There was another hostelling week-end to East Marden in March and, at Easter, Snowdonia was the area chosen by one party for climbing and walking from the Ffestiniog hostel with plenty of snow and hail storms while ten more spent four days on the Isle of Wight and in the New Forest.

Bob Gray left in May for the Bahamas on a three year engagement as a civil engineer and an invitation ride to Walliswood in wet and dreary weather amassed 26 riders.  The speed-judging was run from Balls Cross, first place being shared by Hamish Smith and Alan Lonslow.  Help was given to a scout and rover jamboree at Stoney Castle where several hundred boys were under canvas.  There was a heat wave in June followed by a cloudburst and a further hostelling week-end at Alfriston.  Crowds of "flower people" and hippies, gathered for a jazz festival, marred a coffee break in Windsor.

August Bank Holiday was spent at Cleeve Hill hostel by more than a dozen members and also marked the end of a fortnight's tour in Yorkshire by several more.  Eleven entered for the "100", using the Heckfield/Meon Valley route and, in calm, warm weather, all succeeded in under 7 hours, Kevin Mahon - living temporarily at Wandsworth - covering 170 miles during the day.  There was a hostelling week-end to Greens Norton in September while October produced a joint run to Turgis Green with Kentish Wheelers.

Ian Price won the free-wheeling contest off Chobham Ridges and Russ Mantle carried off the hill-climb near Grayshott.  That evening, when climbing from Shottermill to Hindhead in rain, the leading riders were all but involved when a descending car hit the steep side of the cutting and somersaulted, landing on its roof amid a shower of sparks and broken glass.  The sole occupant emerged little the worse while the cyclists went for the nearest 'phone and directed the traffic.  A slide show at Woking Youth Centre brought a crowd of 50 and Sunday attendances were hovering around the 30 mark (yearly average - 21).  Map-reading and the treasure hunt were dropped from the Benstead Cup events.

Les Warner, Peter Knottley and Kentish Wheeler record holders Jack Holdsworth and Ted Franklin were guests at the Annual Dinner and good support was given to the Border C.A.'s tea at Darby Green where 170 cyclists and their families gathered.

In December, owing to Foot and Mouth restrictions, hostels in Hampshire were closed and a hostel trip was switched from Cranborne to Goudhurst and, for the same reason, Christmas hostelling in Wales was cancelled in favour of nights in Buckinghamshire, Essex and Kent.  There were several Sundays with snow, including the day of the Christmas tea at Dunsfold.

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Web page by Chris Jeggo.  Last revised:  9 January 2005.