Hayley on her R1, Melanie on the GSXR1000, both dark and stealth like going off to Devon, via Winchester, Stockbridge and Shaftesbury. Taking in all the views on the way like the Hilltop Café which looks like a good place to stop on bikes one Sunday.

We stopped for lunch at the airfield of Compton Abbas. Baguettes and tea for our tummies and a quick walk round the old planes and the hilltops.

After our pit stop we made our way down zig zag hill, what hairy bends they were.Weather good so far, but looking grey by 3pm towards our direction. Nice long sweeping bends and stopping for fuel before the M5, where the nice garage man let us tie a pint of milk in our tail pack before purchasing in case it didn’t fit.We’d need it for when we arrived at our lodgings. Hayley did a nice route all the way there, the only bit that wasn’t clear were the signs when we got there, and we spent 50 mins trying to find it, when really it turned out to be easy and we needn’t have got lost.

After much trepidation riding down narrow lanes which were so overgrown that as Hayley passed through the brambles whacked Melanie around the chops and in the chest, in addition to this we also had a long gravel and winding drive to complete our journey. That was fun ...not...what seemed like an eternity keeping out of ruts and missing boulders...have you ever tried scrambling on a sports bike...eek! Though once we were happy the bikes were settled for the night, we went to investigate our cosy little cottage called ‘The Den’.

Absolutely shattered we peeled off our leathers (it was very hot and lads put your tongues back in we did have under clothes on) and made a cup of tea with the milk that fortunately had not shot off and hit some poor driver behind us, before wondering whether to ride into the village for dinner or shop for supplies or to walk the half hour to the nearest pub. Anyway, we decided we’d leave the bikes and take the walk.We tried the public footpath that we were told would take us to Atherington Village, but upon starting, bit wet and nettley so we turned back not wanting to get lost especially as it would be dark in an hour. We got back to the road and within 10 minutes we heard the white van man who we’d seen back at the farm come up behind us, Melanie yelled give us a lift, couldn’t believe he stopped, there was only one seat but he said sure if you want to get in the back, so we did, we didn’t care it was little mucky and full of rubble.

At the pub, we had one drink that went straight to our heads as we were hungry and tired. Our dinner was served, and being so tired, we decided to take the trek back. It was rather dark by this time and an interesting walk back we had, in between hundreds of little frogs and watching out for the pot holes as we did not want to twist our ankles...glad we had the mini torch with us.

Having not got to sleep until 2.30am due to noisy neighbours in the next barn then awake again at 4.30 with the cockerels we finally gave up trying and dozed til 7.05 where we made a cup of tea (still had the milk). Outside looked decidedly grey so we adorned our waterproofs to the bike’s rear seat and set off over the gravel track once more towards Barnstaple.

We went through immense traffic and our wrists were starting to hurt and once we’d parked up we were quite disappointed to realise that the only two places of interest were the same two places printed in the brochure. In addition to that Hayley did not seem quite herself (that gravel track still giving her nightmares, so we wandered through the market and got a couple of cold drinks before going back to the bikes. We then decided to ride to Ilfracombe where the beaches and cliffs were.More traffic and a lovely stretch of road before yet more town traffic and finally finding somewhere to park near the cliffs. A Few photo’s, a walk and a spot of lunch in the pub with a high top view of the cliffs over the sea and where we watched a group of lads jump into the sea and into their Kayaks.

We headed once again to our bikes to find the big Tesco by Barnstaple to get our supplies, having taken our emergency rucksacks to carry it all in. Great things these fold up rucksacks a must for all riders.

After tea we walked round the Country Estate and took in all the lovely views, it was beautiful, the sun went down, the bats came out to play and Melanie bounced 20 feet in the air to tried to catch one and ended up on her back on the giant trampoline in the gardens. Shame the sky wasn’t clear that night as it would have been exceptionable in this area, we would be able to see for miles and with no light pollution.

After a better night’s sleep we again woke up at 7.05 and it was Mel’s time to make tea and put music on. We had breakfast and wandered round the gardens again seeing new things each time and found the cockerels that must have woken us up the night before. We then went to the Gym and tried all but the weights. Next we went into the pool room and had a nose, no table football though as the book suggested, that would have been a laugh, but we did find on the wall, a picture of this working farm and the surrounding buildings from 1960 and how it used to look. Our Den being a barn, and the original farmhouse opposite and the gym room being the corn room it was amazing.

Back to the Den for refreshments then back outside to the decking and picnic area, this time seeing 2 cockerels, but these were quiet ones as they were made of twigs. It was lovely having a chill out time and wandering where to go next...

Later that afternoon we decided to take that walk to Atherington Village, we scrambled through the brambles of this public footbath, and got to a couple of dead ends before finding the ‘real’ path again. We didn’t know whether to give up, then we saw a farmer, we asked him if we were going the right way, but he told us to go back to the main road. This made us more determined to continue. After what seemed forever we saw the light shining through a tunnel of trees, and best of all a concrete path.Ah, we thought we’ve made it, by now it was nearly 5 o’clock and we knew of the tea rooms and corner shop so we hurried the last bit in case it shut at 5pm. It turned out to be 5.30 so we went in, we were so hot, so no cream tea, we settled for bottled water, and asked the man behind the counter to open the bottle, as Melanie explained that it got rather stiff when it had been in the fridge. He laughed and said he’d have to try that out, and his wife agreed, and they were all laughing except for Melanie, as she had no idea what she’d said. Then got rather embarrassed and asked for ice cream. The owners were lovely and so friendly, we had a little chat with them before making our way back the same way, but this time we didn’t get lost and it was far easier, we were told that the farmer didn’t like people walking on his land, although we did have right of way, and we made it back in 32 minutes! (Bikes had a day off...it had nothing to do with the gravel track with boulders and potholes he he).

The travelling home day We had a nice cup of tea again waking up at 7.05 how bizarre, and then slowly gathering our things together having breakfast and loading our bikes up. We left at nearly 11am, doing the gravel track and pot holes one more final time (Hayley especially relieved of that) and riding through the Atherington village beeping our horn at the village shop where we stopped yesterday. Fuel at the garage by 11.11 we were on our way. The route back not as nice as the route there, but couple roads nice, just a shame we got stuck on the good twisty ones doing only 30mph in a 60 limit because of some german truck. So our wrists starting hurting again. Somehow we missed the road (was there one) saying Dorchester/Axminster or Doncaster as Hayley kept saying - jeez Melanie thought, we are going to end up in Sheffield! But as it happens we went wrong and were heading to Exeter! Oh dear, we turned back as soon as we could come off and found a garage for a loo stop and a drink of water. (I laughed and thought of John Goodson and how when I first started my Advance riding and missing a couple of turns and then having to turn round and come back).

More roads and more fuel by 120 miles and finally finding a nice pub in Winterborne Zelston called the Worlds End for lunch. Nice pub, with a nice car park so a good stop for bikes...though watch out for the one way in entrance...we will say no more about that, will we Hayley....