A cosy Paignton social at the Twydell home, lifted by Julie’s home-made vegetarian mince pies and fruit punch, set a festive tone; it was the fourth in the new fortnightly series rotating between local families, with a Buckfastleigh trio driving over to join.

We set off from Buckfastleigh towards Venford under grey skies, but with Neil, Martin and Paul unenthusiastic the ride was soon abandoned; the four of us headed for a social at Crofters instead.

Failing to find the spoof grid ref ZZ000000, Charlie steered us to ‘Lapland’ — in truth Stoke Gabriel. Ken came as Father Christmas, Ben and Karina as gnomes on the tandem and trailer, and Julie (Mother Christmas) with Lorraine welcomed us with hot soup, rolls and Parkin.

Our Christmas social at Crofters mixed computer games, videos and board games with vegetarian mince pies and ice cream; the highlight was filming our third short video and reliving clips from the last two.

Our final run of the year was short but relentlessly hilly, with lunch by the water at Dittisham before the steep haul out of the village. Then Dave Humphreys led a track diversion: those who followed loved it; those who didn’t were left with a long wait.

Ken’s Moulton stole the show, its pace surprising Gary on a brisk loop to Ogwell and back via Broadhempston. The mood stayed light, capped by a stop at Red Post where young Robert insisted on buying sweets.

A short, brisk loop to Didworthy and back over the moor via Avon Dam and Cross Furzes was defined by Michael’s experiment in confidence: after watching mountain bikers skim the wet grassy slopes, he ignored the warnings of his near‑bald front tyre, tried a faster descent and duly hit the mud.

Despite a small turnout at Southpark Community Centre, Buckfast, the map‑reading social found its stride as the group tackled cryptic quizzes from previous years, showing that even the already knowledgeable could still be tested—and have fun.

A gentle amble up the Teign Valley turned lively when Martin and Seb chased a group of racing cyclists and overshot our turn, rejoining later at Doddiscombsleigh for a quiet lunch. The return was slow with Eliot struggling, finished with refreshments at the Bovey Tracey craft centre.

The Taylors’ warm hospitality set the tone for a relaxed Paignton social, with good food, lively cycling chat and a spirited round of Trivial Pursuit, rounded off with parlour games.

A relaxed morning ride traced Haccombe track to Combe Cellars for a bite, then returned via the bird sanctuary and pond at Combe-in-Teignhead and Coffinswell. A chance meeting with Mike and Jenny Bryant gave the day a warm, unexpected pause.

A brisk morning made livelier by Michael’s timely shortcut to Berry Pomeroy castle, then the muddy fun of Gatcombe Tracks. Eliot’s new bike helped set a keen pace throughout.