Not the anticipated large turnout for our Christmas Lunch run, the weather not being very encouraging and the forecast even less so. A number of the expected faces were missing, and the “possibles” seem to have hibernated for the winter.

The wind was quite fierce but didn’t affect us too much in the lanes to our Newton Abbot pick-up point. From Kingsteignton we were again in sheltering lanes from Sandygate to Babcombe and then after crossing the main road to Ideford and Luton.

The gentle climb from Luton had only a small sting in the tail, above Higher Rixdale, taking us over the lowest crossing of the Haldon ridge. Alpine stuff in the drop to Dawlish Water with a series of near hairpin bends and then gentle running ground to the back of Dawlish.

After a tour of inspection of the town and a fairly brief battle on the beach with the onshore gale we headed for the sanctuary of Hawterys (Don’s home). Don and Grace had organised a good Ploughman’s Lunch and some fairly potent cider among other things for those who had worked up an appetite and thirst, and they even let the motoring fraternity, who had joined us, join in the feast.

The weather put paid to any idea of a ride between lunch and “tea and mince pies” later in the afternoon, but this period was easily filled with chatter and, for those who chose, some of Don’s excellent audio-visual sequences – slides shows with music, for the uninitiated.

The weather had changed from bad to worse and by the time we eventually left the warmth of Don and Grace’s it had got to a truly diabolical state with a howling wind and torrential rain. There were problems with dynamos slipping on wet tyres and capes blowing all over the place until we eventually reached the relative peace of the valley from Combeinteignhead to Torquay. Shaldon Bridge itself was quite exhilarating with about a thirty-degree lean needed to stay on the bike and an odd boat being knocked to bits on the stonework.

(Colin Brierly)

[The attendance list for this event is currently incomplete]