With the holiday season coming to an end, a few of the members from Axe Valley Pedallers set off to various parts of the UK for a change of scenery.

John Hodgetts and family went to the Lake District and, together with his son, decided to tackle Skiddaw the hard way---by bike of course, which meant grinding and pushing their bikes somehow to reach the highest points, not for the fainthearted!

Our intrepid explorer Graham visited Uffington, and as the Ridgeway National Trail was nearby, he didn't need an invitation, and visited Wayland's Smithy, Uffington Castle and White Horse, three churches and an old canal before returning to join his family for a cream tea provided by the ladies of the parish church.

The Ridgeway is an impressive 89 miles long and surprisingly remote in places, following a ridge of chalk hills from Avebury to Ivanhoe Beacon, north of London.

Clive Heard and David Gray decided to dip their toes into the very muddy world of cyclo-cross racing by entering the first of a series of events in the South West, starting at Cricket St. Thomas, more on that in the next report.

Richard Gorst decided to finish off his very successful year of Cross Country MTB racing by taking part in the Welsh National Championships, producing another great podium finish to cap a year with 16 races, 2 wins, 8 podiums, and a 5th place in National Rankings for his age category - a brilliant season.

Although he says he now needs a rest, we think that will be short, with many hill climb events looming on the horizon. Richard would like to thank the support and sponsorship he has received from the Filling Station Cafe and Colyford Cycles and RBS Scaffolding.

Our evening local "Glow Worm" riding group had a great but short ride in what might be the last pleasant early Autumn evening, finishing up at Ratty's near Musbury with glass in hand and enjoying the evening sun going down over glorious views across the lakes.