We sailed down aeroplane hill (Barton Pines actually) to get to Stoke Gabriel. For the return route we used the millpond track - interesting in the pitch darkness - bringing us eventually to Long Road and STC.

Owing to the large attendance the venue for the AGM had to be changed to Buckfastleigh Primary School Hall at the last moment. Members heard how the Section's attendances had almost doubled over the previous twelve months, with an average of 19 people on every organised event. Attendances were approximately 2/3 children and 1/3 adults.

There were a few changes to the Section Committee: Simon Hopper switched from Publicity to Socials, leaving Paul Hamlyn-White and Luke Hatherly to take on the jobs of Treasurer and Publicity Officer respectively. Steven Hills will take the minutes at Section meetings. Many of the Publicity Rep positions also changed hands.

As a result of the motions passed at the meeting, attendance certificates will be awarded in addition to the present trophy, and an adult tour may be organised in 1990. There may also be seven youth hostel weekends in the coming twelve months instead of the usual six, with a strong emphasis on variety.

Counting our large contingent amidst the thronging masses of Raft Race spectators at Totnes Plains proved an almost impossible task. A visual scan of the area for parked bikes had to suffice until we reached the upper reaches of the town, when exact numbers could finally be ascertained.

Unlike our two previous attempts at Rolster Bridge, we actually reached the destination today. There wasn't anything spectacular about the place, but it was rural and scenic - and peaceful until we arrived. More importantly, reaching it opened up new possibilities for the return route. We were able to explore some new and interesting lanes to Tigley. Almost as entertaining as the scenery, however, was the sight of Ken riding back along the lane in search of Julie. The last place he thought to look was at the front of the group, but that is where she was - she had actually overtaken him, and damaged his pride!

Philip Roberts provided the next bout of entertainment by getting a puncture. It was fixed speedily with the assistance of Dave Robinson, and a few moments later the two groups separated on the Totnes-Avonwick road. When the Buckfastleigh brigade finally reached home, poor Martin Luke still had to cycle all the way back to Newton Abbot - what a brave lad he is! Congratulations to all the new riders, who performed admirably. And we were pleased to welcome Michael Banks back to the fold, despite his unique talent for antagonising people!

The first social lived up to its name with a large number enjoying the various facilities of Michael's bungalow. In fact the attendance broke all records for a social, so we will have to consider hiring a larger venue for future socials.

Toby Hopper was showing off today. He had a new mountain bike, and wanted everyone to see it! We couldn't blame him though, for it really was very smart indeed.

A slight delay at Bickington (where we briefly met our friends from Torbay Section) was quickly followed by a tough climb to Haytor. Boot (Luke Hatherly) didn't like it at all, and was dragging off the back all the way just to prove the point.

Taking a wrong turning at Manaton gave us a unique opportunity to explore a new track. Needless to say we didn't pass it up, and were soon enjoying lunch in a sheltered, sunny corner of Hayne Down below the rocky outcrop which was our destination.

The climb to the tor, whilst being steep and quite rough, offered some excellent views of the surrounding countryside. There was then time to sit back and watch Richard Hopper (and others) attempting to climb Bowerman's Nose itself in a blustery breeze. He failed, of course, as the sides of the formation are sheer and without footholds, but we all enjoyed watching him try.

Descending quickly to the road we proceeded to Widecombe via the track from Jay's Grave, but here we were divided. Dave Robinson and son Philip were keen to visit The Green Restaurant, presumably in the hope of witnessing some more bizarre activities to liven up their diaries. About half the group decided to join him, and were not disappointed. Several dogs ran in and out of the kitchen even as we watched.

Peter, Dayle and a number of others decided the prices were too expensive and patronised the Wayside instead. We agreed with them, but chose instead to ask for a 10% discount. Amazingly it was granted - the prices were still extortionate, but now at least tolerable.

The final delight came when Michael offered to pay the lady at the check-out till. She asked him not to put the cash on the table, but on the wicker fan which was laid on it. This he did, whereupon the lady emptied the entire contents haphazardly into the till drawer in one deft movement. Richard, Dave and Michael could contain themselves no more, but did manage to wait until they were outside before bursting with laughter.

Several members wanted to ride Dr Blackall's Drive, but first they had to climb the steep hill from Ponsworthy. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the track, including young Arren who fell off a couple of times (not entirely his fault I might add).

We all met up at Gappah where we spent some time chatting and admiring Karina's new hat. The main cause of the delay was Martin Hills, who had surpassed his earlier brake problems by getting two punctures on the hill up to Gappah. Eventually, we set off via the lanes to the A380 and thence to the top of Telegraph Hill where we lost Richard Hopper who had to go home.

The rest of us sped down the hill, which was described by Ben as "lush". I can think of other words to describe hurtling down a hill on half a bike led by a rider of 6 months experience with only a vague idea of what brakes are for ...

At the bottom of the hill we crñossed over the dual carriageway and made our way through Kenn to the lanes. We were delayed by Luke Hatherly who, having ridden through some dog mess, wanted to go slowly to avoid spraying himself. (Of course, if he had had a sensible tourer with narrower tyres and mudguards ...)

Meanwhile, the rest of us ran the gauntlet of a large farm dog. We waited up the lane to see how Luke would fare. He eventually appeared at a snail's pace and actually rested against the farm wall by the gate totally unconcerned. The dog did not appear - obviously he was a connoisseur of bikes and couldn't be bothered to chase an Emmelle - I can't blame him!

Later on we met two horse riders complete with dogs. However these were no trouble and one, a stunted Springer Spaniel, was terrified of us.

The final hill to the lunch spot got the better of the Rann trailers and Ken and Julie had to walk. Paul and Ben ran on with the others totally unconcerned about Mum and Dad. However, when they realised that their lunch wñas with the bikes, they did start to look for their long-suffering parents who, having got lost, had tried a number of dead ends each requiring a difficult about turn for the trailers.

After lunch, we went to see if the five pheasants from last year had moved. They had - much to Michael's chagrin, but he consoled himself by picking chestnuts for his tea whilst those of us who waited were bombarded with them as they fell from the trees.

Most of the group including Michael then took a track. The roadies found the pheasants further along the lane.

After we met up again we decided on Dawlish for tea. When we got there we avoided the grotty station cafe and plumped for Peggotty's instead which was excellent.

From Dawlish we all went to Teignmouth, where the Torbay contingent went off home along the coast road whilst the rest of us went home via Newton Abbot.

The Lakemans again put up with the South Dartmoor hordes but this time with the added encumbrance of a slide show. A wide variety of slides was shown ranging from the sweltering Beer weekend to the wet but spectacular scenery of Norway, with a few embarrassing pictures of various members. Refreshments were enjoyed whilst Paul Lakeman showed off his flash new racing bike.

How many Range Rovers would you expect to see whilst riding from Buckfastleigh to Totnes on a wet Sunday morning in October? One? OK, how many G-reg Range Rovers might you see? None? What about Range Rovers with G-registrations ending with "WAC"? Not many?

We saw one go into the Dart Valley Railway as we left the start. When we saw two more near Austin's Bridge we began to get a little suspicious. By the time we had reached Totnes the count stood at 44! But whatever was it all about?

The explanation came at lunchtime when we returned to Buckfastleigh after a "potter" (as Julie put it) through the lanes near Rattery. We rode down to the DVR and found at least a million pounds worth of Range Rovers parked tidily in the car park. A gentleman from Austin Rover explained that the cars were there to provide regional dealers with hands-on training of the range. But why today? Because a new model, the "Discovery", was being launched in Plymouth tomorrow. Why here? Because they were trying to demonstrate that the Discovery could pull five carriages along the railway track. Unfortunately it had already done its stunt and was now under wraps again in its top-security lorry. All quite logical really - we should have guessed!

The ride had diverted to Buckfastleigh because of the inclement weather, of course. Conditions steadily improved as we enjoyed a warm lunch at Crofters, and when the sun was shining at 2pm we decided to explore the muddy tracks of South Dartmoor - specifically requested by Toby, Luke, Martyn and Martin, the Mountain Bike contingent. Mention should be made of Luke Hatherly, who poured water down Michael's back. But Richard reminded me that we'ñre supposed to mention good incidents as well, so I must report that Michael got him back.

The river near Cross Furzes was in full flood after the recent rain, and those who attempted to ride across got wet whether or not they put a foot down along the way! The day was concluded with an inevitable second stop at Crofters, for more tea and more computer games - this time Richard made sure he had a go on Imogen before Toby got his fingers on it!

Readers may be amused to hear that, earlier in the day, Ken and Julie had wandered all over Totnes with their van, trying to find a free parking space. They eventually gave up, paying a high fee and having to walk from the top of town to the Plains. If only they had read the sign in the lower park, which said (admittedly in small print) that parking is free on Sundays from 1 October! Regular readers may recall that Michael made a similar mistake last year, so he found the whole incident quite comical.

It was distinctly wet as we rode to the Chudleigh Bridge pick-up, with heavier rain forecast for lunchtime. Participants didn't need much encouragement to change the destination to the Brookside Tearooms at Bovey Tracey. Ken and Julie had to go home anyway, to answer a work call-out.

By the time we left the cafe it was literally tipping down, so we were glad when we eventually reached home. Martin Luke and Peter Riggs had to find their own ways home, however. Martin didn't see which way everyone went from the cafe for some reason, so he guessed instead of waiting, then found his own way home while Mark Moxham went back to look for him. Because Mark took five minutes, Peter gave up and went home on his own as well, so when Mark finally returned he found no-one there at all!

Remember: If you get lost, WAIT where you last saw the group. Someone will always come back to look for you as soon as you are missed, and waiting will make it easier for them to find you. Once you start guessing at routes, they have no real chance of finding you again.