Saturday's trip to Salcombe youth hostel had been cancelled by the warden, much to the disappointment of the youngsters who had booked, because his water pipes had been frozen by snow. There was no way we were going to be done out of a ride through the snow today, however, so off we set towards Slapton Sands, stopping frequently for the inevitable snowball fights.

It was near East Allington that Marc fell into the snow and made the fatal mistake of lying there asking for help. He quickly became soaking wet and cold, in that order, and was more than grateful to settle into the warm dining room at Torcross.

With lots of encouragement he managed the return journey as far as the Forces cafe, where a kind father was waiting to transport both him and his brother back to Ashburton. The rest of the group completed this otherwise excellent ride as winter darkness fell.