Six of us made good speed to Bickington and up the hill to Birchanger Cross. Zac met us here, transported by car at Michael's insistence to make the ride more manageable for him.

There was a stiff breeze on the moor once we reached sight of Haytor. Soon we were on the granite tramway, built in 1820 to transport granite slabs from the quarry to the Stover canal. It is rare to find tracks built of granite. The tramway led us into the old quarry where we hunted around for shelter from the cold wind. Finally we found one spot where there was no wind, and when the sun came out for its only appearance of the day we knew we had chosen a perfect place for lunch. The youngsters found plenty of amusement on the lake, with Ben and Matt vying for the best performance on the log.

Cloud cover had once again returned, but we opted for the extreme off-road route to Hound Tor by a narrow majority. Dave Robinson didn't fancy such antics on his touring bike however, so he headed for Buckfastleigh and the warmth of his car.

The younger members weren't too impressed with Michael's first short-cut across the gorse-strewn moorland beside the quarry, but they soon warmed to the challenging descent to the bottom of the valley. Some walkers warned us of the mud and puddles in the woods, but they didn't really slow us down that much.

After every good descent comes a stiff climb, and today was no exception to that rule. Charlie and Michael helped Zac and Dennis carry their bikes up the side of the hill, and soon we were examining the remains of the medieval village of Hundatora, just behind Hound Tor. Zac searched for and quickly found the Dartmoor letterbox he had hoped to find, and then we enjoyed the exciting descent to the car park where the food van, aptly names the Hound of the Basket Meals, was waiting to serve us. Michael was particularly grateful for their service as he had neglected to bring a packed lunch!

Matt took a shortcut across a corner near Bone Hill, and even though he had been warned of a boggy area by Michael he still managed to sink wheel-deep into the mire! The descent to Ashburton was somewhat chilly, so we were all glad when we finally reached Buckfastleigh. Those who forgot to bring gloves will certainly do so for the next ride!

The early morning rain had obediently given way to drier weather by the time we met at the start, but a strong headwind made the outward ride harder than expected. We had only reached Dean Prior when Matt realised he was rucksack-less: by the time he had returned to the start and battled the headwind for a second time it was nearly 11am.

We pressed on to South Brent, meeting Kevin Presland unexpectedly at Harbourneford, and then continued along the back lanes to Wrangaton. The part of the forecast that predicted a dry day after 11 didn't turn out to be too accurate, and when a particularly heavy shower drenched us as we met up with Zac at Wrangaton Bridge there was a unanimous feeling that the planned ride to Lukesland should be shortened.

A grassy verge on the lane up to the golf course made a suitably-sheltered lunch venue. While Michael fixed Matt's puncture Matt generously gave out Breakaway bars, throwing them with remarkable accuracy so he didn't have to get up. The one aimed at Ben caught him on the knee and left him howling with pain, and when people questioned whether a Breakaway bar could really do that much damage he showed everyone the bruise! Matt, being a very naughty boy, saw an opportunity for fun and chased Ben around the lane with another Breakaway bar he had retrieved from Michael!

The climb from the golf course to Ugborough Beacon was challenging to say the least, and by the time we reached the top the wind strength was overpowering. Michael tested everyone on recognition of Brent Hill, an impressive landmark that had been glimpsed all morning but was now laid out clearly for all to see, and everyone admired the extensive views across South Devon from this 371m viewpoint. We then proceeded to the tor at the far side of the Beacon, where Matt and Ben tested the wind strength and Dennis and Zac sought shelter from it.

Next came the fun bit, the downhill moorland ride into the Owley valley. The ground was so waterlogged that streams seemed to be rising from every part of the landscape, but this just made the descent all the more fun for everyone. Charlie managed to do a flip that landed him on the soft ground, but the bike then came down on top of him, making the experience a little less pleasurable!

Now with a tailwind we made good speed back to South Brent and Harbourneford, and the final downhill to Dean made a fitting high point to end an interesting mid-winter ride.

We were pleased to welcome the Acland family and their friend Fred, out for their first club ride on a dull but mainly dry morning. As we rode along Colston road it was clear that the newcomers were all good cyclists, so we had no trouble riding along the Totnes cycle path and getting to Totnes before 12.

The Barrelhouse cafe at the top of town once again provided the venue for our refreshment stop. This time we took two large tables on the upper floor and discovered a very homely atmosphere complete with log fires - and of course the usual excellent range of refreshments.

Next stop was Longmarsh, where the youngsters couldn't resist playing on the boat and posing for photographs. When the entire length of the path had been explored in both directions Zac realised he had left his helmet at the cafe, so Charles kindly volunteered to fetch it while the rest of the group continued along the main Newton Abbot road to Littlehempston.

Puncture Alley, which once gave our group 6 punctures when descending its short length, was today thankfully lacking in thorns, so the youngsters were able to enjoy its challenges with no nasty side-effects. As we passed the railway bridge Michael gave the younger riders a chance to rest by telling the story of the steam engine journey that came to a sad end on Dainton Rise.

There was time for a short Frisbee and chocolate session at Staverton Park before we headed homewards via Hole Farm and Caddaford. Everyone did remarkably well and we hope that our new riders will return for many more rides with us.

Eight members met at Crofters shortly after 9am for our first mid-winter youth hostel weekend since 1991 - there would have been nine if Matt hadn't left his coursework to the last minute! Careful packing and the use of two bike racks enabled us to fit all 8 members and bikes into our two cars, and by 10am we were heading for Cornwall in bright winter sunshine.

Taking the Torpoint ferry made the outward journey more interesting as well as cutting several miles off our journey. At Seaton only Alex, Ryan and Hallam made the most of the short stop at the beach, the rest retreating quickly to the shelter of the cars once they discovered there was a chilly breeze!

The changeable weather and the forecast of heavy showers throughout the afternoon made the decision of where to park the cars all the more tricky. Finally we plumped for a verge near the Monkey Sanctuary, two miles this side of Looe, realising we might only get an hour of dry weather all the way to Golant.

Everyone enjoyed the steep coastal track down to Millendreath beach, but the many steps up to Plaidy proved more of a challenge to the younger members, who were grateful to Tao, Ben and Michael for helping them with their bikes. The coast path then provided magnificent views and a steep descent into the picturesque fishing village of Looe.

The town was surprisingly busy for February and there were plenty of pasty shops open for those who didn't bring a packed lunch. After eating by the river we checked out the nearby joke shop, where Sprite Bombs and Fun Snaps were the most popular purchases! Four youngsters then decided to pay 40p each for the passenger ferry to West Looe rather than riding the 5 minute journey around the bridge! When we met on the other side they were engaged in a hearty conversation with the ferryman who seemed quite taken with their youthful enthusiasm!

The rain started right on cue as we climbed the daunting West Looe Hill, and everyone, including Michael, felt that this was likely to be the prelude to a very wet and miserable afternoon. The rain eased as we neared the top however, and sunshine returned by the time the youngsters were splashing through the enormous lakes of water near the main road.

The fine weather held while we took the cross-country route towards Bodinnick. When we had recovered from the shock of watching Alex pick a daffodil and then shred it in front of our eyes, we came across a major flood at the bottom of a hill. When we saw a smart car partially-submerged in the fast flowing waters and an elderly man walking around it, we immediately assumed that he needed help. Closer inspection, however, revealed that the man was carrying a bucket - and a brush: he was making good use of the surplus water by washing his car! It was all very amusing: Tao joined in the fun by washing his bike, and Alex and Hallam rode through the flood several times just to see how wet they could get!

Arriving at the junction near Trefrawl we were greeted by a very friendly Jack Russell terrier who was determined to get attention from everyone in the group. The owner told us the dog was called Russell and that he had another dog called Jack! When the time came for us to leave he just didn't want to say goodbye and followed us for nearly a mile.

A good downhill from Lanteglos Highway brought us quickly to the Bodinnick ferry, where Michael managed to negotiate a good discount for our group to cross the short distance across the river Fowey. Tao, who doesn't like boats at the best of times, felt distinctly queasy during the windy crossing. Once on the other side we headed into Fowey for a final refreshment stop, and now, finally, the rain began again.

We paused on the climb to admire the view across the estuary to Polruan between two tall buildings and were promptly accosted by a female resident in a woolly hat who informed us that the view would soon be blocked by the owner of the hotel below who planned to raise his building to the same height as the others! We presumed she wanted us to add our names to the petition, but with the next shower on the way we just didn't have time.

Another vicious shower got us drenched by the time we reached the higher roundabout, but the final climb and descent to the hostel was relatively dry. We were greeted by an Australian receptionist who wasn't quite up to speed with the latest YHA membership regulations: he wanted to charge the youngsters extra because they weren't YHA members, and he didn't believe Michael when he told him they were covered by the two adult membership cards. It was two days later before the matter was finally resolved with a call to head office!

We were allocated to an excellent twelve-bed dormitory on the top floor. Four of our youngsters were new to hostelling, and apparently Michael had neglected to remind them to bring a towel! When apologies had been made and the youngsters had discovered the location of the showers, Michael apologised again, this time to our two room-mates, for having to share a dorm with all these noisy children. To his surprise, one of them burst out laughing and said that we were the ones who would be suffering, as his friend was probably the world's worst snorer!

The youngsters coped well with the self-catering kitchen, managing quite successfully to boil the kettle and add the water to their pot noodles with only minimal assistance! Alex, who always seems to have a problem recognising healthy food, managed to buy 20 lollipop sweets from the hostel shop before Michael discovered what he was up to and closed off that particular avenue of unhealthiness!

There was high drama later in the evening when the youngsters saw a strange man enter our dormitory and lock the door. They were sure he was rummaging through our panniers, but suspicion turned to panic when they got the door code off the warden, went into the dorm and discovered that Michael's laptop was nowhere to be seen! They were sure they knew what had happened to it - until they found Michael and he told them it was hidden under his pillow! It turned out the warden had allocated two more people to our dorm without telling us.

The predicted heavy rain drenched everything outside while we enjoyed games of pool in the games room and Bomberman in the dorm. At 10.15 the youngsters discovered that Michael had the first episode of the new Doctor Who on his laptop - still there from our 2005 Easter tour - and from that moment up to bedtime Michael and Tao didn't hear a single peep from any of them!

Ashley reckoned this felt like a massive sleepover and all the youngsters were having a lot of fun, but when the time came to be quiet they all did their duty. During the night the snorer was a good as his word, one of the other two hostellers joined with him to make a duet, and Ben discovered that he had gone to bed with a wasp! He struggled manfully with it on his own without waking anyone but was sufficiently concerned to text his parents during one of his trips to the bathroom. Nearly all evidence has disappeared when they rang during breakfast to see if he was ok!

Morning dawned bright and breezy. We liked the sign outside the bike shed: "Don't even THINK of parking here" and took several photos around the impressive grounds. Everyone seemed much faster today, including Alex who was back to his usual form, and Hallam who completely vindicated Michael's decision to allow him to join the weekend trip for his first ever ride with us. The winds were stronger than yesterday but they were behind us, making everything a real breeze!

The ferryman couldn't help commenting "They're back again!" as we boarded the ferry for the return journey. After climbing the next hill however and starting out on the detour route to Polperro we saw a sign to the Polruan passenger ferry - we'll have to explore that one next time.

After a short climb and a minor incident where Ryan was forced into the verge by an inconsiderate driver, Tao proposed an alternative route through Lansallos that had a good deal more climbing than anyone really wanted. It was nevertheless a pretty village and we were soon enjoying the helter-skelter downhill to Polperro.

We stopped at the pasty shop for some very nice but very expensive pasties, including rhubarb apple and custard, steak, and banana and chocolate. Zac then insisted that we stop at the Chocolate Dream shop to look at the many ridiculously expensive chocolate treats before we pressed on to the harbour. Here there was sunshine, sea, boats, seagulls and seats - a perfect setting for lunch. Ryan's discarded piece of pasty led to two seagulls entertaining us for a full 5 minutes with their cat-and-dog chase around the harbour.

There was time to buy some fudge before we set off up the steep climb to the coast path. AS we neared the top and looked back at Polperro harbour Tao immediately recognised the view as the picture on the front of the Plymouth and Launceston OS map that we were using. By careful comparison he was able to tell us which houses had recently been extended or repainted!

The coast path to Talland Bay offered dramatic sea views and challenging off-road riding, although a few youngsters led by Ashley seemed to manage the final rocky downhill sections without too much difficulty. Michael had been letting word out about the forthcoming MOAH (Mother of All Hills) however, so there was some apprehension as we arrived at Talland Bay. In fact it didn't turn out to be so bad after all: it was no bigger than yesterday's hill out of Looe, and everyone was faster today.

So we got to ride down West Looe hill, and at the bottom we managed to persuade the owner of the Tasty Corner cafe to reopen just so that we could buy loads of his fabulous Knickerbocker Glory ice cream desserts. As Michael tucked into his, Tao noted with some amusement that the KBGs were listed in the menu under "Children's desserts".

The passenger ferry was not running today so the Lazy Brigade had to ride around the bridge. We retraced yesterday's route back to the cars, wishing we had time to go down to Looe beach which looked very inviting in the afternoon sunshine. Some took great pleasure in riding down the steps from Plaidy, and a challenging final track climb brought us back to the cars by 4.45. We repacked the bikes quickly and, remembering the delays on the Torpoint ferry last autumn, headed home via the Tamar Bridge.

This had turned out to be a remarkably exciting mid-winter adventure for everyone and a great introduction to hostelling for our four new hostellers. We're taking bookings now for our four-day Easter tour to Somerset, so get your booking in early before all the places are taken!

Fine spring sunshine greeted us for our first car-assisted day ride for 2007. Some last-minute bookings brought the total number of participants to nine, but with some careful packing we managed to fit all the bikes and all the riders into the two Volvo estates provided by Michael and Charles. The outward journey was made less cramped, however, when Alex's Dad kindly offered to take some riders.

We reached Steps Bridge car park at 11.15 to find no spaces whatsoever, but two people left while we unloaded the bikes. The youngsters noticed the youth hostel sign, pointing to the wooden chalet up in the woods that was once Steps Bridge youth hostel. We have made many visits there in the past, but sadly the hostel was closed by YHA last year.

Our ride began with the bridleway along the east bank of the river Teign through Cod Wood. Daffodils were growing everywhere, and the twists and turns of the path provided plenty of fun. There was then a short stretch of road to Clifford Bridge, where the first enormous red ants were noticed with some horror.

After a short chocolate break we continued along the opposite bank of the Teign along the track through Hitchcombe, Butterdon and Hore woods. Jordan and Dennis quickly found a red ants nest, and later kept the group waiting while they organised a game of "Manhunt" in the woods - otherwise known as Hide and Seek!

Fingle Bridge was reasonably busy. Zac seemed keen to abandon his packed lunch in favour of a visit to the attractive-looking restaurant by the river, but Michael encouraged everyone to press on with the steep climb to the Hunter's Path. The views were excellent during the climb, and even better when we reached the top, but the wind was significant as we settled down for lunch overlooking the steeply wooded Teign valley.

We followed the path to a viewpoint and then down past Castle Drogo. From the road we then joined the Fisherman's Path that leads back to Fingle Bridge beside the river. This was altogether more challenging, with more twists and climbs than the former.

For some of the youngsters one of the best features of the ride was the opportunity to meet so many dogs along the route. It seemed that every five minutes some new exciting breed would come along and get loads of attention from everyone, particularly Dennis! As we approached an incredibly steep flight of steps we were greeted by the best dog of the day, picking its way very carefully down the steps towards us. It got a very warm welcome when it reached the bottom!

Finally back at Fingle Bridge again we called in to the restaurant to enjoy drinks and light refreshments beside the river. Michael was somewhat surprised, therefore, when everyone flocked to his chocolate shop as soon as we left! Evidently toasted teacakes just don't hit the spot like chocolate!

To conclude a highly enjoyable ride we retraced our route back through the two woodland tracks to the cars.

Today, after weeks of unseasonably warm weather, the north wind moved in to make our March morning ride more challenging. An early shower drenched us with icy water and hailstones as we rode to Dean, and since Alex hadn't brought a coat (he had apparently left it at school) he decided to head home even though the sun was emerging as he left.

The rest of us tackled the climb past Nurston farm, where the dogs came out in force to greet us but thankfully were not in biting mood today. The cold wind made the climb harder, but eventually we reached the top where a horse rider warned us of the bitter winds on the open moor. Since Osian was out with us for his first ride in more than a year we decided to head to Skerraton Down instead of the intended Avon Dam.

When we had negotiated the narrow track and reached the gateway to the moor we stopped for a chocolate break and some respite from the strong headwind. The final climb to Skerraton Down was painful, both from the gorse bushes that seemed to block every path, and from the two short hail showers fired at us by the powerful wind.

The view from the top was indeed magnificent. We were turning away from the wind, and soon we were heading downhill with the wind and bright sunshine behind us. Dennis and Sam found a grassy bank for shelter before we tackled the descent to Cross Furzes and home. There were several cold fingers when we arrived at Crofters and everyone looked forward to an afternoon of computer games in the warmth of the clubroom.

Ashley had got it into his head today that the ride was going to be hard, so he just couldn't motivate himself to put any effort into the climb to Holne. It took us all morning to get to Venford, so after some debate we decided to change the destination from Dartmeet to Venford.

Suddenly Ashley was a confident cyclist again. We rode around the reservoir path to a secluded wooded lunch spot, and when everyone had finished lunch and conducting sword battles with sticks we continued to the road and headed back for the track through Hembury Woods. It was amusing to see Ashley cycle up the same hill that earlier he had walked!