Having taken the main road to Dartington we followed the cycle path past the weir and the train station and then tried the ‘shortcut’ from Bridgetown to Stoke Gabriel known as Fleet Mill Lane. It was a scenic route, taking us through some unspoiled woodland areas, but some parts were rough, muddy or steep and our youngsters didn’t rate it very highly even though it was popular with the club in the 1980s. The main road alternative via Longcombe is actually a little shorter, has a little less climbing and is a good deal quicker, so we will probably take that route next time around.

Once we reached tarmac at Aish we made good speed to Stoke Gabriel, eagerly awaiting a tasty lunch at the Rivershack Café by the river Dart. When we arrived at 12:40, however, there was no food on display despite there being several members of staff on duty. Enquiries revealed that food was off because they were running a barbecue with live music at 2.30 and they “couldn’t do everything”. Michael pressed a little further and was told that cakes and drinks were available, but she wasn’t going to bring the cakes out for us to look at as they all look like what they are – cake! As there are no other cafes in the area we made the best of the situation and ordered what we thought sounded like good cakes. As it happened they turned out to be exceptional, so we were happy in the end.

There was time to walk along the causeway by Mill Pool, where Michael managed to graze his knee after stepping on some very slippery green seaweed, then we headed homewards via Longcombe, Berry Pomeroy, Littlehempston, Staverton and Caddaford at a good speed.