EVENT UPGRADE IN PROGRESS

On Day 1 we will be taking train or car from Buckfastleigh to Taunton and then cycling towards West Bagborough. We'll then climb up onto the Quantock Hills and ride all the way along the ridge where there are some excellent off-road tracks.

Eventually you will return to the coast at the attractive fishing village of Watchet where we will stop for refreshments, then you'll ride past the impressive Dunster Castle to the excellent hostel at Minehead.

EVENT UPGRADE IN PROGRESS

On Day 2 you will stock up with food in the busy town of Minehead, then climb North Hill which offers superb views of the coast. An interesting track will take you down through the woods to the National Trust village of Selworthy, then some more lanes and tracks will bring you to Allerford where you can try your luck at riding through the stream if you dare.

To conclude the day you will climb onto Exmoor and follow moorland roads to Exford youth hostel, now run by the nearby hotel since it was sold by YHA in February 2015. It's a great hostel located in the centre of this delightful moorland village.

Day 3 will involve riding across Exmoor through Simonsbath, where there will be some refreshments at a local café. You'll ride onwards to Blackmore Gate, then you'll head to the coast at Hunter's Inn. From there a fabulous coastal path will take you right around the headland offering you some of the best views on the tour.

Next stop is Valley of the Rocks, and then a final stretch of coastal path will take you to the town of Lynton, famous for its very steep railway that connects the town to Lynmouth far below. We'll hopefully be staying in a very attractive guest house.

For your final day you will ride from Lynton back up to Blackmore Gate and then take the fairly easy downhill main road into Barnstaple. There may be time for pizza hut before we take the trains back to Exeter and home.

With everyone in fine form after our recent tour we took the Silver Street route to Scoriton and the café at Holne where a new coffee machine had taken residence. Also visiting the café was an Ashburton mother and son on a child-back tandem, equipped with Carradice bar bag and saddlebag. As they were leaving we noticed that the saddlebag had been cleverly adapted to carry the family dog, who seemed quite happy to have the bag closed around him.

Michael had guests for the weekend so we needed to be home for lunch, but our entusiastic youngsters voted to return via the steep climb from Combe to Cross Furzes and of course rode the hill with ease.

Our progress to Fermoy's was impeded by various events. First, Dillan's chain broke at the bottom of Green Lane. Michael fixed it but it broke again in a different place a few minutes later. The cause turned out to be a broken front derailleur that kept catching the chain and pulling it apart, but once that was straightened the chain didn't break again.

On the way past Abham we encountered a fallen tree that perfectly blocked the whole lane. There were no warning signs so we guessed it must have been an overnight fall. The process of negotiating the branches on the left was a little tricky but we eventually got through and headed onwards via Staverton. By way of a change we took the Newhouse Barton lane from Fishacre Barton to Ipplepen: apart from temporarily losing John and Will at a double turn it definitely felt like an easier route than the usual.

Fermoy's must have been busy today because they took 30 minutes to deliver Michael's toasted teacake and 40 minutes to supply John and Will with their bacon meals. Dillan was not unhappy however as he had longer to savour his delicious chocolate flake cheesecake.

John needed to be home by 3 so after returning to Broadhempston via Denbury we split into two groups: John and Will went home via the direct route to Green Lane while Dillan and Michael took the Beaston Track, this time in the downward direction, and then returned via Landscove.

Several of our members inexplicably missed out on this memorable exploration of the Grand Western Canal, but their absence just made the task of packing bikes into the car much easier than it would have been.

The day started at the Tiverton end of the canal at 11.30, where a visitor centre and café welcomed us. Without the photographs showing the “navvies” digging the canal by hand with only shovels and barrows to help them it would have been hard to believe it could have been built in such a way.

The whole canal was alive with ducks, moorhens, swans and fish, giving us plenty to look at as we rode the first section to Sampford Peverell. Here we diverted from the canal to check out the local Spar, but the absence of hot food made us glad we had brought our own lunches. We rode a little further along the canal to a secluded seat which made a suitable venue for lunch, although a chill wind encouraged us to dress warmly.

We pressed on to the current end of the canal at Lowdwells Lock, although we could see that the canal once continued all the way to Taunton. We had covered nearly 12 miles from the start, flat all the way but still quite tiring because of the mild headwind. The return journey however was swift and easy, encouraging Dillan to race to every bridge – nobody else was racing, but he was definitely fast and seemed to enjoy awarding himself first place every time!

As we neared Tiverton we were rewarded with the sight of the horse-drawn Tivertonian tourist barge turning in the canal in preparation for its return journey. The magnificent Shire horse was temporarily released from his duties so he could enjoy a snack break in the bushes.

On reaching Tiverton again we couldn’t resist trying out the Canal Café: the scones and drinks were reasonably priced and the garden setting made a perfect end to a very special ride.