We left at 10.43 on a warm but cloudy day and set off along the old Ashburton road. Michael had forgotten to bring food, so he detoured to the garage shop at Peartree to get chocolate and biscuit rations, then met the boys back near The Lanterns.

The climb of Ausewell Hill was quite tiring, so when we reached the top we took the fastest route to Widecombe, arriving at 12.22.

We had lunch in the Café on the Green. We were surprised to see that soups there were still priced at £6.50, and the woman behind the counter didn’t seem to know what Michael was talking about when he asked if the seasonal pricing had come to an end yet. Clearly, they are going to keep ripping people off all year round now. Having said that, Michael paid £10 for a large latte, a regular latte and two scones with cream and jam, which wasn’t too bad. They were skimpy on the jam though, which came in a very small glass pot, and when Michael asked for more, he was told he had the large pot and that is what everyone gets with two scones! Well, they may call it a large pot, but it was small by our reckoning, and she should have responded more positive to our request.

We took some photos on The Green, then looked in the village shop - Dillan bought crisps and Jude bought a flapjack. We left at around 1.10 and rode back through Ponsworthy and Leusdon. The ducks were waiting for us at the Leusdon pond, so Michael took some good photos of them.

Dillan and Jude did not want to go along the riverside area at Spitchwick, as they felt it has a bad reputation now with people partying there. It’s a shame that such a lovely spot has been tarnished like that. We returned home via Hembury Woods for 2.36.