Mamhead is a small parish on the massive east flank of the Haldon Hills, which rise to over 250m. Mamhead Park is exceedingly beautiful, with many noble trees, and views over a luxuriant landscape to the sea. It was Thomas Ball, then owner of the estate, who erected the obelisk on the hill above the house in 1743. Its purpose was to provide a landmark for vessels using the port of Exeter, or any others who might be driven onto the coast. The area provided an interesting but chilly lunch spot for us: Martin and Dayle had no intention of freezing, however, when they could be riding around the many tracks that crossed the surrounding woodland.

Dayle was on his new mountain bike today, and rumours were circulating that he was shaping up to be another Budgie - keeping both himself and his bike ultra clean, even after the muddiest of rides. Budgie listened to the conversations, but said nothing as he munched on Martin's Ice Gems.

There was disappointment all round when the proposed afternoon tracks were found to be closed. There was now no doubting everyone's desire to get to a cafe, so a route was selected that brought us eventually to Bovey Tracey. (I say eventually because Phillip's chain broke on the top of Haldon.) Along the way we paused briefly in the peaceful village of Trusham - not so peaceful when our youngsters carried out some tests on the wooden playground apparatus. They made so much noise in that quiet place that a local youngster came along to join in the fun. The verdict was that Trusham playpark was better than Buckfastleigh's equivalent.

When Hazel had finished musing over how things might have been if she had bought the house in Trusham a number of years ago, and Dave Robinson had completed his assessment of the village (he was very taken with it) we proceeded to the Brookside Tearooms for some well earned warmth and refreshments. The old lady in the cafe took an obvious shine to the younger members, and gave them special treatment. She even helped them as they got onto their hands and knees looking for Luke K's 50p which he assured us he had dropped - he later found it in his pocket and put on the appearance of surprise!

The air seemed warmer as we rode homewards, but it probably wasn't. For once we had plenty of time to enjoy the return, even exploring some interesting lanes along the way. New rider Phillip Harler had coped well with the ride, and probably hadn't really needed the morning lift to Gappah after all.

And so we reached the end of a thoroughly enjoyable midwinter ride; not too long, but with some interesting locations. One final point: the Observation Award for today's ride goes to Alan Skinner. As we arrived at the Waddon Brakes section of the A380 near Beggars' Bush, he asked why cars were overtaking around a right-hand bend when they obviously couldn't see if the road was clear. The answer, of course, was that the road is in fact one-way, being the Exeter-bound section of a dual-carriageway. It is one of the few places where the two carriageways are completely separated.

We were honoured that young Christopher Giles chose to join us on his birthday, but disappointed at the otherwise low turnout. This was partly a result of the flu epidemic that was sweeping the country, and partly (I'm sorry to say) because the social was at Paignton.

Those who took the trouble to attend witnessed a full demonstration of bearing removal and maintenance. Many thanks to the Jago household for putting up with us all.

Luke Hatherly was not pleased. He had braved cold showers and a stiff headwind to reach the Newton Abbot pick-up with Mike Giles and Martyn Williams, and now he had a puncture. If he had been hoping for some moral support from the Paignton contingent, he was disappointed. Oh yes, they arrived all right, but in a car! Dave Humphreys' car! And they hadn't even brought their bikes. They waited just long enough to see him remove his wheel and then carried on to Bickington without them.

A lot of members chose to travel to Leusdon Lodge by car, some because they had flu and others because they had heard the bad weather forecast. Even so, there were plenty of people at Bickington waiting for the Totnes group. Included among them were Hazel and Erica Brown, who were convinced they had booked a meal and paid for it when in fact they had not. This wouldn't have been a problem last year, but today the large dining room would be filled to capacity.

When Luke and co hadn't arrived by 11.30 we had to abandon them to their fate or we would not have reached Leusdon by lunch time. The Paignton Car Riders Club agreed to direct them along our chosen route when they eventually arrived and then go on to Leusdon to attempt a booking for Hazel and Erica. Mike Giles would be able to navigate, and we hoped they would catch us up before very long.

The journey was not uneventful. Michael had a blowout in his Nutrak Marathon Beltguard tyre on the way to Cold East Cross. He managed to patch it up quite quickly and soon caught up with the others, but he vowed never to buy Nutrak again. The sunny periods often gave way to some brutal, icy showers which almost proved too much for young Anthony Davis. Nevertheless, we arrived at Leusdon spot on time at 1.15pm and were soon settled into the dining room enjoying some delicious meals. Mike, Luke, Martyn and Martin arrived just as we were tucking into our first course, so they didn't miss much.

It was indeed a grand occasion. All previous South Dartmoor attendance records for Christmas Lunch rides were smashed with a 60% increase. Conditions were somewhat cramped however: there was a certain amount of seat changing during the meal, with some taking turns at sitting on the window ledges. But the meal offered excellent value at just £137.20, and we are as usual extremely grateful to the proprietors. Let us hope that the Section doesn't grow any more before next year, so that we can use Leusdon once again.

When the trophies and certificates had been awarded and all announcements had been made, it was time to set off for home. Richard Hopper led an enthusiastic bunch of trackers along Dr Blackall's Drive, whilst Michael took the younger members directly homewards. Typically, Michael's group ended up taking longer than Richard's, because they got four punctures between them. We always seem to get punctures when conditions are dark, cold and wet and everyone wants to get home! The youngsters coped well, however, and deserve every praise for riding to this very special event.

The Met Office had promised heavy rain before 9am for our Christmas Eve ride - disappointing, because many members were taking up Michael's challenge to provide the best-decorated bike. When no rain had arrived by 10am we (foolishly) decided to push on to the Totnes pick-up to meet the Paignton contingent.

The decorations were assessed at Totnes. It was immediately clear that Ken, Julie and family would have to be the clear winners: Mum and Dad wore Father and Mother Christmas outfits whilst Ben, Roxanne and Karina were dressed as gnomes, complete with red pointed hats! Special awards went to Martin Hills for his enormous tinsel Christmas tree (which was blown off at Huxham's Cross), David and Chris Platt for their well-decorated bikes (they even had tinsel halos!) and Alan Skinner for his mini Father Christmas in a mini bed on his pannier rack. Luke and Marcus Kudliskis and Matthew Jago also deserve a mention for their more conventional efforts.

Sadly (but predictably), now that we were at our farthest point from home, the first drops of rain began to fall. Once Julie's puncture had been repaired we sped back to Buckfastleigh along the main road at top speed, receiving many strange looks from passing motorists! Secretly we all knew the effort was futile, and sure enough the torrents began as we rode through Dartington. By the time we reached Buckfastleigh everyone was drenched, including Father Christmas who somehow managed to get lost in the town. A search party was despatched and he was soon retrieved, although he wasn't in a particularly jolly mood when he arrived!

Those living in Buckfastleigh went home to change and joined the others at Crofters for the rest of the day. When everyone had enjoyed lunch and dried off somewhat (Michael did a load of washing and drying for the crowds) we settled down to watch the film "Labyrinth". It was still raining heavily when it finished, so transport was kindly provided by Mr Harler and Michael for those living farther away - except Matthew and Martin, who chose to ride home early in the rain!

There was plenty of entertainment at the last social event of 1989. More than half of those present were interviewed on camera about their views on mountain bikes, club rides and many other topics - the resulting video made good viewing later in the evening. There were then hot vegetarian mince pies with ice cream, numerous computer games, outdoor and indoor bowls, and then a "Give us a Clue" type game where team members had to convey the name of a town to their team-mates by drawing pictures on a board!

Michael was late for the last ride of the decade. When Joseph had asthma problems near Ashburton and had to ring his parents we became even later, eventually arriving thirty minutes late at the Chudleigh Bridge pick-up.

Before we continued we had to comment on the many cycle-type Christmas presents, including Philip Robinson's very smart Mountain Equipment fleece and Martin Luke's new gears. We were also pleased to welcome Jamie Davey, Mark Hedges, Peter Rushworth and Peter Riggs back to the Section after a period of absence.

We solved Phillip Harler's gear problem by setting the chain on the middle chainring and then set off for Canonteign Falls cafe. It was closed, sadly, so we enjoyed lunch onñ the grass outside. Quite why the conversation turned to "What Michael had for Christmas dinner" remained a mystery!

We spent the next hour or so walking up to the Buzzard's Nest viewpoint at the top of the falls. The surrounding woodland, which had suffered a certain amount of storm damage, was very peaceful today.

When group photographs had been snapped by Jenny and Michael we set about climbing the steep lanes towards the reservoirs. Unfortunately Michael made the mistake of guessing at a junction near the top, so we missed the reservoirs as planned. Some found an interesting track detour, however, where Martyn got a mysterious puncture.

The ride was concluded with a descent through Hennock - a village we rarely visit. Part way down the hill Martyn punctured again. It appeared to be caused by a covered spoke, however unlikely that may seem. We covered it with an extra layer of tape and had no further problems.

Members went their separate ways home after an early cafe stop at the Brooksñide Tearooms, Bovey Tracey.

South Dartmoor Section's first excursion into Dorset got off to a wet and miserable start. The rain, which was falling even as we arrived at Newton Abbot station, lashed the side of the train all the way to Axminster. As we disembarked at 1145 the prospect of a dry afternoon appeared remote to say the least.

Our worst fears were realised. Having consumed our lunch under the frontage of an Axminster supermarket we settled into the only cafe for a prolonged refreshment stop. When we could stay there no longer we browsed through the shops. There was some amusement here: we watched in amazement as Phillip Harler purchased a £3.50 Dandy Annual in the newsagents and then asked Mark Moxham to carry it for the rest of the weekend. Even more amusing was the fact that Mark agreed!

Decision time had, unfortunately, arrived. We needed to allow 3½ hours for the 18-mile journey to Litton Cheney. The rain was forecast to stop during the afternoon, but at 1330 we could wait no longer. Steven and Mark, who knew the way without checking the map, set off when no-one was looking, and the rest of us spent the next twenty minutes riding around Axminster trying to second guess where they might have gone. When we finally found the right road we were nicely wetted. The weekend was not looking promising!

We didn't find Mark and Steven until we had climbed an interestingly steep hill to the B3165, followed the latter along the ridge and descended into Marshwood. Fortunately we had agreed a route on the train, and this was the spot where they felt sure they would meet us.

The lane route through Broadoak to Bradpole was, thankfully, mainly flat or downhill. Progress was hindered only by the presence of some unusually deep and wide lakes on the road, but as we were already wet these just presented opportunities for entertainment - provided mainly by the mountain bikers of course. Neil wasn't quiet so amused when his "puncture-resistant" tyre went flat after riding through the lake near Shave Cross. Neither was Michael, as he had to repair it! An elderly gentleman looked on as the repair proceeded, and finally suggested an alternative route which would avoid the lake. Michael thanked him kindly, informing him that his advice was a little too late.

Steven got the next puncture, near Bradpole, but decided it was slow enough to pump. However, after passing the pretty village of Loders and the strange fortress ridges of Uploders, Mark Moxham picked up two punctures at once - a large piece of flint and a thorn - just when we didn't need them.

Darkness fell as repairs were effected. Taking the level, southern route to the hostel through Shipton Gorge we proceeded at maximum warp. And just as we arrived, the rain finally stopped! Still, we didn't mind. We were wet through, but the thought of a warm, dry hostel, hot showers, comfortable beds and good meals had kept us going.

We were about to be disappointed. The dormitories were cramped, cold and poorly lit (just two dim bulbs, the light of which didn't extend far beyond the bunks immediately beneath them). There was no hot water in the taps or showers. The toilets were in a shed across the back yard. And to complete the disillusionment, the bike shed was full of building materials so our precious machines had to spend the night under the stars (or rather, clouds). This was a very basic hostel. On the positive side, there was some warmth in the common room: two pieces of glowing coal were huddled together in the open fireplace. Unfortunately, there was already a crowd of hostellers around the fire, so even this luxury was denied to us.

Once we were in dry clothes things began to look a little better. There was a good drying room, even if it was a little on the small side. Many of us spent happy periods in this little room, just enjoying the luxury of warmth. And the meals were home made and first rate, with as many helpings as you needed. The rest of the evening was spent playing table football, monopoly and Philip's role-playing adventure game, book-style. Simple hostels nearly always have the best atmosphere (and this one is no exception), but we'd recommend Litton Cheney for summer visits only.

Next morning was bright and sunny as forecast, although the sky looked a bit watery. We could now see that the hostel (which was originally a dutch barn and later a cheese and milk factory) was located in a delightful setting, just outside the equally delightful village of Litton Cheney.

We made the most of the conditions by setting off early, as we were expecting further rain by late morning. The easy lanes brought us to Burton Bradstock and West Bay, where we stopped briefly to buy refreshments. We then skirted Bridport, tackled the big hill out of Chideock and eventually reached our planned lunch spot - the coastal track high between Morcombelake and Charmouth. Here there was plenty of grassy space for the younger members to practice jumps and other stunts.

Following the steep descent to Charmouth it was Simon's turn for a puncture. Eventually we set off again through the pretty lanes near Wootton Fitzpaine, hoping that the additional delay wouldn't result in us getting wet again. Today, however, the forecast was wrong in our favour. We even had time to fix Steven's puncture whilst waiting for Simon's gang to return (they had gone past the selected turning). We had a 1½ hour wait at Axminster station for the train, but at least we didn't get wet again.

And so, the end of an interesting weekend. Some people don't like the idea of winter hostelling, but it can certainly be an adventure.

While Michael and associated members were exploring the Dorset wilderness, a rather depleted number of members (2) set forth from Buckfastleigh towards Torbryan via the notorious Green Lane, Landscove, Halswell and Broadhempston.

Once a rendezvous had occurred with the other groups it was decided to take the track that ended near Tornewton: the track was characterised by masses of mud and an over friendly goat. A return to Broadhempston marked the Paignton/Torquay contingent's departure, which left the rest of the group to meander to Staverton. Totnes contingent returned homewards from here while the Buckfastleigh contingent returned via Charlie's Cross and the main road, reaching home shortly after dark.

Gears and wheels was the subject of this evening's social, held at Richard Burge's house near Ashburton. As usual, his chinchillas attracted plenty of attention.