Since those of us who attended the New Year Party were staying the night at Don’s residence at Dawlish, we had a fair ride next morning to meet up with the rets of the gang at the Buckfastleigh pickup. Nevertheless, we accomplished the journey in seventy-five minutes, arriving just as the drizzle was settling in for the morning. Only Colin and Richard were there to meet us, so when Dominic had a puncture it didn’t take long for everyone to think about Redmount again – why does it always rain when the pickup is at Buckfastleigh?

With entertainment of all kinds, from music to video, coffee soon turned into lunch, but shortly afterwards the sun came out and we were able to enjoy a short ride over the moors via Hembury, Buckland-in-the-Moor and Cold East Cross. The air was clean and fresh, and we all felt a good deal better by the end of the afternoon.

(Michael Jones)

[The attendance list for this event is currently incomplete]

On the 23rd, despite good weather, only six members met at the Bickington pickup for the ride to North Bovey. Well, actually there were eight, but Kevin and Nigel dropped out at the last minute, for reasons best known to themselves. We rode up the hill to Haytor and took the road around Hound Tor instead of dropping down to Manaton.

It was rather cold despite the sunshine, and we were only a little surprised to find we had gravitated towards Old Yarde Farm at North Bovey. Yes, this was the home of Relko, the famous Rocking Horse stable, but more importantly the “jockey” was at home. For those who don’t remember, Tim Reep and his son used to ride with us quite often about eighteen months ago, but we hadn’t seen him for a while and had a lot of news to catch up on. When lunch had been eaten by the stove we had a look for the first time at some of the horses on display. They really were beautifully made and must be great fun for children to play on.

When we had thanked Tim for his hospitality we pressed onwards to return via Cold East Cross and Bickington. Yes, a superb ride, even though we finished on a muddy track!

(Michael Jones)

[The attendance list for this event is currently incomplete]

And so, we come to the last ride of the month, which was to Ashcombe Tower. We were pleased to see the two Marks out with us again, but support from the rest of the crew was poor, probably because of the intermittent hail and snow. Nevertheless, we braved the elements and set off towards Kingsteignton and the golf course.

I left the others near Lindridge Park, and Rob Spence left shortly afterwards, leaving Michael, Dominic and the Marks to find Ashcombe Tower. They didn’t actually find it, but were near enough when the snow came in. They hastily rode to Dawlish for a cup of tea and sanctuary from the weather, but at 2.30 they reluctantly left for the journey home.

A good month for Torbay then, with attendances creeping back to the pre-monsoon levels. There are plenty of exciting events planned for the new season, including tours, cycle-camping, film shows and even film-making, so there’s no excuse for not joining in the fun!

(Michael Jones)

Mark Morton and Eddie Wingfield had been the sole participants in the hard ride to the South Hams. I understand they had an interesting day, finishing up at Eddie’s home in South Brent for refreshments.

(Michael Jones)

February was, on the whole, a dry month, but bitter easterly winds made several of the rides a trifle cold to say the least. Average attendance for the month was just over ten.

The Afternoon Run was well attended – a fact which was probably not entirely unrelated to tea being at Colin’s that evening! Jamie Spence made his annual visit to the Section along with his father – if he keeps up this regular exercise for just a few more years he’ll soon be fit enough to join us twice a year!

The fourteen of us decided on a shortish ride, beginning with a detour through Blagdon to Afton and continuing via Hemsford to Broadhempston. From there, a brisk return was made to Paignton through Park Hill, the last drag up from Compton leaving a certain young gentleman most definitely ready for tea!

And, of course, the spread was delicious, particularly Jean’s super vol-au-vents and fruit flan. A little snooker rounded off the day’s activities admirably, and we were once again indebted to Colin and Jean for their hospitality.

(Michael Jones)

[The attendance list for this event is currently incomplete]

The following Saturday was the evening of the DA Valentine Party at Maypool youth hostel. The event was attended by the Exeter A, Torbay, Plymouth and Barnstaple Sections and seemed to be a great success once again. The hostel is ideal for such games as Crazy Post, with people running in all directions, including up and down! We are grateful to the wardens for making us so welcome and look forward to returning next year.

(Michael Jones)

On the cold, grey day of 13th February six of us met at Totnes for the ride to Hansel Mill – there would have been more had it not been for the previous evening’s antics! Eddie Wingfield was out again, this time accompanied by his friend Iona, out for her first ride. Also making a welcome return to Club life after mock A-levels was Frances Lofty, but she’ll soon have to settle down to work again for the real exams in June.

We joined the Strete road by taking the lanes through Tuckenhay and Allaleigh, and a few miles before the end we turned right to descend the steep sides of the Hansel valley. With the temperature as it was, lunch was not a drawn-out affair, and as soon as we had finished admiring the beauty and seclusion of the area we began the long climb up the other side. We said goodbye to three of our number near Diptford, which left Colin, Frances and me to wend our way homewards.

(Michael Jones)

[The attendance list for this event is currently incomplete]

The Dunchideock ride had a good turnout, with two new members – Gareth Bath and John Babbage – making numbers up to nine at the Chudleigh Bridge pickup. There would have been two more if Matthew and Richard had not had a puncture on the way from Newton Abbot.

Colin had to leave us because of a bad cold, so the remaining eight of us set off up the Teign Valley to Doddiscombesleigh and Sexton’s Cross, from where we slogged up over the hill to the destination. Shelter from the wind was not immediately forthcoming, and we had progressed to Shillingford before a suitable lunch spot was found. As with the previous week the breeze was not exactly warm, and we were quickly on the bikes again, eager for hills to climb.

We arrived early at Dorrie Amos’ house in Exeter for our cup of tea, and by the time Don turned up we had cleared most of the food! After thanking Dorrie for her welcome Port of Call we made all speed along the ship canal, where Gareth entertained us all by falling off his bike and nearly slipping into the icy depths! We were honoured to have Don riding with us all the way to Dawlish, but whilst his offer of another cup of tea was very tempting it was high time we were making tracks for home.

It was nice to see Phil Burrows and son Matthew out with us again after a winter hibernation, and I was particularly pleased to welcome Gareth into the ranks – a long-standing friend of mine from STC Paignton.

(Michael Jones)

[The attendance list for this event is currently incomplete]

And so, we come to the last ride of the month. We had intended to try Wonwell Beach again, but the wind and rain soon made us forget all such ideas. It looks like Wonwell Beach is another Cawsand, conjuring up bad weather whenever we try to visit!

The pickup was at Avonwick, a long way from Buckfastleigh you may think. Well, it obviously wasn’t far enough, because the wheels started turning in the direction of South Brent and Harbertonford, and by 12.15 everyone had settled down in front of the log fire at Redmount!

During the course of the next three hours, Matthew managed to burn a hole in his socks whilst waving them in front of the fire on the end of a toasting fork, a number of people enjoyed television and music whilst eating their lunch, and Jean commented that these were the easiest three attendance points she had ever earned! Such is life in Torbay Section.

(Michael Jones)

[The attendance list for this event is currently incomplete]

Things will be a little different in the Section from now on. After two and a half years at STC I have recently accepted a three-month trial appointment with National Children’s Home near Stroud, and because the job involves working at weekends my Sunday attendance will sadly have to drop to about one per month. I will still be continuing in the role of Section Secretary, organising most of the major events such as camping and hostel weekends, summer socials and tours, but clearly I will not be able to help with much of the day-to-day running of the Section.

As Section Delegate, Kevin Presland will be taking on this responsibility, ably assisted by Colin Brierly and Michael Ward, but they would be grateful for any offers of assistance with such matters as the writing of Torbay Topics and the planning of runs. Kevin can be contacted on Haytor 388 and he should be able to answer any queries you may have about Section activities.

Finally, there are a number of members waiting for news about the 1983 Junior Tour for August. We have been waiting for British Rail to confirm the travel arrangements, but after a recent conversation with them I am pleased to announce that we are going to be able to run this year’s tour to South West Scotland at a very reasonable price. At the time of writing this looks like being around £55 for eight days (20-27 August) including food. So make a note in your diary, save your pounds and watch out for the circular which will be issued around mid-March!

(Michael Jones)