Thursday took us through the nature reserve to Loch Maree, where a number of foolhardy individuals tried to swim in the icy waters. By the time we reached Gairloch we had investigated an HEP station, a rope bridge and a swing overhanging a river - Jonathan Burgess got ever-so-slightly wet!

On Friday morning it was raining again, but things soon brightened up for our push to Ullapool. We decided to take the short cut over the hill to the privately-run ferry, even though they had told us by telephone that we might arrive too late for all of us to get across. Did they leave some of us on the beach overnight? Of course not, but we had to pay £4 each to get across in two loads!

Saturday's ride from Ullapool to Lochinver was marked by occasional drizzle and dull skies, but the scenery was remote and beautiful. Achmelvich hostel is situated beside quiet silver-sand beaches, and the evening was definitely the best of the whole tour - you'll just have to see the video to understand.

On Sunday we rode from the west coast to the east coast, ably assisted by a tailwind. We arrived at Carbisdale so early that there was time for some to take rides on motorised buggies - £6 for fifteen minutes around a dirt track!


Carbisdale Castle hostel is definitely the largest and most spectacular in Scotland. It boasts 230 beds, towers, halls lined with statues and valuable works of art, secret passages and numerous grand rooms including a library. We didn't notice any ghosts on this occasion, even though some of us slept in the Spook Room!

Michael expected a headwind for Monday's ride (there had been one on every previous tour) so we left very early to be sure of catching the only train from Inverness. In the event the air was calm and the ride was relatively easy. We arrived in time to buy pizzas and do some souvenir shopping, and then set about the task of loading bikes into the guard's van. This was a tricky operation: the train is only supposed to take ten bikes, but the station manager had promised that he would try to fit all the bikes onto the train. Fortunately we got them all on.

Edinburgh was alive with the Edinburgh Festival, but we were only interested in getting to the hostel. Being an inner city hostel there were electronic security gates and closed circuit television cameras at the entrance. And this was the only hostel where our milk and bread had not been reserved!

On Tuesday morning we rode back to Edinburgh station and assigned groups of three, four and five to another five train services - it was a bit tiring running between the twenty different platforms at Waverly station. The last laugh of the tour was had by Michael, Neil and Robert who saw Daniel (from Cheddar) buy a huge bottle of coke for the journey home and then drop it between our waiting train and the platform. No matter how much he pleaded with the station staff they wouldn't let him go down to get it, so he just had to buy another one!

We had a lot of fun on this tour despite some unfortunate weather during the first few days. We're all looking forward to next year's trip to Norfolk, Suffolk and the Fens - will you be joining us?

We last attempted this ride several years ago, so we were looking forward to the action with enthusiasm. The ride to Cornwood was scenic but uneventful. When we reached Torr, Charlie and Dave decided to take the road route home via Harford while the rest of us set off for the stony track to the Tinners' Hut.

We were intercepted at the start of the track by a local resident who seemed to feel it was his duty to interrogate everyone who was headed for the moor: I don't think he fully understands the purpose of national parks! After trying to put us off for ten minutes he eventually realised that we were determined to go, and wished us well.

The track was excellent, our progress being impeded only by the occasional moorland pony that crossed the path. We lunched in a delightful sheltered glade beside the river, and then continued slowly in search of a suitable crossing point. We soon found a place with plenty of big boulders, and eventually we were across with only a few wet feet.

The climb to the track on the ridge was much harder, especially for the younger riders, so the fit ones came back and helped them with their bikes. When we eventually found Tao (who had veered a little too far to the left during the climb) we followed the track for a few miles and then took the track descent to Owley. Here again there was room for error, when the leading riders veered too far left and found themselves surrounded by waste-high bracken! They persevered along their selected route, even though they could see the rest of us making much better progress on the path!

We had hoped to meet Charlie and Dave at the Copper Kettle at 4pm, but in fact it was closed for the day and Dave and Charlie were nowhere to be seen. We made our separate ways home at the end of another excellent adventure.

We followed our usual route again this year, taking in Hay Tor, Saddle Tor, Rippon Tor, Top Tor, Pill Tor, Bonehill Rocks, Bell Tor, Chinkwell Tor, Honeybag Tor and Mel Tor. The cycling distance was only 25 miles for Buckfastleigh starters, but the walking made the event quite tiring.

Ten members completed all the tors, and they will all receive their certificates at the Christmas lunch. Names as follows:

Tao Burgess
Paul Oakley
Richard Burge
Neil Ault
Alex Lessware
Seb Lessware
Ben Widger
Tom Widger
Michael Jones
Andy Walker

Over the years our junior tours have taken us to most of the truly scenic areas of Great Britain: some of the most memorable areas have been the Scottish Highlands, Lake District, Yorkshire Dales, Cornish Coast, New Forest and Snowdonia. We have never explored East Anglia however, so as the first five from Devon boarded the 0736 London-bound train at Newton Abbot we really didn’t know exactly what to expect.

To work around the BR restriction of five bicycles per train we had booked Neil and Mark onto a second train that left one hour later. They were to collect the two Talbot lads at Reading and proceed together across the underground to Liverpool Street and then on via BR to Ipswich. Unfortunately overhead cables had fallen onto the line between London and Ipswich and the usual half-hourly service had been replaced by an hourly service with a change at Colchester. The first group were an hour late at Ipswich but the second group, who narrowly missed the 1200 train from London, were two hours late. Some of the extra time was spent enjoying exquisite Danish pastries from the ‘Piece of Cake’ shop on the station.

Peter Grantham was waiting at Ipswich as agreed, but there was no way of contacting the other two members of the group who were waiting at Woodbridge station eight miles away. When we eventually arrived they were still waiting patiently, but the afternoon’s ride would have to be curtailed as a result of the delays.

We eventually found the forest track from Hollesley Common to Tangham House (after an abortive first attempt which brought us back to the road within ten minutes) and were soon enjoying further lanes and sandy tracks between Butley and Blaxhall. The final track to the hostel was definitely not as marked on the map, so we ended up taking a detour along an alternative path that was very overgrown with nettles and brambles - some members were not particularly amused! We eventually got back on the right track so to speak and arrived at the hostel (a converted primary school in a tiny village) by 6.30, in good time for the evening meal.

The evening was not entirely uneventful because Peter’s high-speed Aerobie (a ring-type Frisbee) kept flying over the garden fence into the gardens of neighbouring properties, and the owners eventually complained to the warden. There was nothing for it but to assemble in the common room and dormitories for games of cards and Mouse Trap!

We didn’t sleep too well because Tristan kept making strange snorting noises in his sleep (some of us remember this behaviour from previous tours!), so we had time to contemplate the wet weather forecast for tomorrow.

We felt sure the rain would start soon so we wasted no time in riding to Snape and then along our fourth sandy track of the tour. Most of the group enjoyed the track despite experiencing problems with wheels sinking into the sand, but Peter Grantham and Matthew (who had touring bikes and weren’t used to rough riding) weren’t sure yet.

Michael’s search for windmills took us to the one at Friston, but it turned out to be disused and sail-less - unlike the symbol on the map! There was another brief stop at Leiston for the purchase of lunch and Danish pastries, and a further stop at Minsmere nature reserve, owned by the RSPB. None of our members were interested in birdwatching, so they contented themselves with buying postcards and chilled spring water from the RSPB shop.

The leading riders went straight past the right turn for Westleton, which gave us opportunity to try out another sandy track over Vault Hill (not as big as it sounds). Everyone was enjoying the tracks now, so we tried another bridleway short-cut to Dunwich despite Peter G’s warnings that it was very sandy. Once again the riding proved easy and fun.

The sea was very rough and cold at Dunwich beach, so we moved inland to the village church before settling down for lunch. Some of the food being consumed looked very sickly (see the tour video if you want to see just how sickly!)

We hadn’t yet gone half way to Great Yarmouth so we needed to increase the pace and get some miles behind us. The route took us along quiet lanes through Wenhaston and Brampton to Beccles where we eventually found an acceptable cafe where we could rest our sore behinds!

Leaving Beccles for the final lap we were attracted briefly to the quay where boats bobbed contentedly on the water and the youngsters rode time and time again through a flooded section of road. There was little time to enjoy the scene, however, and we were soon racing off for Gillingham and Haddiscoe, where we saw the first man-made river (or drain) of the tour.

After some very unpleasant main road riding into Great Yarmouth town centre we eventually reached the hostel, a comfortable end-terraced house situated near the park and the sea front. There was plenty of room for the Aerobie in the park, but we still managed to get it over the fence and onto the changing room roof! Some of our lighter members helped to retrieve it.