With a plan in mind of a 24-mile ride via Bovey Tracey and Haytor we set out along the old Ashburton road, meeting Gavin on his way back from a training ride. He decided to ride with us out to Caton before heading back for a Mother’s Day meal, but now Jude was feeling a bit ill and needed a rest. After ten minutes he said he was fine again, so we pressed on through Bickington and Blackpool, offering him a couple of options for shortening the ride which he repeatedly rejected.

By the time we reached Cummings Cross at Liverton he was feeling ill again, and after a long rest on the bench he decided it would be best to divert the ride back through his home town of Ilsington. This gave us an opportunity to ride lanes we rarely use, although the steep climb through the woods to the village was challenging. John stopped on the way up for a call of nature, and when he took more than ten minutes to re-join us at the top Dillan surmised, cheekily, that it was probably due to his age! The truth, of course, was far less colourful – a phone call from home about a certain son not pulling his weight on Mother’s Day!

We arrived at Ilsington village shop just before 1pm as Jude’s mother was about to close the store. The shop offers coffee and cakes as well as the usual provisions, and Sue very kindly took pity on us and kept the shop open so we could buy some very tasty refreshments and eat them on the table outside.

Jude went home to recover while the rest of us continued on through the village and down through the delightful lanes of Sigford to Ashburton and home.