#1232 Cricketfield Road, Newton Abbot - Brillo - 2nnd November 2025

It was sunny leaving Exeter, but got darker as we closed in on Newton Abbot. It started to rain, but we didn't bring any waterproofs! Spocky had a plan... "Have you got a knife", he asked... Next time I saw him he had cut a hole in a Range 'bag for life'

I asked AI to create this, and it didn't work work out

So the trail started, but I had to first go back to the car to get some sweeties for the trail, which I gave to Brillo who was 'remarking the trail after the sweetie stop'. We were to meet him in Courtney Park.

It wasn't easy finding the trail to catch up, and I found the pack milling around, looking confused at Town Quay. There was an organge check, lots of old Teign Valley marks, but nothing obvious to follow. After a loop around the Maltings (secretly hoping it might be open) we resorted to ringing Wide to get directions. He was now just making it up. We passed the back markers in Sandringham Park, and to our amazement found a check at Penn Inn.

From then it was nicer clear marks around the edge of Sainsbury's, before we lost them again. Wide and I took a long loop, with Bollards lost behind, with the shorts heading into Forde Park. And there was Brillo (note not Courtney Park!). We'd now completely lost Bollards who was very disappointed to not get any sweets. 

From there, just a little jog back to the car park, by which point Spocky had emptied himself from the bag and put it back in the boot to exchange for a new one next time he goes to The Range!

Some of the pack went to the Stoop Inn, Kingsteignton for lunch.

Next week we need a hare!!

On

On

stix

#1228 Mamhead Obelisk - Gromit and Gazunda - 12 October 2025

Gazunda marked a big warning triangle on the ground: Gromit was ill and we shouldn't go near him. So a big thankyou for making it out on the trail! 

She also told us that the sweetie stop was going to be at the viewpoint, so we all knew where that was. What we didn't know, was once we'd got there, (5 miles on the long) is whether there was another half-a-trail to go! To everyone's relief, there wasn't...!

But getting too that point was quite a tiring run, not helped by a really long 😂  haha 😂.  Bollards, me and Trojan got there first, but we made sure the rest of them longs enjoyed the experience too. We didn't actually say that it was a fish hook, they just assumed! 

Some photos from Gromit below! 

Next week we're at the Mount Radford, Exeter, with free parking in bays along Magdalen Road, and parking on single yellows along St Leonard's Road (the pub is at the junction of these)

On

On

#1227 Wonford Leisure Centre - Happy Snapper - 5 October 2025

From Wide:

I managed 6.9miles on the shorts today, I think I checked the checks in all directions possible. 

Thank you for the trail @⁨Janet Anders⁩ , we went to some bits of Exeter I’d never been to before. Only a small pack but everyone enjoyed themself and got back safely.

#1226 Brightside Cafe, Haldon - Wide Receiver - 28 September 2025

We circled up in the sun. Gripper, on his bicycles, arrived just after Trojan in the van. And so Gripper later got a down down for racing to the hash.  

We watched a parade of overly sized family vehicles driving into the car park for a overly sized American breakfast! We also watched as one of those overly sized sheds drove straight into the back of a parked car as they were squeezing into a space. I think he missed reverse and left a sizable dent... He knew we'd seen him as he looked over our way and we stared back!! Hopefully he went and did the right thing.

The hare told us that it was a technical trail (whatever that means), the short was 5... km, and long was more like 5 miles. There was no walkers trail and they'd have to keep up!! Bollards was knackered and recovering from illnesses, so I'd  assumed that she'd be doing the shorts, but managed to be in the pack with the longs and even front running at some points! Lady Killer was on his way, but it turns out he was dropped off on the wrong side of the A38! He eventually caught up, but got a down down as punishment.

The trail took us through the trees and across the road to the forrest park, and then taking a tarmac path to the slip lane of the old A38 Haldon Hill, with a check. We pivoted here away from the main road and into the valley.  Lots of mountain bikes that Wide told us to be careful of. 

Then as we re-entered the forest, a long short split, where Bollards checked down a narrow path. Wide called her back and said that "I'll make it easier for you, it's that way" pointing her down the hill where the rest of us were going. Down and down we went, only to find a haha. He got a down down for that...

Not long after that was the sweetie stop, and the hash flash. We continued initially slowly along some beautiful tracks, and then got slightly confused in a wooded section where the longs did a loop and then met the shorts going the other way. An really pretty long split at the end rounded off a great trail, with down downs for Wide, Gripper and Lady Killer in the circle. 

Next week it's a Happy Snapper trail from Windows Wonford Leisure Centre.