With a good turnout and great weather, Callum O’B’s strong riding helped us reach Spitchwick via Hembury. We played Frisbee before heading back, and the youngsters rounded off the night on the trampoline until closing.

On a warm, sunlit Dartmoor ride that felt like the summer’s best, the mood was pure enjoyment and progress. Callum O’B crested Cold East Cross with the group, and a snapped front brake cable on the drop to Ponsworthy was quickly sorted.

Defying the forecast, bright sun saw Jack lead us to the Rare Breeds Centre café in Totnes, his workplace, for excellent coffee, cake and milkshakes. A forgotten camera meant smartphone snaps, and a light‑hearted water‑bottle skirmish added colour before a different route home.

A dusk push to Skerraton became a challenge when Michael’s light battery fell off, leaving us to navigate the moor by shared beams to the summit wall. Jerry’s flashing flyer lodged in a tree (rescued by Callum), and a soft‑grass spill on the descent kept speeds honest.

A late start became a brisk, sunlit run to Avon Dam, ending with the fabulous Abbots Way descent — a perfect birthday ride. A chance meeting with a man who’d worked on the dam in the 1950s added colour; meanwhile a would‑be rider arrived too late after an all‑night gaming session.

Everyone turned up ready for the evening ride, but light rain prompted a swift change of plan: a computer games social instead.

An unexpectedly sunny morning ride to Landscove Tearooms defined the day: Callum proudly debuted his new Trek 4500, and we chatted with Pauline about her charity skydive before rolling home dry and content.

An evening shower at Dart Bridge forced a change of plan from Ashburton, so we shortened the ride and headed to Holne via Buckfast, where a rope swing in the park proved the highlight in the dark; the mood was set by two trips back for forgotten kit.

With Reece on a spare bike we rode to Ashburton and up to Belford Mill, loving the woodland descent so much we’d have done it again if time allowed. A few spills on the Terrace Walk and Lawrence’s dropped coins on the park roundabout, mostly recovered, added a dash of drama before an early finish.

An improvised night ride in Hembury Woods began with dead batteries and missing lights, until a handheld torch saved the pace. The mood wobbled when an impatient driver sparked an argument in Jordan Street, before calm returned with trampolining and a brief Lord of the Rings skirmish.

A lively ride that ventured up Pennywell Hill and into new lanes, leaving everyone keen for more adventurous routes. It began with Zac’s valve trouble and later featured a nettle sting and an earnest hunt for a dock leaf, before sunshine and a playful pause in South Brent rounded things off.

Planned as a season‑ending picnic at Staverton Park, the ride unraveled—faulty lights, a fall and damp grass with insects. Jerry’s rule‑breaking drew a temporary ban, then a no‑light crash sparked an argument, leaving Michael relieved the evening rides were over.