On a perfect summer's evening we climbed the long hill from Buckfast to Cross Furzes and then rode the long stony track to Lud Gate, the gateway to the open moor. The views were fantastic in the setting sunshine and we were almost loathe to descend the long downhill path to Chalk Ford.

There were no deer visible in the deer park as we rode alongside the fence towards Scoriton, so we parked the bikes and walked a little way along the path to Scoriton Down, which runs right through the park. It wasn't long before we were rewarded with the sight of a fine pair of stags that watched our every move with very little fear. The rest of the herd soon became visible in the adjacent paddock, so we felt the excursion had been well worthwhile.

We completed an excellent evening ride with careful navigation of the long stony track into the village, returning via Oaklands Park.

Gavin needed to start training for the summer tour today after completing his studies. He is concerned about knee pain, but tonight seemed the perfect night for a visit to the Avon Dam, and Gavin didn't complain despite the large range of hills.

On the ride up to the dam we noticed several pieces of animal, including what looked like a tail.

The dam was nearly full and the whole area was tranquil and warm, inviting us to stay longer than we planned. The return across the moor was as pleasurable as always, and Gavin didn't feel too bad considering it had been his first ride for several months.

The lads wanted to go to Spitchwick, and since Michael felt Glen was probably ready for a longer ride now we set off through Hembury Woods and down the hill to New Bridge. There were a few people enjoying the setting sun at Spitchwick, but that didn't stop Dennis and Glen from having a dip in the cool waters.

Refreshed and ready for anything we took the longer route home via Buckland. Michael kept the lads moving fast by offering a chocolate bar to the first person to reach the top, so by the time we had enjoyed the long downhill to Ashburton and returned along the old road to Buckfastleigh, both lads had performed incredibly well and felt very pleased with themselves.

The summer was showing signs of heating up as we rode the climb from Bickington to Haytor. We stopped at the top to enjoy ice creams, chatting briefly with a visitor from Cornwall who was interested to see Michael's Mercian cycle. Next stop was the track from Bonehill to Natsworthy and the rapid descent to Widecombe, where we enjoyed an excellent lunch in the garden of the Green cafe.

Before leaving the village we called into the village store and bought half their stock of home-made chocolate brownies and rocky road - recommended if you're ever passing! Our return route then took us at good speed down Leusdon hill, past Spitchwick and home via Hembury.

With just Tao and Michael on the ride again we decided to tackle a really ambitious ride, despite the unpleasant heat. First stop was the local store at Chudleigh for cold drinks. In what seemed like no time at all we had ridden to the top of Haldon, crossed the newly-closed central reservation and descended the long hill to Starcross. Normally we would have stopped on the path for lunch overlooking the estuary, but today we had other plans, so we pressed on past the Turf Lock hotel and along the newly-improved path alongside the canal. The path was good of course, but somehow we liked the narrow tree-lined nature of the old path a little more!

Soon we were riding through the continental bustle of the quayside area of Exeter with its interesting shops and boats, but we pressed on to our chosen lunch destination - Pizza Hut at Exe Bridge. Perhaps we chose it because of the unlimited refills of ice-cold 7-Up, or perhaps simply because we knew Joe had wanted to do this ride for the last 12 months and we wanted to make him really envious that he missed it! Either way, we enjoyed an excellent meal in the cool restaurant and then enjoyed half an hour relaxing in the shade of a tree by the nearby canal.

Eventually we set off for home, trying Tao's suggestion of Longdown rather than our usual route through Underdown. It proved a good choice: the drag to the top of Longdown wasn't brilliant, but it was easier than Underdown, and once at the top the ride was pretty much all downhill right through the Teign Valley to Chudleigh Knighton! We certainly kept up an impressive speed.

We had time for refreshments, and the Riverside cafe at Bovey Tracey provided us with just what we needed - well priced refreshments and a well-earned rest in the shady garden. We rode home through Blackpool and Bickington, congratulating ourselves on a job well done!

Our first afternoon ride for many years took us to one of our favourite destinations, the Avon Dam. The path to the reservoir was packed with people soaking up the fantastic weather - we even met ex-member Gage, out for a walk with his family!

Tao and Matt cleared out Michael's chocolate box while enjoying the view across the reservoir. Nobody wanted to leave, but Matt needed to get home by 5.30 so we dragged ourselves away from the soft grass and headed back across the moor to Cross Furzes. By way of a change we returned to Buckfastleigh via the long track through Kings Wood - an exciting ride, marred only by Michael getting a pinch puncture on the way down.

On a perfect summer's evening we rode through Holne, on to the open moor and then around the path that hugs the edge of Venford reservoir. The setting sun and total solitude of the scene provided such a perfect picture that we couldn't help but stop to soak up the peace. We still had plenty of time so we took the track that leads across to Bench Tor, offering some of the best views in the whole of Dartmoor across the steeply wooded Dart Valley.

Our return was delayed when Michael got a couple of punctures: he vowed to change his rear tyre before Sunday's ride!

Our planned day ride to Plym Valley was changed to a morning ride to Landscove since Jack had not been out for a while and was not feeling particularly well. We rode along Colston Road to Staverton, along the riverside track and then direct to Mother Hubbard's cafe at Hillhouse nursery, Landscove. The place was almost deserted, but we still had to wait a long time for our cold drinks, teacakes and ice creams!