An evening that began with laughs on the Anaconda Run and water fights turned serious after Toby’s gravel slip and when Paul’s tyre exploded in pitch dark near Gallant Le Bower. Michael took the youngsters home, then returned by car to rescue the shaken trio in Hembury Woods.

Repairs at the Bovey Tracey pick-up set the tone for a day of delays, so we lunched at Lustleigh, enjoyed the climb past Parson’s Loaf and settled for ice creams in a quieter Widecombe rather than Dartmeet. Luke, jeans torn and smeared with oil, even drew a ‘Cinderella of the male world’ remark.

Our last evening ride of the season was a short circuit of the Hembury Woods track. We returned to Crofters for a special selection of refreshments at 8.30pm, a useful introduction to the new social season starting in two weeks.

Young Eugene stood out by completing one of our toughest rides unaided, into drizzle and a headwind before the Plym Valley cycleway lifted spirits. A chaotic dash through the unlit tunnel and a baffling 'sheep crossing' puzzle—only solved over tea in the Fox Tor Cafe—gave it its character.

An excellent turnout of members and parents made for a lively AGM, with volunteers stepping up and a new committee confirmed. Key decisions: weekly Marldon evening rides, Fridays at Buckfastleigh, a cycling library and an expanded newsletter—plus a logo competition to beat the old Postbridge clapper-bridge design.

An important day for the South Dartmoor Section as afternoon rides from Marldon began, making it a year-round start, with the Marldon and Buckfastleigh groups meeting midway. A sodden raft attempt on the Dart delayed one side, and leader Dave Humphreys had a rear puncture.

The first social of the new season stayed true to tradition: computer games ruled the evening, punctuated by a frame‑building video and a screening of our 1985 home‑made film, which sparked plans to make another next year.

A demanding day to Fingle Bridge: the steep stony drop and the haul along Hunters Path tested the newcomers, but fine views over the wooded valley rewarded the effort before a brisk return via Chagford. At Lustleigh’s Primrose Café, Debbie was mistaken for a chap—her cap later ended up with Mark.

A demanding autumn ride to the coast became a test for two keen newcomers and young Paul, who had set off without lunch, as a headwind and a wrong turn stretched the day. Spirits held, and at Erme Mill the cafe award scheme finally began; we even met Plymouth riders with talk of a new section.

A specially compiled slide show took us through four tours of Scotland—from Michael’s first in 1983 to this summer’s—stirring memories of the Torbay days before South Dartmoor Section. The biggest talking point was how much some people had changed in five years.

Glorious autumn lanes over Haldon into the Kenn Valley were the highlight, with four pheasants on a gate and Jamie inexplicably eating lunch up a tree. A broken valve then delayed the group into headwind and rain, making the coastal run to Dawlish wet and exposing a lack of lights.

A stop‑start day of off‑road exploration from Totnes to Dittisham: early delays, a puncture and a broken chain gave way to leafy tracks and a tougher‑than‑planned detour at Tuckenhay. Speed didn’t pay—Laurence needed first aid—before a 75p ferry to Greenway and an easier run home.