Only two souls for the hard ride, namely Richard Wiseman and myself, and 9am saw us riding fast through Compton to get warmed up. A main road bash to Exeter gave us time to linger in “The Tea Shoppe” in Topsham for crumpets and treacle tart, then we began the climb over Woodbury Common and the subsequent drop to Otterton and the hospitality of the McDowells.

The countryside and buildings of East Devon always seem different to us Torbay folk, and we enjoyed the undulating lane to Newton Poppleford. Soon into lanes again, we climbed and then plummeted into Woodbury Salterton to take “fives” and debate as to whether we would take the towpath from Exeter to Exminster. We did and were rewarded by a clarity of light on the river Exe such as you only get on these winter late afternoons.

We invited ourselves to tea at the Hassall residence in Dawlish, and on chucking out time we put on all extra clothing and began the long climb up to the golf course just to enjoy the downhill run into Kingsteignton. Back on the main road to Torbay, we had notched up eighty odd miles in perfect (but cold) weather.

(Robert Spence)