With most regulars away, Michael and Ashley headed for the Burchetts Wood track opposite Hembury Woods after a long dry spell. It was still muddy in places but rideable, and Ashley relished discovering a new track.

Harry’s first club ride was defined by sheer enthusiasm: with one-to-one attention and a borrowed club mountain bike, he rode the Hembury climbs with ease and didn’t want to stop. Even after the Crofters social he asked to go out again, though he moves away next week.

Drawn by Ashley’s account, we returned to Burchetts Wood and found Michael’s warnings spot on: rain-soaked mud everywhere, yet the track was a hit. Olly waded the river to rinse off while others scraped from the bank, and we rolled into Buckfastleigh filthy but grinning.

An evening dash that showed Ashley at his best: quick out along Colston road, a 15‑minute pause to chat to Michael’s relatives mounted on enormous Shire horses, then a fast sweep via Riverford and the rarely used track to Hole Farm, beating the dark without lights.

Sam and Olly introduced Heidi to the Belford Mill track, which did not disappoint. On the Terrace Walk a protruding wire ripped Michael's pannier from the bike; temporary repairs failed, but spare clips and a strap let him fix it properly once they reached the road.

With Julian back in Devon for a week, he joined Michael for a brisk run to Marley Head, then a fast return via Rattery to beat the dusk, as Julian had no lights.

A sunny spin through Hembury Woods to a bustling Spitchwick set the tone: a long pause by the river with swimming and a Frisbee game among the trees, then the usual Buckland climb tackled briskly before a swift run down to Ashburton and home.

Oliver’s unexpected return after more than a year set the tone for a quick spin to Holne play park, where dusk turned Aerobie throwing into guesswork—the ring sometimes appearing centimetres from the catcher with a jolt—before a quiet run back over Hembury hill.

With rain threatening, we kept it short: Colston Road to Riverford Bridge, then home by the track to Hole Farm. Grey skies and a cautious pace defined the evening.

A curiosity-led loop through the Dartington Hall estate was crowned by lunch at Cranks, with prices as memorable as the food. En route we reclassified a roadside ‘spaceship’ as a solar‑heated decontamination chamber and paused at an egg‑shaped mud house for Charles’s exhaustive chat on its design.

With the rain easing just in time, we tested our lights on the Hembury tracks, where newcomer Wolfie impressed off-road; even a dead front light in the woods and Sam’s puncture on the way back couldn’t spoil it.