Tao had come up with a 27-mile route for today’s ride which started by taking us around Ashburton. George had a problem with his rear hub at Bickington which took John and Gavin a few minutes to repair, but we were soon heading on again through Blackpool.

Our first section of off-road involved taking the track through Liverton’s Great Plantation to Heathfield. Tao then took us through some link paths to the Templer Way cycle path, only completed last year as a pleasant cycle route between Bovey Tracey and Newton Abbot. We had all seen the new cycle bridge over the A38 but had never ridden over it.

The route on the Newton Abbot side of the bridge was quiet and leafy all the way, taking us first past the point at Ventiford where the old Granite Tramway from Haytor meets the now disused Stover Canal. It was not hard to imagine the horse-drawn carriages unloading their Haytor granite onto barges for transportation to London.

The MT Tums outdoor café at Teigngrace was closed today but we had other plans for lunch in any event, continuing on to Newton Abbot and taking the cycle routes through to Costa in the town centre. Here we split into three groups, with Tao and Gavin buying lunch at Asda, John and George from Subway and the rest at Costa. We finished off with Asda donuts provided by Michael.

The next stage of Tao’s route involved the track past Bradly Manor which turned rather muddy near the gates and styles. We washed off the worst of the mud in the river and then pressed on up the hill to East Ogwell. The sun was bright and everyone was feeling great so we extended the ride by three miles with a detour through Ipplepen, returning via Staverton by around 4.10. Many thanks to Tao for coming up with such an interesting route, and well done to everyone for completing the ride effortlessly.

With heavy rain forecast all day we opted for badminton today at Ashmoor Recreation Centre, Ashburton. Michael tried out his new high-resolution Nikon camera and found that it could indeed take good indoor photos without flash. We'll be posting higher-resolution versions of the photos on our website from now on.

There were the usual computer games at Crofters before and after the badminton.

We made good speed to Ashburton but Jude felt a bit ill on the climb of Ausewell Hill. He improved after a good rest however so we proceeded as planned through Buckland in the Moor and arrived at Widecombe by 12:25.

The wood-burner in the Café on the Green was very welcome on such a cold morning, giving us the opportunity to thaw out chilled toes and fingers. Prices seemed even more extortionate than we remembered from last year, but there was certainly no shortage of customers.

Gavin needed to meet his family at Parke, Bovey Tracey at 2pm so he set off up Widecombe Hill at 1.15 while the rest of us returned home via Ponsworthy, Leusdon, Spitchwick and Gallant Le Bower. Jude was back to his normal speed after the refreshment stop so we got home in good time by 2.45.

Having ridden along Colston Road to Dartington and then taken the cycle path to Totnes, John got a text from home saying he needed to return for an afternoon family outing. He wasn't going to be done out of his visit to the Totnes Food Market however, so we all went there to get some tasty hot snacks for lunch, Michael and Dillan calling in to Morrisons on the way to pick up some jam donuts.

By way of a change, and to ensure John got home by the required time, we returned via Plymouth Road and the back of Rattery at a very good pace.

We've been planning to do a longer ride for some time now, and we've also been wanting to do a ride to Slapton for just as long. Today the weather was good and everyone was prepared so we decided to go for it, following the easiest route via Rattery and Moreleigh. Will had to turn back at Red Post for a family commitment but the rest of us made excellent progress and arrived at Torcross at 1.05.

The Boathouse Restaurant reopened last year after its devastating fire and both George and Dillan were intent on eating there. First, however, we had to visit the local stores so the rest of us could buy some slightly cheaper snacks to eat by the Ley, the usual array of wildfowl keeping a close eye on us. Back at the Boathouse we had to wait a while for the chicken breast burgers to arrive but they turned out to be excellent quality. The rest of us either had coffee and cake or just enjoyed the warm environment, offering useful respite from the chilly wind that had been building throughout the morning.

Lawrence had joined us today for his first ride since last summer’s tour, and he used his time on the beach to demonstrate his skimming skills. After a quick look around the memorial tank we started on the long road home, following a similar route but hampered this time by a chilly headwind and some unfriendly climbs. All this took its toll and after a couple of snack breaks we finally arrived home just before 6pm.

Jude was ill today, the weather was not particularly inviting and John needed to be back by lunchtime, so we decided on a short ride up to Cross Furzes, down through Combe and on the Scoriton where Leo surprised us all by being outside. After a few photos we continued on through Michelcombe to the café at Holne where we stopped for a very enjoyable range of soups and toasties.

The youngsters were not particularly keen on off-road riding today so we returned via Hembury Hill.

With a plan in mind of a 24-mile ride via Bovey Tracey and Haytor we set out along the old Ashburton road, meeting Gavin on his way back from a training ride. He decided to ride with us out to Caton before heading back for a Mother’s Day meal, but now Jude was feeling a bit ill and needed a rest. After ten minutes he said he was fine again, so we pressed on through Bickington and Blackpool, offering him a couple of options for shortening the ride which he repeatedly rejected.

By the time we reached Cummings Cross at Liverton he was feeling ill again, and after a long rest on the bench he decided it would be best to divert the ride back through his home town of Ilsington. This gave us an opportunity to ride lanes we rarely use, although the steep climb through the woods to the village was challenging. John stopped on the way up for a call of nature, and when he took more than ten minutes to re-join us at the top Dillan surmised, cheekily, that it was probably due to his age! The truth, of course, was far less colourful – a phone call from home about a certain son not pulling his weight on Mother’s Day!

We arrived at Ilsington village shop just before 1pm as Jude’s mother was about to close the store. The shop offers coffee and cakes as well as the usual provisions, and Sue very kindly took pity on us and kept the shop open so we could buy some very tasty refreshments and eat them on the table outside.

Jude went home to recover while the rest of us continued on through the village and down through the delightful lanes of Sigford to Ashburton and home.

On a wonderful sunny morning five of us rode along Colston Road to Staverton Bridge where the river was high and spring was bursting out everywhere. The riverside path towards the island was busy with walkers today so we only stopped long enough for a photo before crossing the steam railway line and heading back to the Hill House nursery at Landscove. Here Neil and Phil (Michael’s cousin) had arranged to meet us for refreshments, and they had already secured the sunniest spot in the garden.

We whiled away a very enjoyable hour chatting over our drinks and food, with nothing spoiling the idyllic surroundings except perhaps a few too many rooks in the enormous fir trees. When all had been said that had to be said Jude decided we should follow Michael’s optional detour on the way home via the track from Higher Penn. The first part, down the edge of the field, turned out to be very muddy in places, and whilst the woodland section was tranquil and scenic John decided Michael’s name should still be Mud for the afternoon.

We returned home by 2.20 and ended the ride there as Michael was busy with his relative during the afternoon.

Today was the hottest day of the year so far, with temperatures reaching 24 degrees at one point. With Tao joining us it seemed like a great day to visit Fermoys garden centre at Ipplepen, so we headed out via Caddaford and Staverton. Tao came up with what he thought was a clever detour as we rode through Ipplepen, via Dornafield Road, but it just added half a mile and a few extra metres of climb!

Arriving at 12.10 we settled in the garden area outside to enjoy good drinks and tuna Paninis which George rated nine out of ten. Then when Tao had finished checking out the herb seeds we left at 13.10 and returned along Tao’s preferred route, via the Rising Sun and Ashburton. Along the way we came across a junction that boasted no fewer than 34 manhole covers, at Bramble Oak Cross near Denbury.

To conclude an excellent ride we returned along the railway path and the old Ashburton road, getting home for 2.45. This suited John just fine as he had to be back for 3pm to prepare fish and chips for a special train from Buckfastleigh station.

Our 2017 Easter Tour began at Totnes station at 9.30. The train was on time at 10.07 and the bikes spaces were available as booked, so the journey to Liskeard went without a hitch. The Stoke area of Plymouth looked rather depressing from the train but the Tamar Bridge made up for that with impressive views up and down the river. From our vantage point on the train we could see just how dangerous it was for the people working on the road bridge.

We arrived on time at Liskeard just after 11am and then followed an interesting route to Golitha Falls that avoided the hills we had encountered on our last tour to the area. We stopped for a moment at Drayne’s Bridge, near the Falls, to explore the nature reserve by the river and to check out the new café in the car park – it looked very interesting, but we had already told ourselves not to stop until we reached Bolventor.

The quiet road to the centre of Bodmin Moor followed the River Fowey all the way to Bolventor, so it wasn’t too challenging. By the time we reached Bolventor at 1.05, however, we were all ready for lunch. But we had that covered, as lunch was waiting for us in the Jamaica Inn.

The Jamaica Inn, dating back to 1750, was made famous by the Daphne Du Maurier smuggling books and the subsequent Hitchcock movie. It’s not as remote as it used to be these days, with the A30 passing quite close, but it retains all the original character both inside and out. The food was exceptional, with large portions and as many vegetables as you could fit on your plate for £8.95. We made good use of the opportunity and finished with some games of darts.

We left soon after 2pm but had only gone a mile when Dillan realised he had left his new gloves at the Inn. We waited by the A30 while he rode back to get them in double quick time and we soon on our way again, eager to get off the busy dual carriageway as soon as possible.

Many place names in Cornwall begin with the letter Tre, and now we started seeing plenty of them in every direction. Approaching Altarnun there was Trewint, Tresmaine and Tredaule, then after photos on the bridge there was Trekennick, Trelawnym, Trelyn and Trecollas. We thought it must get quite confusing for those living here. We almost missed an impressive, well-camouflaged treehouse up in the trees at Trekennick.

Near Tresmeake we thought we would try out a promising-looking shortcut recommended by Google Maps. Unfortunately it turned very muddy and overgrown once we got around the first corner, so after bad experiences in the Lake District last year we decided to retrace our steps and take the road instead.

We continued the long, gradual climb on to Davidstow Moor, noticing wind farms in every direction that were taking advantage of the strong winds for which the area is famous. Once we reached the Moor itself the wind was very powerful and very chilling, making the ride past the old disused airfield rather unpleasant. At the far side we stopped briefly at the RAF museum, sadly closed until the coming weekend. Just a little farther along was the Dairy Crest factory with numerous Cathedral City lorries parked outside.

The last few miles to Tintagel were tiring after a long day, especially as we were racing against the clock to reach Granny Wobbly’s Fudge Pantry before it closed at 5.30. We arrived just after closing time but fortunately the proprietor was very willing to open his doors so we could buy a selection of fudges and ice creams.

Those who had not brought provisions for supper called in at the local supermarket, then we headed down the main street towards the hostel. Michael, who was looking out for his cousin who had arranged to meet us later at the hostel, was certain he saw her walking up the street, but when she looked at him blankly he assumed she must have just been a pretty good look-alike!

The hostel is situated a mile out of the village, nestled into the top of a cliff overlooking the sea. It really is a prime location and it was great to return again to what has to be one of our favourite hostels. The interior had been extensively refurbished since our last visit, including new washrooms and showers, but Michael and John were not too impressed with the hot water store which seemed to have only been sufficient for the youngsters’ showers!

Michael’s cousin and her friends arrived at 6.30 as planned, apologising for not recognising him earlier. They had brought some packed food and kept out of the kitchen area, but the volunteer warden still didn’t seem too happy about them being here. We had a good chat, then at 9.00 when they were ready to leave he seemed very pleased. We don’t often entertain visitors at hostels, but they really weren’t affecting anyone.

Sadly it was too late for a walk to Tintagel Castle, but John and George had already seen it on a previous visit to the area.