Furzes at a brisk pace in glorious sunshine, then got a few light rain showers as we rode up the stony track to Lud Gate. The moor was a little boggy in places after recent rains, but the downhill to Chalk Ford was still great fun. At the top of the track on the other side the youngsters had a contest to see who could throw stones the furthest into the field and woods below - Ash won of course, but several others came close.

At Scoriton we turned left and took the short hill to Holne where everyone was happy to call in at the café for a variety of tasty refreshments that included soups, scones and cakes. It was really good to have everyone together again for this special ride.

Next stop was Hembury fort, and here we were rather shocked to discover that someone had chopped down all four trees that previously adorned the mound in the centre of the fort. The ancient trunks had been laid around the perimeter for some reason, but for us it just served as a permanent reminder of the act of desecration that had been committed here for some unknown reason. This was a sad day indeed.

Ash led the assault of the Slalom track, which of course was quite muddy today, and this hugely enjoyable ride was brought to a conclusion when we returned to Crofters for around 2pm. The fun continued until 5pm however with games of Lord of the Rings and Modern Warfare 3 at Crofters.