Jack’s return brought a new woodland trail off the Plym Valley cycleway, a flowing climb to the ridge and an easy run to Plymbridge, where the coffee van finally turned up. A tip then drew us into Cann Wood, but with directions fading we sensibly turned back.

We headed to Vue, Plymouth for The Maze Runner; none of us had read the books, but it proved an excellent choice. A tense sci‑fi thriller of amnesiac teens trapped in a shifting, dangerous maze, its oppressive world and sharp set‑pieces kept us gripped.

With Jack feeling tired, we kept it gentle along Colston Road to Staverton, pausing at the garden centre for tasty, if overpriced, refreshments with a view over the River Dart.

A relaxed social evening built around friendly competition: a music quiz, a spontaneous supermarket dash for fudge cake and treats, then settling in for computer games.

On a crowded visit to Haldon Forest Park, café queues forced a cold lunch and the red trail’s finale was closed by fallen trees—our brief, ill-advised foray proved it impassable—yet the ride still delivered, rounded off with a hot meal at Route 5 services.

On Halloween we refuelled at Pizza Hut then drove back over a fog‑shrouded moor via Princetown, watching for the Hairy Hand near Two Bridges. It never appeared, leaving only the eerie calm and the fog for company.

A short, easy ride took us via River Dart Country Park into the autumnal Holne Woods, with a popular café stop in Holne. Lawrence showed off new hydraulic brakes, and Ash tried—and failed—to lift logs far too heavy for him.

A cheerful badminton social at Torbay Leisure Centre in Paignton where everyone played well, rounded off with a stop at Asda for some good value snacks.

Diverted from Dean Hill by A38 traffic, we took Nurston and crossed a muddy, rocky track to Skerraton Down, rewarded with fine South Devon views. A Kinder Bueno truce and George’s fall—predicted by Lawrence—added colour before a very cold drop to the Crofters café.

A quick trip to the supermarket for treats set up a straightforward games evening: PCs linked at Crofters and a session on Advanced Warfare.

A shower at the start sent us into Crofters for coffee before a steady run to the Dartington cycle path and the Venus Café. Dillan, back to form, wanted Totnes, but a new PC game and a lunch call turned us home via Staverton and Hole Farm.

We headed to Vue Plymouth for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1, a darker, propaganda-fuelled chapter with Katniss fronting the rebellion. The film was well received; as we filed out near 10pm, talk turned to the cliff-hanger and hopes for a stronger Part 2.