For Zac's second ride we decided to go for a slightly easier destination. We rode along Colston road, then took the cycle path from Dartington to Totnes, pausing only to look at the weir that was today much tamer than it had been on our last visit. Arriving in Totnes for mid-day we headed up the main street and settled in the Barrel House cafe at the top of town for an order of 6 luxury hot chocolates. The young man making the drinks took considerable time to get them just right, then brought them proudly on a tray, complete with flakes. Unfortunately Zac and Dennis decided to squabble over one of the drinks and ended up emptying its contents all over the table and themselves! Michael and Jill felt a bit like being in charge of a bunch of chimps as a replacement drink was generously prepared "on the house".

The weather was excellent today and the youngsters had done well to get to Totnes. Their reward was a ride to steamer quay and then along the riverside at Longmarsh. We've never ridden here before, and everyone thoroughly enjoyed the ride.

We needed to head for home, but Zac was slowing down as we rode along the main road to Littlehempston. We paused for fun at Littlehempston Bridge, then continued on through Staverton, finally reaching Buckfastleigh at around 3.45. It had been a long ride, but the youngsters had thoroughly enjoyed their outing.

Looking for a more adventurous ride today we set off up Dean Hill towards South Brent. Nick was encouraged by Michael's comment that Plymco at South Brent offered pastries as part of their Cuisine de France range. When we arrived, however, we discovered that the range had been discontinued over two years ago! As Nick said, at least the thought of the pastries had made the last 10 minutes of the ride much more enjoyable!

Riding through Avonwick we took the lane route to North Huish and then the long steep descent past Manor Farm to a delightful bridge at the bottom over the river Avon. The weather was perfect this morning and everything looked wonderful in the morning sunshine. Those without mudguards had collected excellent mud streaks on the way down the hill.

On the ride home via Diptford and Rattery, Joe tried the touring bike that Josh was riding and decided that it really was ridiculously easy compared with a mountain bike.

Josh and Dennis were both keen for some new territory today and the weather was very encouraging. We rode up to Holne via the steep Holy Brook lane and then took the Two Moors Way track through Holne Woods to New Bridge. There was a lot of mud near the upper sections but the river views and woodland paths made it a very enjoyable excursion.

Being February there was no ice cream van at New Bridge today, so we climbed back towards Hembury and then finished the ride with the long track descent to River Dart adventures, returning via the old Ashburton road.

Report to follow.

Last minute cancellations from Gavin, Tao and Oliver left just three of us to set off from Buckfastleigh at 9am for the short journey to Liskeard. We parked the car in Liskeard station, unloaded the bikes and were ready to start our tour of the North Cornwall coast despite having some anxieties about the unsettled weather forecast.

The smell of the hot pasties we purchased at Liskeard proved irresistible, so we ended up eating them right outside the shop - and it was only 10.30! Fully charged for the day ahead we navigated through the back lanes to pick up the Bolventor road across Bodmin moor, stopping briefly to explore the Golitha Woods nature reserve before following the river Fowey through some of the most delightful scenery of the tour. Josh decided he wanted one day to own a property in this picturesque valley! Meanwhile Joe was having problems with his new SPD pedals: one side was a bit tight, so a few times when he tried to stop he ended up sprawled across the road!

At Bolventor we called in to the Jamaica Inn, made famous by the Daphne Du Maurier book of the same name, and settled down to a tasty meal in the Peddlars restaurant. Josh and Joe could only afford chips, but they got so many for their £1 that they couldn't begin to eat them all! A short section of the busy A30 brought us quickly to Altarnun, its quaint bridge and river bathed in early afternoon sunshine, and from there we began the slow climb to Davidstow moor, passing wind farms along the way that suggested just how exposed the moor would be when we finally reached it. It was a little breezy as we climbed, but as soon as we crossed the cattle grid onto the moor we experienced the full power of the north-Cornish wind. We sought temporary respite in the lea of a derelict airfield building, watching a nearby man doing his best to keep his feet on the ground while flying his kite, then proceeded in close formation across the moor what we thought was the main airfield base! In fact it turned out to be a creamery, the airfield having closed in 1945!

The final leg of the journey to Tintagel was somewhat cold with a stiff headwind and increasing cloud, so we explored a few of the shops when we arrived, including Granny Wobbly's Fudge Pantry, a sports and camping shop that boasted some very high-tech gadgets and the toy museum with its fascinating range of metallic Star Trek characters. Having purchased provisions for the night we rode out of the village, past the ancient church and along the rough track that leads along the headland to the hostel. A glorious sunset greeted us as we arrived at the secluded hostel, situated high up on the headland overlooking the sea. This was surely the most perfect youth hostel in the land!

There is one dormitory at Tintagel that the well-informed hosteller always wants to occupy, and that is the front dorm, half submerged in the hillside and offering the very best sea views from the narrow windows. On many previous visits Michael had failed to secure this dorm, but today we were lucky. It is a 6-bedded dorm, and because we had paid for six beds we were all able to have top bunks and plenty of space for our belongings!

Joe liked riding with no panniers so we decided to explore Tintagel castle next. We were able to look around most of the ruins and explore some of the caves and rocks by the sea before the fading light forced us to return to the hostel. Once settled in the warm kitchen we set about preparing our meals, Joe adding to the fare by opening a box of Nesquik chocolate milkshake powder for all to share! We finished an excellent first day with card games in the kitchen and chats with other hostellers.

(Previous recorded mileage was 31 miles)