With the cinema heaving, our trip to Vue Plymouth for the 7.50 showing of In Time began with a long hunt for a parking space; the sci‑fi thriller—where time is currency—proved very entertaining, even if its premise felt rather ridiculous.

A muddy but uplifting ride to Dartmeet, centred on a high river crossing of the stepping stones and a sunny run along Dr Blackall’s drive. Ash was briefly stuck fast in a gateway, and a drooling café cat plus tiny mugs of hot chocolate provided the comic notes.

Most of the group were new to Surrogates—a sci‑fi thriller about people living through remote‑controlled doubles—and it went down well; only Ash had seen it several times before. A quick round of Modern Warfare 2 wrapped things up before everyone headed off at 10.

Lawrence debuted his new Trek on a deliberately shorter, sociable spin to Chalk Ford and Holne, where the café stop capped the morning. The off-road trio reappeared from the track soaked and grinning, and an elderly American server half remembered our names.

We tried a new format: a movie quiz where still frames rolled into clips until someone named the film; Jerry edged Ash to win. We rounded off with the familiar music quiz, a lively finish that everyone enjoyed.

On a relaxed run to Ashburton, the day was made by rope swing antics on the muddy woodland track by Belford Mill; Callum finally had a go, while Lawrence needed hauling back to the bank. A pair of dirty shorts on a bramble by the gate added a curious touch.

A relaxed social meet: the youngsters spent a couple of hours on computer games before a quick snack shopping trip to Tesco at Lee Mill.

With rain wiping out the ride, we drove to Ilsington for a relaxed Christmas lunch that became a swim-and-lunch social. The meal sparked lively opinions—one soup savoured for 20 minutes and a turkey plate shunned for brushing cranberry—before a damp drive back and games at Crofters.

A small group made the 8pm Vue Plymouth screening of Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, an action‑led sequel pitting Holmes and Watson against Moriarty—entertaining, though the style didn’t suit everyone. Post‑film, a staged ‘lost hat’ prank left Callum unimpressed.

Wintry showers kept it to a short, sociable ride to Dartington, with a cosy pause at Cranks before looping back via Huxham’s Cross and Staverton Bridge. The mood was set by coffee cake and hot chocolate for some—and chips from the new Venus café eaten on the way home.

We headed to Ivybridge for an hour on two badminton courts; Ash wasn’t on form, so Michael’s team won most of the games. We finished the evening with Halo at Crofters.

A relaxed Christmas social centred on games: the youngsters opened with an hour of Halo before Michael ran a lively music quiz spanning Christmas songs, films, TV and games. Ash’s team with Callum O’B and Lawrence took the win.