The next weekend was the Inter-DA Photographic, and five of us rode up to Stoke Canon for our picnic lunch. We grew to fourteen with the Luxtons, Keith, Jean and four from Plymouth for the ride to Bampton and Wiveliscombe, where we stopped for welcome and needed refreshments.

Plenty of bikes already in the Crowcombe Heathfield hostel shed confirmed that Bristol folk were there before us, but with care we found room for ours and we were soon joining in the chatter in the hostel.

Not quite as many people at Crowcombe this year, but still a good crowd for what I always think is one of the best weekends of the year. An excellent collection of slides from the three Das, with Wessex, after a number of years in the doldrums, challenging Bristol very hard, and Devon being relegated to bottom position. I don’t think we deserved to be as far behind as we were, but I have a suspicion that the judge, Jack Gillespie, doesn’t award many points to landscapes. He did say we would have done better if we had had a greater variety, but with the limited number of people we managed to get entries from, this was not possible.

Thanks to those who did let us have slides for the event – I’ll pass on details of the individual scores when the list comes through from Bristol. Scores for the 24 slides from each DA were: Devon 280, Wessex 316, Bristol 320. So once again, Bristol hold the trophy.

(Colin Brierly)

[1 point: Don Hassall]
[2 points: Noel and Robert Downie]
[3 points: Antony House, Kevin Presland]
[4 points: everyone else]

Our return ride started on a rather grey though dry morning with the sun gradually turning it into a wonderful spring day. For a change we followed lanes to Milverton and then turned off the Wellington road into Langford Budville, to follow the Grand Western Canal to Sampford Peverell and Halberton.

A lunch spot in the sun not very far along the Bob Ellis route to Butterleigh provided interest for a couple of donkeys who came over to watch the animals fed, and then a gentle climb to Butterleigh, followed by a run down the Burn Valley.

I decided that, in view of a couple of “eggs” that had developed in the front tyre of my solo the previous day, it would be wiser to join Jean in the car from Stoke Canon, but the others had a pleasant ride home down “The Valley”.

(Colin Brierly)

[The attendance list for this event is currently incomplete]