Chilly showers flipped our plan to cycle to Ilsington into a cosy social: hot drinks at Crofters, then Will, on driving practice, ferried us to an excellent-value lunch and back again, safely. We ended the day with more chat at Crofters.

With just four out on the Friday before Christmas, we still enjoyed excellent games at Ashmoor. Jude arrived with Will from Bovey Tracey on the day of Jude and Sue’s own ‘Winter Wonderland’, while Michael kept going despite feeling under the weather after starting antibiotics.

With most members busy with family, three of us turned the Christmas Special into a Monopoly night. Michael was the unlikely victor, even though Jude had secured Mayfair and Park Lane from early on.

Rain halted the planned New Year’s Eve ride, but the trio salvaged the day with badminton at Ivybridge Leisure Centre, lunch in Plymouth, then PC games and a music quiz back at Crofters—a sociable, improvised finale to 2017.

After indoor games at Crofters, we moved to Ashmoor for badminton—an evening of brisk rallies and shared effort. Gavin joined us for the session, rounding off a simple, satisfying club night.

A bitterly cold ride defined by the glove saga: George’s frozen fingers prompted a dash to warmth before Dillan lent him his gloves—then suffered himself until the café at Endsleigh. Gavin was still sawing wood as we passed, and we hurried home to the Crofters clubroom.

A booking mix-up meant the fourth court had gone, so we managed on three with a run of doubles. From next week we have all four courts booked every week.

We rode into Dartmoor to seek out the historic Week Ford Blowing House, picking our way through bogs and a high O Brook. Wet feet were eased by hot drinks at Holne café, where John rejoined us on his first test ride since donating a kidney.

A brief note: all four courts were booked for us this evening, allowing for some excellent matches.

With heavy rain forecast, the ride was converted to a social: badminton instead of bikes. The downpour never quite matched the warning, but the group still enjoyed a lively session at Ivybridge.

With some of the Bovey group missing, the rest enjoyed a relaxed, good‑natured session, sharing two courts at Ashmoor Recreation Centre in Ashburton.

An impromptu change of plan saw us ride through drizzly Luxulyan Valley to the Eden Project for free entry, lunch and a tour of the biomes. The swaying Rainforest Lookout tested nerves, and bumping into long-ago club members gave the day a pleasingly unexpected turn.