The morning after the very successful Maypool Party we had anticipated being joined by the Exeter Sections, but they decided that the combination of warm sun and seaside was too good to miss and headed back along the coast.

It takes a lot of initiative, or even original thinking, to manage to get lost between Kingsteignton and Chudleigh Bridge, but such a feat is not beyond the ability of some of the faster members of the Section. We had waited at Marldon for the folk who had stayed at Maypool overnight after the party, and by the time our wanderers had eventually got to Chudleigh Bridge, thoughts were of food in the fairly near future.

It must be said that on such a glorious day, waiting for folk was no hardship, and all that was needed for lunch was a peaceful place to sit in the sun. The top of Haldon seemed to offer plenty of possibilities, but a sunny bank just above Harcombe on our lane route proved too tempting to pass; although peace was not perfect, Jean and I were not too disturbed by the distant noise of clay pigeon shooting and the rather nearer noise of Michael being buried in bracken – with insects of course!

After the delays it was obvious that Whitestone was going to be too far for other than the very fittest, and we contented ourselves with a run along the top of Haldon to Windy Cross before dropping into the Teign Valley and heading for home.

(Colin Brierly)

[1 point: Don Hassall]