Appearances can be deceptive! The evening sunshine looked so inviting that Ben considered venturing out in T-shirt and shorts. By the end of the ride, however, most of us were so cold that home seemed far more attractive than a final detour. Our ride had taken us to Ashburton, up Chuley hill, down one of our favourite tracks and home via Landscove.

Joe had not chosen the best of mornings to invite his friend Keir to join the club. We set off towards Buckfast with light drizzle in the air, planning to be home by lunchtime in view of the poor forecast. A right turn took us through the sheltered Burchetts Wood track, which for once was almost bone dry. After tackling the steep hill to Holne a Galaxy bar proved highly effective in recharging Keir's biological batteries, and soon we were off again to Gallant Le Bower and the descent through Hembury Woods that offered plenty of fun for everyone.

John Stuart, one of our founding members, made a surprise come-back this evening on his old Saracen mountain bike, dusted off especially for the occasion. Our route took us to Dean Prior and up the long climb past Nurston Farm, but we hadn't gone far before Michael got another in his long series of punctures: unable to penetrate his new puncture-proof front tyre, the thorn (which had no business being on a village street in any case) chose the rear tyre!

New youngster Josh performed well on the climb, and we were soon on the open moor enjoying the last of the sunset and a few Aerobie throws. Four delightful miniature ponies raced us on the descent to Cross Furzes, clearly demonstrating their evolutionary desire for speed.

We set off a little late for Totnes on this cold grey morning, mainly owing to Oliver's late appearance at the start. After negotiating the many Easter Day pedestrians on the riverside track we paused briefly to buy lunch and then pressed on with good speed to Harbertonford. The main road to Halwell would have been a little faster, but the constant stream of holiday traffic quickly persuaded us to take the scenic lane route via Moreleigh.

Tao, who had first suggested Blackpool Sands to his rather sceptical comrades, began to feel vindicated as the predicted sunny periods began to break out on the descent to Strete. Lunch on the beach was certainly bracing, the stiff breeze proved more than a challenge for the youngsters trying to fly their kite, but the bright sunshine and lofty waves made the whole experience highly enjoyable. Further entertainment was provided by the beach's regular lunchtime swimmer, making his appearance at 12.30 exactly as he has done for more than 15 years.

It wasn't the weather to be hanging around for long, but half way up the hill towards Stoke Flemming we noticed a pair of benches situated in a sheltered position overlooking the bay. We just had to sit there for a while and contemplate how much warmer the spot would have been for lunch.

The back lanes and tracks through Little Dartmouth offered the usual spectacular views of the coast and an exhilarating descent to the picturesque town. While searching the many cafes for one that was not overflowing with tourists we bumped into Michael's cousins, down from Bristol for the weekend. We managed to find a table and chairs outside the Station restaurant overlooking the river, bustling with boats and activity of all kinds.

We took the Higher Ferry to Kingswear for 50p each, but Tao, who is never happy on boats, was feeling none too comfortable as he gazed down at the frothing water. We did get an excellent view of Thomas the Tank Engine, pulling its carriages to and fro along the track.

From Hillhead we called in briefly at Sainsburys for drinks and the proceeded up Kings Ash hill to Marldon and the lanes to Staverton. This has been our first full-length ride since September, so we all felt very satisfied as we arrived home, tired but full of the joys of spring.

Morning rain had given way to a warm and pleasant evening, ideal for an excursion through the lanes near Ashburton. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the riverside track from Brownshill Farms along the Ashburn, including young Keir who found himself riding away from a horse that seemed intent on licking the back of his neck.

The climb to Druid farm quickly brought us to Holne Bridge and River Dart Country Park, where Tao, Ben and a few others were nearly caught out by an unexpected barrier across the road as the turned a corner. The riverside track through Hembury provided plenty of amusement in the semi-darkness, as did Ben with his laser penlight.

Dismal forecasts proved inaccurate as we headed out through the Staverton lanes to Ipplepen on this sunny morning. As we enjoyed refreshments at Fermoys cafe Joe looked at the map and thought he would like to continue to Paignton. We took the lanes through Compton and then enjoyed spectacular views across the bay on the descent to Preston.

The beach was busy with wind surfers, dogs and seagulls as we enjoyed our lunch on the sand, sheltered from the chill breeze by one of the beach huts. We could have stayed longer of course, but we half respected the forecast of heavy rain by late afternoon and so set off for Collaton St Mary with all due speed.

Joe showed outstanding tenacity as he pushed himself up the first climbs towards Redpost, and soon he was setting a good pace back to Staverton. Two steam trains passing each other at the station were a sure sign of brisk business on the Primrose line on this last Sunday of the holiday week. Whilst the forecast rain did not materialise until later, a particularly nasty shower did its best to dampen our spirits on the final two miles home.

Some unpleasant showers just before the start of the ride quickly gave way to a perfect sunny evening for our ride to Landscove. Jake still didn't have his new mountain bike, but was eagerly anticipating its arrival within days. After traversing Colston Road to Staverton we detoured home via the narrow track near Landscove, the sun setting with a golden glow over the distant hills. Ben's knees were causing him some pain on the final climbs - we hope he recovers for next week's ride.

With plenty of time to spare we enjoyed the gentle climbs to Shipley Bridge and the delightfully scenic riverside path to the Avon Dam before settling down on the grassy bank overlooking the reservoir for a long and care-free chat about the world. The skylarks and distant ramblers kept us amused for more than half an hour. There was time to stop again at the top of the Abbots Way to enjoy the panoramic views from Widecombe to Paignton - and the busy antics of more Skylarks, eager to divert our attention from their grassy nests. The rapid descent to Cross Furzes made a fabulous finish to yet another excellent ride.

Keir was slower than usual on the climb from Dean Prior - he said he'd been doing gymnastics all day at school! The rough track from behind Marley Head provided an enjoyable route into the back lanes of South Brent, but as progress remained slow we decided to return directly via Rattery rather than detouring through Avonwick as originally intended. When Joe had finished chasing Keir with a stinging nettle we negotiated the final descent from Pennywell Farm in an increasingly chilly night air.

Having ridden the 10 miles to Bovey Tracey we took the course of the old railway line to Lustleigh, keeping Joe entertained along the way by getting him to identify all the dogs he saw. Amazingly, all the people we saw except one had at least one dog with them!

Many years ago we visited the extremely expensive Primrose cafe regularly for the very best in refreshments, mainly because the then owner gave us a generous 20% discount. When he sold up, the new owners kept the prices high and refused point blank to give us any discount at all, so we didn't go again. Today we called in to see if there had been any further changes. There were new owners, and the cafe was a little smaller as a result of some poor seasons, but the prices were still high, and the size of the hot chocolate was ridiculously small for £1.80. She listened to our request for future discounts but offered only to think about it and get in touch with us.

The long climb up through the Cleave was punctuated by some of the steepest hills in Devon, so we were grateful for the track descent to the ford near North Bovey and a few minutes of relaxation by the water's edge. The rotting seat near Yarde farm had been refurbished since our last visit, but we didn't really have time to enjoy it today as we planned to take the track route over the hill - a short-cut of sorts, but definitely more demanding for our younger members.

The first shower of the day began as we were enjoying refreshments at Hound Tor, and kept going for a full half hour as we traversed the bleak moor on our journey back to Ashburton and Buckfastleigh.