A morning cafè stop was necessary to ward off the cold (well, Moretonhampstead has to exist for some reason). Martin pretended he hadn't had breakfast, so justifying his two helpings of cheese on toast, while Richard made do with an enormous slice of cake. Thus fortified we headed towards Castle Drogo, where we split up: Martin rode the Hunter's Path in the opposite direction to normal, and Richard took the road, meeting up at Clifford Bridge.

Later on at a stop for a breather, Martin looked pensive. "You've gone very quiet," remarked Richard. "I'm just listening to your puncture," he replied, and he was right.

On the way back we searched in vain for a bridlepath the map showed running from the Claycutters Arms to Heathfield, and got our bikes very muddy in the process.

This was a brisk ride, taking us through Broadhempston and Red Post, where Michael remembered a track short-cut to Berry Pomeroy castle just in time to give the ride an interesting new twist. Gatcombe Tracks turned out to be rather muddy to put it mildly, but they are always good fun.

We returned home via Littlehempston and Staverton, stopping only for a puncture at the weir. The ride would not have been so brisk if Eliot hadn't been riding a brand new bike which helped him to ride 'like the wind'.

We had a bite to eat at Combe Cellars after enjoying a pleasant ride along Haccombe track, and then bumped into Mike & Jenny Bryant. Return home was by way of the bird sanctuary and pond at Combe-in-Teignhead, and Coffinswell.

There were more adult trainers than there were junior pupils at this South Dartmoor School social which explored the techniques involved in the regreasing of hub and bottom bracket bearings. Many thanks to all the adults for giving up their evening.

The path to the destination was a bit overgrown today, so much so that Michael was trembling in his shoes as he stood in the riverside glade at the bottom, waiting for Lorraine and Charlie to emerge from the undergrowth. Fortunately they seemed to be prepared to overlook the matter on this occasion!

Matthew Hamlyn-White was awarded a mention in the newsletter for being the first Section member to bring a Pot Noodle on a ride - made up with hot water from his flask. When Tom had recovered from his painful injury (sustained by accidentally falling across his top tube during the descent) and we had enjoyed a lunch in what must be the best possible surroundings, we set off along the old railway track in the general direction of Topsham Bridge. This path turned out to be much more to everyone's liking, being relatively dry and clear of brambles. The South Brent to Kingsbridge railway must have been a very scenic route in its day.

We got back to Totnes by 1530 - just in time to stop for refreshments at a cafè below the Totnes arch.

Disaster struck today before the ride had really begun. Dave Robinson, approaching the Totnes pick-up from Marldon, somehow lost control and fell off during the descent of Bridgetown Hill. Regrettably he fractured his leg near the hip joint, and is still recovering at home. It is very unusual to sustain breakages of this kind through falling off a bike. We all wish Dave the speediest of recoveries, and hope that he will soon be able to join in our activities again.

For the rest of us, unaware of the seriousness of the incident, the ride continued with a vague air of normality: Neil had a puncture; Martin Luke had a puncture, but didn't start fixing it until we were about to leave ... We didn't make it to Rolster Bridge today, but derived some pleasure from a brief ride in the Harberton direction before heading homewards.

More fun and games at the Southpark Centre, Buckfast.

A brisk ride through Lustleigh (notable for the fact that we did not stop at the Primrose cafè) and the Wrey valley brought us quickly to Moretonhampstead and the lanes beyond. The sun was shining so we stopped for lunch beside the grassy track near Cranbrook Castle - only to be rained upon rather viciously within twenty minutes.

As we began the climb from Fingle to the upper reaches of the Hunter's Path, Martin Hills announced that he felt miserable in the rain and wanted to go home by a quicker route. Shortly after he left the rain stopped again and we enjoyed a superb ride along the sunlit path to Chagford. The corner shop was the only refreshment stop available, so Michael made the most of it by purchasing and consuming a pint of milk.

Return was via Hound Tor and Ashburton.

Once again we didn't make it to the elusive Henroost Mines: the youngsters were finding the bitter headwind somewhat tiring by the time we reached Venford. John Stuart would have been happy to continue, however: he thought the ride was all day and had brought a packed lunch!

We decided to take the interesting bridleway down the Holy Brook valley to Michelcombe, but Alan didn't see us turn off to the left and disappear over the hill. A few moments later Seb was chasing after him, shouting uselessly against a headwind.

The descent offered delightful views of the unspoilt valley: on this occasion there were no injuries along the treacherous upper reaches of the track. We returned to Buckfastleigh at 12.30 after an excellent ride. A number of members opted for videos and computer games at Crofters before setting off for a late lunch.

This travelogue of the Section's 1989 Norwegian tour did not come close to attracting the large audience won by the autumn show, but offered some amusing images of present members in their childhood.