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Five of us set off on a cold morning towards Topsham Bridge. By Berry Pomeroy, Richard Wiseman had lost his scarf, Mike Ward had caught us and Richard Read had a puncture. After failing to mend it at the second attempt he called it a day at Totnes. After an uneventful ride through familiar lanes we arrived at Topsham Bridge via the “white road”, which became much steeper and rougher as we descended.

After a short lesson on the habits of salmon, we ate lunch sitting on the wooden bridge about 200 yards downstream. Sitting in the cold, we vowed we would find ourselves a steaming hot pot of tea during the afternoon.

We dragged ourselves out of the valley and descended back into it through Woodleigh. By the old station we agreed to explore the old railway line, but soon turned back when confronted by a private-looking gate. On the return journey, Stephen Bowles decided to attack an over-hanging branch. However, it wrapped itself around his bars and brought him crashing, laughing, to the ground. Richard looked around to see what the trouble was and rode off into the bushes! No damage done we struggled up to the Courtlands Centre where Richard decided to attack Mike’s back light, and all but destroyed it.

We descended into Kingsbridge in search of that tea - to no avail. We trudged over to Torcross where we were sure we would find it, but were disappointed, along with what seemed like hundreds of other people who were out enjoying the autumn sunshine. At the other end of Slapton Sands we hiked up the old track - I’m sure the main road would have been easier. No tea at Strete either, but at Blackpool Sands it awaited us in the beachside café – open every Sunday except Christmas Day. Mind you, the gateaux are expensive, but the pots of tea are to be recommended.

We were reluctant to leave the warmth of the café, but eventually did so, heading for the higher Dartmouth ferry. The long drag up to Hillhead sapped the remainder of our energy, and we slowly wended our way through the metropolis to our destinations, and Sunday dinner.

(Phil Burrows)

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)

Sadly, no report was written for this ride.

[The attendance list for this event is currently incomplete]

The weather forecast for Sunday 11th December was not promising for our run to Spinsters Rock, but four of us left Five Lanes and swept through Compton and over the hump to Newton Abbot, thence to Bovey Tracey to pick up Michael Ward.

Cape-ing up and down was the order of the day up the valley the Moretonhampstead, where we decided to leave the old Spinsters for another day and shorten our route by climbing up and over Doccombe to have our lunch in the woods at Steps Bridge. Richard Wiseman was not quickly enough on the shutter button to capture the robin hopping onto his shoe!

Extra clothing was dinned for a cold Teign Valley, where we attempted some shepherding before riding on with the intention of invading the Brodie household for tea and crumpets to bring a cold but not too wet day to a close.

(Robert Spence)

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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]

No report was written for this ride, so it probably never happened.

New Year’s Day saw eleven windswept riders arrive at Five Lanes. There followed a cautious ride towards Ipplepen, the road being covered in compressed shiny mud making braking fairly tricky. Glenn Powling and his brother left us at the main road and the res of us continued to Woodland, getting a bit of rough stuff practice on the way. Nigel left us and continued home to Ashburton and the rest returned to Colin and Jean’s at Paignton for tea via Denbury and Two Mile Oak.

Don and Grace, plus a few others from Torbay, joined us there for a splendid tea of sausage rolls, sandwiches and plenty of mince pies of course!

(Graham Brodie)

[We have been unable to find attendance records for this period, so the attendance list for this event is incomplete]

Four cyclists left Five Lanes on a bright and crisp January 8th and we doubled our numbers in Totnes with the addition of Mike Bowden and “Bewhiskered” Benstead – and Phil and Matthew Burrows who had been hotly pursuing us from Marldon.

Our favourite lanes were followed to Moreleigh, Coles Cross and Chillington with a helpful wind. Then we undulated towards Start Point for our turning to Hallsands and lunch amongst the ruins of this unfortunate ghost town. However, our spirits were high, which helped to keep out the cold, and it wasn’t long before we heaved our bikes over the headland to Greenstraight and commenced our stroll along the beach.

The rocks at Tinsey Head were somewhat .. ahem .. awkward, but our feet remained dry and we delighted in the incredulous faces of the Beesands fishermen.

On to Sunnydale, then up the 1 in 1-and-a-bit track over to Torcross in stinging rain from a black sky. Thoughts of the tea shop at Blackpool Sands spurred us on, and the genial owner made us welcome.

On the way to Dartmouth, Phil Benstead bade us goodbye and disappeared Plymouth-bound into the evening gloom. We used the Higher Ferry, knowing that the climb to Hillhead would warm us up for our last few miles to our homes.

(Robert Spence)

[We have been unable to find attendance records for this period, so the attendance list for this event is incomplete]

Only four of us out on my run to North Bovey, and no doubt many of my “friends” would say “What do you expect when you’re down to lead?”. But I claim that it was because of the snow and the threat of more.

For a change from our usual Teigngrace route to Bovey we went via Chudleigh Knighton common and then, after a short spell on the main Moreton road, took to the lanes to Lustleigh. After admiring the Wreyland Manor area of Lustleigh, the steep hill towards the Leave area involved plenty of “two steps forward and one back” in the couple of inches of snow.

Not bad going to North Bovey, and I had thought of Tim Reep’s warm kitchen as a lunch spot, but Yard Farm looked deserted and a neighbour exercising his dog confirmed that Tim and his wife emigrated to New Zealand a few months ago, but at least we had the comfort of the neighbour’s hay store for lunch purposes. I was quite surprised a couple of nights later when Spotlight South West had an interview with some recent emigrees from Devon to New Zealand who make beautiful rocking horses – yes, right first time!

The lane from Yard towards Canna Park was a bit dodgy in places, but the more major road past Hound Tor had been cleared most of the way. A heavy snow shower of the hard, stinging variety made life uncomfortable for a while, but the open moor looked grand and there were an amazing number of people getting in winter sports practice.

(Colin Brierly)

[We have been unable to find attendance records for this period, so the attendance list for this event is incomplete]