The anticipated barbed wire fence and minefields at the entrance to the Lustleigh railway track did not, in fact, materialise. Instead we were greeted with a pleasantly gentle slope, completely free of obstructions. When the new road is completed the area will be far from peaceful, but at least some consideration has been given to the walkers and cyclists who like to enjoy the path.

The great adventure began shortly after departure from the Primrose cafe (it was a wonder that Budgie and Gary managed to climb the first hill after their tea-drinking competition). Firstly, however, Brett had to draw attention to himself by braking one of his brazed-on gear lever bosses, rendering his rear derailleur useless. He spent the rest of the day grumbling about the hills!

We took one of the footpaths that cross Lustleigh Cleave, discovering (when it was too late) that the area was overgrown with ferns and other tropical vegetation. The trek to the Nutcracker Stone would have involved leaving what there was of a path, so we decided to continue down the steep slopes to the river Bovey, gurgling noisily through the woods (the river that is).

An interesting footbridge, consisting of a slab of wood with a rail on one side, provided a useful crossing point when lunch and water fights had been completed to everyone's satisfaction. Then began the arduous ascent through Houndtor Wood to Becky Falls. Philip had a few problems with the gradient, as his shoes had very little tread on them - he seemed to slide back one step for every two steps he took forwards!

The final descent to the falls took us along forestry tracks and was particularly enjoyable. There was time for light refreshments at the cafe before continuing along a 'new' road from Manaton to Hound Tor: it was a bit narrow in places, so we had to go back when we met a large van. A very hot climb to the rocks themselves meant that another ice-cream stop was called for, but eventually we set off again for the return route via Cold East Cross.

Friday morning dawned with bright sunshine, and we were all looking forward to our first full day of cycling. Graham was waiting around, joking about how funny it would be if he had a puncture - then to his dismay he found he had one!
We set off along the lane leading northwards towards Lamb Hill fell. The scenery was different to anything we had seen before, characterised by dry limestone walls wherever we looked. This was true Dales countryside, exactly what we had come to see.

Just as we were climbing the last hill, near Tatham Fell, disaster struck: Michael Hall managed to break a crank. This was not good news, and a bike shop was needed urgently if the day was to be saved. Jeffery kindly volunteered to push Michael along on the climbs - it was indeed a comical sight - but fortunately it was mainly downhill now to the junction at Forest of Mewith.

Being a local lad, Michael knew of a good cycle shop in the town of Settle, so to avoid delaying the group he set off eastwards along the back lanes to Settle while the rest of us continued northwards to High Bentham, which offered a good selection of shops. Aidan bought some athlete's foot cream from the chemist, then we bought cakes from the bakery and spent some time and money in the cafe - the wealthy ones even bought lunch there.

Three more miles brought us to Ingleton, where another bakery provided lunch, then we rode the mile and a half up the hill to White Scar caves. This was a show cave, very cold inside (like call caves) and very impressive. We were told how the original founder of the caves had struggled through cramped and submerged passageways for months to get as far as we were standing.

When the cave tour was finished we ate lunch outside in the sunshine and then headed back through Ingleton and on to Clapham, where Michael Hall had planned to meet us at 3pm. He wasn't there yet, but we decided not to walk to Ingleborough cave and Gaping Gill (a wide open sinkhole where a river drops into a deep cave) as it was a long walk and there were no potholers around to show us the way.

It was on the way to Settle that Brett managed to cause an accident that broke Mark's front forks. We hobbled on towards Settle, meeting Michael Hall on the way. He showed us to the cycle shop, Settle Cycles, which fortunately turned out to be one of the best we had ever seen. We spent hours in there - if only we could have such well equipped shops in Devon! Michael bought a new derailleur and Mark got his new forks fitted for £17. Michael had to drag everyone out when the repairs had been effected, otherwise they would have spent all their money!

The hills from Settle towards Malham were steep and not exactly what we wanted at this time of day. Eventually, however, we reached Malham Tarn, a huge lake from which a stream emerges. The reason for coming this way despite being rather late was to investigate some words on the map: "Water sinks". We followed the stream about 100 metres from the road and, sure enough, the stream just disappeared into the river bed. It was actually going down into the Malham cave system, emerging a few miles away at Airehead Springs. Sink holes are one of the typical features of limestone scenery and we were pleased to have seen one for ourselves, even though some of the youngsters thought it wasn't the most exciting thing they had ever seen!

After our busy day it's not surprising that we were late for supper - again. At least we felt we had some reasonable excuses. David still hadn't joined us so the youngsters were fighting over who would eat his meals!

The evening was passed with some games and a discussion about Mark's forks: the youngsters thought it was unfair that either Mark or Brett should have to pay for them, as it would have left them short of money for the rest of the tour, so they unanimously agreed that everyone would make a contribution! Michael was very impressed.

Some dramatic thunderstorms made an interesting display overnight for those unable to sleep through them.

There was still thunder in the air as we crossed from our annexe dorm to the main building for breakfast, with heavy showers keeping everything wet. It was a little surprising therefore that the youngsters should engage in water fights as they got ready for departure. Jeff made a big mistake when he accidentally got Michael wet!

We weren't going to be deterred from visiting the interesting features of the area by the unpromising weather, so first stop was Malham Cove, a curved crag of limestone formed after the last ice age. Originally a river ran over the edge in a waterfall which, eating away the the centre part more than the sides, led to the curved shape. Now all the water sinks into the cave system farther back and emerges at the base of the cove. The water temperature is four degrees, and for some reason Graham and Matthew competed to see who could stay in the water longest. Judging by the rock climbers we saw, the sheer rock face is ideal for climbing. We noticed that the famous Pennine Way footpath passed right through the cove.

Next on our agenda was Gordale Scar, a dramatic limestone ravine just over a mile from Malham which also boasts two impressive waterfalls. A thunderstorm broke out just as we arrived, forcing us to take shelter under the rocks, and somehow we didn't then feel much like exploring. Matthew N and Aidan were determined to have some fun, however, and went for a dip in the frothing pool at the base of the larger waterfall. Needless to say, they didn't stay in long.

As soon as the rain stopped and the boys had dried off we set off up the hill for Mastiles Lane, a CTC recommended track that crosses Kilnsey moor. It turned out to be a kind of grassy road bounded either side by typical stone walls for much of the way. The overnight rains led to our first obstacle: a flood that stretched right across the path and offered no walking alternative. A number of us got wet feet, including Michael Hall who was even caught on camera. There were a few more boggy sections at the top of the hill, where Graham and Matthew had their usual fun, and the downhill section on the far side was quite rocky, but the views were excellent and all in all the track made a very interesting shortcut.

We reached tarmac again at Kilnsey Crag, a huge limestone cliff that actually overhangs the road. We found this quite interesting - but only for a few minutes: the rain started and showed no signs of wanting to stop. We raced the mile or so to the tiny village of Conistone, looked around desperately for shelter and ended up buying chocolate at the Post Office in order to have an excuse to stay inside. It was all rather pointless however, as the rain was just getting heavier. There was nothing else to do but accept the inevitable and continue with the ride.

Kettlewell looked like the kind of place that would have lots of cafes, and it was on our route, so we sped along the back lanes through the strengthening rain and scoured the village to find the best cafe for lunch. There was in fact only one, so we dived in, removed wet coats and settled down, feeling rather pleased with ourselves. When we came to order however we were informed that they don't serve meals on Saturdays! Great! And so it was that we spent an hour in the cafe eating nothing but toasted teacakes and crumpets. It was better than being outside in the rain though - and the hot chocolate was actually very good value for money.

We had planned to take the lane route to Aysgarth through Horsehouse, but in view of the appalling weather we opted for the main road, which was reasonably flat. Graham tried being clever by pushing Brett along while riding but ended up knocking them both off. What they couldn't understand was how Michael seemed to know about it even though he wasn't near them at the time! Fortunately, Michael has his spies in the group!

When we had climbed the final hill to the village we saw the hostel immediately. It didn't look much, located as it was right beside the main road, but it was excellent inside, with good showers and small dorms.

After a good meal there were, incredibly, more water fights, although this time Jeff seemed the main target. We then walked down to Aysgarth Falls during the evening. They were indeed spectacular today, more because of the huge volume of water than the depth of fall. The water was a kind of brown colour, but we couldn't understand why.

On return to the hostel Michael was not at all pleased when the hostel phone took 53p of his money without once connecting his call. And the youngsters argued over what David would be having for breakfast (he still hadn't joined us).

The information centre at Aysgarth is not far from the falls, and since the rain was falling again we thought that a browse around its interesting posters, information sheets and postcards would not be a bad idea. Matthew bought several posters and the staff kindly packed them into a waterproof tube with several layers of polythene bags - he looked quite funny cycling along with the tube on his bike!

We followed quiet (but wet) lanes along Wensleydale to Askrigg with the intention of stopping at a cafe, and were rewarded with the best cafe of the tour. Just the descriptions on the menu were mouth-watering: "Toasted waffles oozing with thick syrup and topped with fresh whipped cream" for example! The decor was pleasing and prices very reasonable. When we emerged the rain had turned more showery but was still not ideal for cycling, so the shop next door to the cafe provided further entertainment. Matthew saw maps for sale at lower prices than he'd previously seen, and Brett bought himself some fluffy toy creature. But then, Brett buys a fluffy toy creature on every tour!

Another few miles of riding brought us to Hawes, and since it was still raining we went in search of cafes again for lunch. We ended up splitting across two cafes. Matthew felt pleased with himself when he ordered three sandwiches and was brought three platefuls of sandwiches. He wasn't quite so happy when he got the bill though - £3.50!

Hardraw Force waterfall, just a couple of miles from Hawes, was to be our main attraction today. Entrance was just 10p and it turned out to be very impressive despite the slight drizzle. Well of course there was twice as much drizzle near the falls, so the weather didn't really matter at all. We could actually walk behind this waterfall, allowing us to fully appreciate the huge power of the water - which was still a funny colour by the way. On the way back we had plenty of fun on the tarzan rope, swinging out over the raging river!

On the way back to Hawes we passed a delightful riverside spot at Appersett that for some reason proved too tempting for some members of our group, determined to have a swim even if the weather wasn't that great. We pointed out the colour of the river, reminded them that it was called the river Ure and that it got here through Widdle-Dale (Widdale actually, but our version sounded more appropriate), but still they went in. The sensible ones watched from the bank with great amusement.

Returning to Hawes, Michael H bought his tube of travel laundry-washing cream and then we set off up the B-road through Widdale. This was a long drag and took us past several spooky-looking deserted houses, but at least the rain seemed to have cleared up. We took the right turn at the top of the hill for Dentdale and quickly found ourselves confronted with an impressive viaduct that now forms part of the Settle to Carlisle steam railway. There was a train enthusiast poised with his camera so Steve and Michael J, who both like trains, decided to wait as well. It wasn't long before the anticipated train arrived and we all got a photo of it on the viaduct. It was only a diesel today, but it still made an impressive sight.

Dentdale itself is generally considered the most unspoilt of all the dales, and it certainly felt very special as we descended through tree-lined lanes to the hostel. Perhaps it wasn't surprising therefore that Dentdale youth hostel turned out to be the best of the tour in almost every respect: it was in a quiet, secluded location with its own grounds, there was a 2-metre waterfall nearby, the meals were excellent and our dormitory was very cosy. When the youngsters had finished playing in the waterfall we settled into our dormitory for some enjoyable games of liar dice.

David was finally feeling well enough to join the tour, and he arrived during the evening with his father. Now at last our group was complete. We kept our dorm window wide open during the night: the strong wind outside ensured that everyone slept soundly.