Richard Hopper forgot the Marldon evening ride, but the four youngsters made the best of it: having ridden out, they went for a sunny swim instead. A small mishap became a cheerful detour rather than a wasted trip.

On the night of the escaping prisoners we rode a moonlit Dartmoor loop to catch sunrise at Haytor. We kept to empty roads and reached the tor before dawn, but mist smothered the top, so we brewed up at the foot as the sun broke through and the traffic returned.

Another sunny evening took us along the inevitable Colston road to Staverton Bridge, then the riverside track into the village, passing the island — a gentle, familiar outing on quiet lanes.

Sunshine and a cool breeze made a fine first beach ride: swims and a long laze at Lannacombe Beach, then views over Slapton Ley. The day was marked by light-hearted confusion: Hazel's wrong turn became a solo route via Kingsbridge, and Dave and Roger were found sunning on a rock.

Dave delegated the lead to his son, and Philip Humphreys took the group on an interesting loop that linked all the tracks around Marldon. Michael and Shane joined at the last minute, making for a fine, easy-flowing evening on the trails.

A moorland run to Chalk Ford via Lud Gate felt like new ground for many locals, the rough descent the highlight. Early drama saw young Alan snap his front brake yoke cable, so he crept down, and with drizzle looming we headed back through Scoriton.

After back lanes to Sigford, a map stop settled it: skip the Haytor climb and try a new track to Liverton. It proved steep and rough—great fun for the mountain bikers—and, aside from a puncture near Blackpool School, we rolled home from an area we rarely visit.

A brisk, pragmatic outing to Stover Park: the scenic route was dropped after one rider’s suspect freewheel, but a hidden back entrance led to half an hour on gravel and dust, approved by a friendly warden, before everyone regrouped at the ice-cream van for triple-sausage hot dogs.

Showers cleared for a dry evening, to the annoyance of those who stayed at home, and a planned short excursion to Ipplepen grew into a loop via Denbury and Red Post, back to Five Lanes by 9pm. Newcomers Mark and Richard coped impressively on their first ride.

Damp weather kept us close to home, past Buckfast Abbey to Hembury Woods and on to Holne. The talking point was Dayle pulling his valve off while pumping a tyre, delaying the group before we returned via Michelcombe and Scorriton.

Hastily arranged, the outing became a convoy‑and‑cash collection exercise to ferry everyone from Buckfastleigh to a Torquay cinema and back. On screen, Indiana Jones teams up with his father to race for the Holy Grail, outwitting the Nazis with brisk chases, puzzles and dry humour.

After a morning ride to Avonwick, the afternoon treasure hunt turned tactical: two teams shortened the route to finish on time, while a third risked all three sections and mounting penalties. The anxious wait ended with their gamble paying off; organiser Richard Hopper awarded the prizes, content to have watched the Wimbledon finals live.