Having someone close by means that you don't have the hassle of arranging stuff in advance etc, you can just turn up and go. Still, you never know, if you start out with the CTC it may turn out that some of them live nearby and will be keen to ride out apart from just on their scheduled rides.
There are a few local riders on here but the problem with Devon is so big that local means 20, 30 and 40 miles away! The friend we cycle most with lives about 16 miles away, I need a rest when I get there before we can actually head out for a ride!