Most people sleep at night, particularly after a day of cycling. There is usually an exception to the rule, however, and on this occasion it was Lee, who entertained everyone all night by throwing his blankets on the floor from his top bunk and then shivering loudly until Laurence threw them back up again. To top it all, he got dressed at 5.30am and wandered downstairs to watch tv! Clearly nobody had told him that wardens don't approve of such behaviour.

After an orderly breakfast and some doorstep photographs (some taken by our new friend Michael Stringer from Launceston) we set off into the morning. And what a morning it was. The sunshine and temperatures were enough to convince anyone that spring was here, and the abundance of primroses and snowdrops seemed to prove the point beyond doubt. The Torridge estuary formed a delightful backdrop during our descent to the village, with boats glinting in the sunshine and Appledore rising up behind.

North Devon Section had kindly agreed to meet us this morning to guide us around their territory. A few were waiting for us as we arrived; when the others turned up there were twenty five cyclists in the group. North Devon Section are all adults at present, so we had plenty of variety in the final group.

We took the cycle path back to Barnstaple - much easier now without the headwind - and then followed our friends to the fabulous St. John's garden centre near Newport. No, we hadn't all turned into gardening fanatics overnight. The centre boasted a superb cafe facility, situated to the rear of the retail area and surrounded by plants of all descriptions. This had to count as one of the nicest environments for a cafe. To make things better, the food was good and the prices were excellent.

Craig used the garden centre to good effect by buying a pair of gardening gloves. He had left his cycling gloves at home and had been suffering all morning from cold hands.

The lanes through Herner offered delightful scenery as they followed the river Taw towards Umberleigh. When Laurence broke a brake cable near Hawkridge the proposed extension route was abandoned, the group descending instead past Hoe farm to Umberleigh station. Mark couldn't help noticing the lambs "gambolling in the meadows".

Lunch was enjoyed in continuing sunshine at the station. We were early enough to see our homeward train on its outward journey to Barnstaple - and fortunately it consisted of two DMUs linked together, with two guard's vans. We were able to warn the guard, so he was ready for us when he returned.

Saying goodbye to our Barnstaple friends we settled down to enjoy the ride to Exeter. The train was so comfortable that some were sent to sleep - except those in the forward carriage who were entertained by a young gentleman wandering around bottomless (not one of our group I hasten to add).

I'm not sure whose idea it was to use the lifts at Exeter station, but it took a lot longer than carrying the bikes over the footbridge. To make matters worse, the lift could only accommodate about four bikes at a time. It was definitely more fun though. As the doors closed on the innocent cyclists, those queuing outside could here the gas filling the chamber. When the doors opened a few minutes later, the cyclists were gone ..

The next train back to Newton was not due for three hours, so the group elected to make the most of the good weather and cycle home. The route took us along Cowick street to Ide before depositing us at the bottom of Dunchideock Hill. This climb felt like mount Everest to some members. It was during the final ascent that Craig broke his rear derailleur. He said he was "just cycling along normally and it broke", getting itself caught firmly in the spokes of his wheel. There was nothing else to do except remove the offending item, shortening the chain so that he could ride the bike home in mid-range gears.

Everyone got home safely. Michael took Lee and Eugene home by car from Buckfastleigh to Totnes as it was getting rather late. And so it was that a great weekend came to an end. It had been a little tiring, but I'm sure everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

Andrew's quiz had nothing whatsoever to do with cycling, but provided plenty of harmless entertainment.

The outside thermometer read -2 degrees, so caution was needed early on, looking out for icy patches. Richard's start from Buckfastleigh was delayed for a few minutes to provide toolkit assistance to some passing riders, then we met up in Totnes with Michael, who had led the start from Marldon. With eighteen of us ready to go, there came a slight delay to replace Paul's frayed brake cable. At least he had a spare cable, even if it did still have a nipple at both ends.

On to Dittisham via Bow, and people were getting ready for lunch. They were disappointed as Michael directed us up the steep (double arrow) road to Bozomzeal Cross. The rather interesting track past Hole Farm prompted a mixture of comments: it was either delightful or Michael's name was mud. After lunch here we washed our bikes in Old Mill Creek, where Martyn insisted on amusing the rest of us by falling over in the water. The stiff climb up to Dartmouth itself warmed everyone up again, however, and we decided to visit the castle before the cafe (such momentous decisions are the stuff of cycling.) Tea was at the Spinning Wheel, where some had to wait outside until seats were available. It's worth noting that this cafe is open 10 - 6 every day of the year.

After the Higher Ferry and the long steady climb to Hillhead, the front riders missed the turn for Galmpton, so we split up just before Tweenaways instead. As darkness fell it began to get quite cold, but having had glorious sunshine all day we certainly weren't complaining.

More attendance records were broken today for our bimonthly excursion to the Broadhempston area. Bradley proved to be an unattainable destination for the Buckfastleigh starters, so Richard and Andrew were despatched to bring the Marldon masses back to Denbury, where everyone eventually congregated on the Green. Nick Buchanan, who teaches at Denbury Primary School and had been looking forward to his first afternoon ride that did NOT go to Denbury, was a little disappointed.

The enormous group meandered across to Broadhempston before the various factions returned to their respective regions.

Gears was the topic this evening, including ratios, mechs and upgrades, with contributions from all quarters.

Three of our Totnes lads failed to arrive at the Buckfastleigh start, so Martin went off to investigate in his car. They were eventually discovered near Dartington, apparently delayed by a dog that ran off as they were about to leave home. They certainly wouldn't have met up with us without Martin's help.

Paignton and Newton Abbot starters were somewhat late at the Bovey pick-up, but eventually we set off along the railway path towards Lustleigh's Primrose Cafe. Rohan wasn't too amused with the stony track when various pieces of his bike detached themselves and fell off.

A long and comfortable stop at the Primrose, with 10% discount all round, ensured an impressive selection of high marks on the voting form. When everyone had finished we followed the B road along the delightful Wrey valley, having opportunities to enjoy the scenery because of a few chain problems along the way. Eventually we reached the destination, settling beside the ford for a well-earned lunch just as the only shower of the day obscured the sunshine. Paul HW seemed determined to get thoroughly wet, however, falling into the icy water as soon as he arrived.

When the time came to leave, the huge muddy lake that covered the exit track caused a few headaches. Some pushed their bikes along the high grassy bank to the left, brushing with brambles along the way, and some cycled through in a line, only to be stopped in the middle when the front rider stopped at the other end. A good few managed to ride through without mishap, however, although there were a couple of punctures to fix by the time we reached the road.

The banks of the river Bovey were adorned with Snowdrops. It really was a fabulous day to be out on a bike. John spotted the impressive Manor House Hotel as we climbed the steep hill towards Canna Park, and everyone commented on the sad state of Old Yard Farm, the former home of cyclist and rocking-horse manufacturer Tim Reep which burnt to the ground many years ago.

More punctures delayed us as we returned to Hemsworthy Gate via Jay's Grave. The Newton contingent caught some drama at Haytor: a lady had severely damaged her back on top of Haytor and a helicopter was winching her to safety with an ambulance standing by.

A huge proportion of the youngsters seemed to end up at Crofters today, consuming Michael's supply of fruit juice and biscuits for the entire week. Then, just after the Totnes brigade had set off for home, they got a puncture. You will see from our write-ups that we don't normally get this many punctures, but wet roads often increase the risk.

Jenny Quick was unable to do the Marldon and Totnes starts today, so Michael covered them by car. There were no convenient street parking places at Totnes so he paid the huge sum of £1 to leave it in a car park for the day.

The weather prospects were very poor for the afternoon, so Bantham Sands didn't seem a particularly brilliant idea. The group decided unanimously to shorten the ride, so we took the lanes to Marley Head, Bloody Pool and Gidleigh Bridge, the latter proving an ideal spot for lunch. Today it was Dayle's turn to get wet feet instead of Paul, whose efforts in packing spare socks and shoes were wasted.

We reached Crofters with perfect timing, just as the rain arrived. General entertainment was provided for the whole afternoon.

Michael felt quite pleased with his day until he arrived back at Totnes to collect his car. A notice by the meter said "Charging periods Monday to Saturday, 8am-6pm; no charge Sunday".

The warm and friendly environment provided by the Lakeman household made this a thoroughly enjoyable evening. Trivial Pursuit was the major attraction.

Someone was being optimistic when they chose Ponsworthy as the destination for this afternoon ride. No-one really expected to get there, but in the event we got quite close.

The outward route was through Hembury Woods (just to make everyone happy), with half the group taking the track alternative to Hembury's enormous hill. Edward seemed to regret it afterwards, as it was a bit muddier than usual, but the rest seemed happy enough.

When we arrived at Spitchwick it was decision time: should we try for the destination or take a shorter route home? Since all present were performing well in the mild weather we decided to go on, tackling the second enormous hill of the day through Leusdon. There were some complaints from the rear of the group, it proving necessary to stop at Lesudon Lodge for refreshments to spur them on to the top.

Time was definitely pressing on arrival at Leusdon Common. We were just a stone's throw away from Ponsworthy, but the descent of another hill would have brought us home after dark. Richard took half the group back to New Bridge along the (now famous) Dr Blackall's Drive whilst Michael took the others straight down Poundsgate Hill.

The return via Peartree was punctuated by a broken rear axle (Martin's) and the delayed return of the energetic bunch, but at least we got home before darkness fell. Hopefully everyone found something of interest in this varied ride.