27th November and Richard Wiseman and I headed into the warm drizzle towards the Jones’ Buckfastleigh estate. Nice to see Mr and Mrs Downie. Various assorted damp cyclists began arriving at Redmount for coffee.

We then found a superb spot for lunch and photography, namely the Redmount living room and Michael’s slides of Scotland and Exmoor! At 1.30pm the day run began with the up-down Holne to Hexworthy route, and at the B3357 junction Kevin and his friend Gary headed for Plymouth whilst we turned right and put the wind behind us. After the mammoth climb out of deserted Dartmeet, we dropped down to Ponsworthy where Matthew Burrows dropped further still into the watersplash.

Blackadon Tor received only a passing glance as we rode gingerly down a lane, slippery with mountains of dead leaves, into the Webburn and Dart valleys. Eventually only Richard, Michael Ward and I were left to descend in gathering dusk into Ashburton, where a cosy café provided tea and gateaux to fuel us for our lamplit ride back to Torbay.

(Robert Spence)