K
KevKing
Guest
Originally conceived as a bike weekend to celebrate my birthday (Sept 11th) I am pleased to report that the Great Dartmoor 9-11 weekend was a sound success, despite the occasional inclement weather for which that part of the country is famous. Carolyn and I managed to get to Princetown before it started to rain at around 5pm and the others turned up slightly later and much wetter! A quick decision about camping meant that it was a non-starter as the campsite was rapidly flooding and so the team was booked into the Burrator Inn, Dousland near Yelverton, where we were able to abuse the bar and make plans. :beer: On Saturday morning it rained solidly but after a couple of coffees Moog had the great? Idea of going out anyhow. Jon and Anya were also getting itchy feet and so we headed off for the coast at Dartmouth. As we got off the moor the rain stopped and by the time we got to the coast it was (almost) sunny. A stroll along the front and a light (except Taffy Dave) lunch followed. Stage two of Moog?s tour of Devon and we headed towards Kingsbridge. Dunno how he did it but we managed to get stuck behind everything from a tourist coach to a lost Dutchman and so made an impressive 25mph most of the way! :bang: However the last leg back to Dartmoor was better as we had fun on the roads towards Plymouth and beyond. Turning onto the Tavistock road we were almost taken out en masse by a people carrier ?I think he was lucky that he didn?t upset Taffy too much, particularly after a previous encounter with a hapless Dartmoor sheep. Remember ? the only ones who walk into the road are the ones ambling around ? if they are eating they won?t bother you! The black cows in the dark can also be a problem with their lack of high-vis lighting. Back to the pub and the very nicely appointed rooms and very friendly bar and staff. Brilliant meal by a cracking chef followed by reliving the days events over a beer or three and watching Khan?s easy victory in the boxing later. :yo: Sunday was really just a time to have a major breakfast and to say goodbyes. Thoroughly enjoyable despite the weather (which seems was worse in the Mudlands) and a strong team that made the effort. Thanks for sharing my birthday on Sunday go to Moog, Taffy and Ros, Mike and his wife, Jon and Anya and Revzy. Mal ? where did you get to? And Shropslad ? rain stopped play?? Long live the Massif and looking forward to the next meet when I get back from sea in the New Year. Nowhere exotic this time ? just Newcastle and Scotland in the winter ? deep joy!
Red is best and there more of us!!
Red is best and there more of us!!