Skiddaw Loop? Never done it, how’s it hold up in the wet? A bogfest or all rideable?

No, it is crap. I’ve done the said travelling round the world and yes, this country sucks balls.

Okay where have you been that’s significantly better than the UK and what made you think that?

House prices will always go up long term, no question, but the rate of rise is like lying a Toblerone on a table with one end resting on top of a book – in other words, there are plenty of peaks and troughs along a rising path.

Right now it feels like we’re nearly at the top of one of those big peaks, with a big downhill likely before we start going up again.

I doubt people would be driving like this without the opportunity to film and show off about it.

this i dont agree with …. when i was younger i knew several folk who drove like dicks just because they could and to wind others up. Dash cams/phone cams didnt exist in the mass markets back then either….they just did it for kicks.

Hmmm, well I’ve just come back from a snowboard trip. A guy in our group trip was filming us to make a video (with our consent) and you know what we all just pushed ourselves that little bit more than usual because we knew we were being filmed. Bigger jumps, faster speed, taking more risks, that sort of thing. Very tempting. When the camera was turned off people were far happier just to chill.

if a ‘guardian angel’ was going round taking exactly the same footage for the purpose of keeping everyone safe and hopefully catching some criminal activity that could be reported then, id say that would be more ‘socially acceptable’, no problem, thanks for taking the time mate.

dashcams to me are more like the second case.

Hmm, I hope you still see it that way when your ‘driving mistake’ is plastered over the internet for all to see.

We all make bad decisions occasionally, yes even me ;) In the past that was dealt with by the authorities who are fallible like everyone else, but whom at least are fair and accountable.

These days it seems that peoples driving mistakes are simply posted online for maximum ridicule and vigilante style justice. That’s really not a very nice thing to happen.

Oh and lets not even go down the route of Cashcams being used to record, glorify or brag to your mates later about your deliberate dangerous driving. Look on You-Tube, there’s thousands of these videos! I doubt people would be driving like this without the opportunity to film and show off about it.

id probably think the chap had strange tastes in porn but it wouldnt bother me

Again it’s not about you and whether you personally do or don’t like it – it’s about whether this sort of thing should be acceptable social behaviour generally – following and filming strangers – oh and then using that footage for whatever reason, for self gratification, to stitch someone else up, to sue someone for damages, to protect yourself because you feel unsafe (how sad), to embarrass or bully someone online, or for whatever other reason.

er…… but i wouldnt know about it so i couldnt have a problem with it.

Not sure if you get what I said – it’s not about you, more in general whether it’s socially acceptable for people to follow other people around (whether they know them or not, whether they’re going the same direction or not), sneakily filming them with a hidden camera?

Would you accept someone following you down the street, walking 10ft behind you filming you?

no that may p1ss me off a bit but unobtrusive cameras that you dont even realise are there dont bother me at all.

Okay to change this, would you think it’s acceptable for people walking 10ft behind you on the street to be sneakily and secretly filming you without your knowledge?

This is more of a question about what is socially acceptable behavior generally since I appreciate that if you’re in this situation being filmed and the person following you has a semi-concealed camera then you might never realise.

personally ive got no problem with cameras all over the town/roads, watching my every move if they so wish.

Well you and I are different – I really think it’s a big invasion of privacy being filmed all the time. Would you accept someone following you down the street, walking 10ft behind you filming you? No I doubt you would? Why should it be any different just because that camera is mounted in a car?

Honestly it sounds like half the people on here can’t drive! Other cars do unexpected and stupid things – you should expect and plan your driving around it, not rely on a Cashcam to simply apportion blame should the worst happen. With proper observation and anticipation then there’s very little out there on the road that should be unexpected. If you find you’re getting surprised all the time then you’re either not concentrating, perhaps lack driving experience or might simply benefit from some more training.

It’s the thin end of the wedge, where does it stop? Should I record myself (and those around me) all of the time doing everything just to prove in every situation that I’m not to blame for whatever happens around me?

There’s too many cameras now monitoring what people do – it’s getting ridiculous and the last thing we want is for those cameras to be in the hands of incompetents or those self serving militant types who are out to prove a point as seems to be the case with a lot of Cash/bike cam footage posted online.

Gigs are filmed on phones now for watching on a laptop later (rather than watching it live with your eyes in the first place). CCTV is everywhere, monitoring your every move. We had a drone hovering over our back garden around Xmas time. You can’t go biking or snowboarding any more without someone recording the whole damn thing on a GoPro to bore their mates with their average riding at the bar afterwards. For god’s sake give us a break!!!

Okay great so it seems we’re all more than happy to use dashcam footage to ‘sue the arse’ out of anyone else who makes a mistake, yet none of us is prepared to take extra training themselves to make the roads a safer place?

@agent007 unfortunately the standard of driving + the cash for crash gits are making them a necessity to keep your no claims!

Absolute bobbins – if you’re properly observant and leave sufficient space between you and the car in-front then why would you ever fall victim to this sort of thing? Perhaps that Cashcam money would be better spent on some extra driver training which might stop you having an accident in the first place?

what is your solution agent007

How about we all learn to drive a bit better and be more considerate towards each other instead if trying to pin the blame onto someone else every time something goes wrong?

Personally I object to people filming me without my permission when I’m out and about. CCTV everywhere is bad enough but now every Tom, Dick and Harry has a dashcam, seemingly ready to ‘dob in’ or post the mistakes of others online for all to see. Get a life FFS !!!

Cashcam? FFS why? Next we’ll all be walking round town with GoPros on our heads, just incase someone else does something we don’t like. Worlds gone mad!!!

These are starting to appreciate fast at the moment, only about 400 on the road, good time to buy I’d say :)

Then should that be applied to everything then?
Why have more than one bike?
Why have a house bigger than absolutely necessary (i.e. parents and 1 child = two bed house)
Why holiday abroad when you can holiday here?
Why have a TV bigger than 30″
Chips are just potatoes with optional extras
etc.

Life is full of unnecessary ‘options’ and we’re all guilty of indulging in a number of them.

Yes but all of those items above have benefits. A SUV (and I’m talking about the fashion led types here) have no actual benefits over a normal car, yet plenty of drawbacks. Why you would pay more money for a worse vehicle is beyond me? Must be an image and fashion thing innit!

But compare 2 similar models from Ford, the inoffensive focus Estate and the behemoth kuga. The kuga is 4524mm long, the estate longer at 4556. The kuga is 1838mm wide, the focus 1823. But you seem to have no problem with the amount of space the focus occupies on your local roads. The mondeo Estate is even bigger.

Well if you’re up for comparing, like for like then the Focus handles better, is quicker (with the same engine), produces less Co2, weights 200kg less – yet has around 120 litres more luggage capacity than the equivalent Kuga.

When following a Focus Estate on the motorway it also doesn’t restrict the forward view of the driver behind, unlike the Kuga or many other higher SUV’s.

We have a primary school just down the bottom of the road from us. After a child was knocked down they put in speed humps a couple of years back. This slowed most of the traffic down, however we’ve noticed that 4×4/SUV drivers seem to be the main type of vehicles not slowing down for the speed humps and still traveling at inappropriate speeds past the school (that and white van courier drivers). Wonder if this is also a reason that many buy 4×4’s with soft suspension and higher ride height?

The other guy in a Fiesta died instantly. My mother’s car flipped and was smashed to bits but she walked away.

It’s completely anecdotal but it’s difficult to ignore.

You could also just as easily argue that a 4×4 is less safe because of the higher centre of gravity, meaning it’s less stable and far more likely to flip over in a collision.

Oh and then there’s this:

I think the reason that SUV’s are getting stick are mainly because they are bought by people who have been suckered by clever marketing into buying something that they just don’t need.

No one’s got an issue with a farmer, park ranger or someone who lives out in the sticks from driving or owning a 4×4. It’s those that buy them for no apparent reason – other than they think it makes them a) safer, b) look good, or c) give them more status, that people have the issues with. That and the fact that SUV’s are often due to their size, or the way they’re frequently driven, an inconvenience to the rest of us on the road.

@agent why don’t you start taking pictures of these white Macan’s you keep seeing. All the ones I’ve seen (dozen plus ?) or are owned by friends are in dark metallic colours, one uses hers to tow the horse box to dressage events

Heaven help us all if I start taking pictures of people driving their white SUV’s! Most owners already seem to think that they’re more important than anyone else without me inflating their egos any further by giving them the paperazi treatment.

Err because most T4, T5 and other vans are actually used for sleeping/camping in, or to carry a whole load of work stuff. Most SUV’s, especially the fashionable soft reader types, serve absolutely no practical purpose other than to allow the rest of us drivers to quickly and easily spot the self absorbed bell-ends around us on the road!

For a laugh we keep a score when driving. The humble Skoda Yeti would score low on the scale as they are not too flashy and are normally driven by well meaning old folk. Something like a white Macan or RR Sport with blacked out windows and all the chrome accessories from the options list would score a full 10 points on the cockometer. You can be sure that such a vehicle is driven by perhaps one of the most obnoxious and cretinous individuals you’re ever likely to come across.

People don’t mock SUVs out of inverse snobbery or envy, it’s the sheer ridiculousness of the fact that most of them are just used to ferry small kids to school or go to the supermarket

Totally, it’s an image thing. Girl at work who always seems short of cash want’s to trade in her perfectly good mini for a new R.Rover Evoke – in white surprise surprise. She doesn’t go anywhere off road, not even a dirt track. She’s 5ft 2″, doesn’t have kids, she doesn’t ever need to carry anything large (e.g. bike etc). To her it’s a image thing pure and simple – I think a celebrity she likes had bought one or something.

I’d like to see a study about the psychological effect of isolating yourself from the outside world in such a well-protected vehicle and the impact on empathy and concern for others… their sheer size makes it much easier to feel detached, invincible and likely to bring out the bully in most people

I’d say that there is some truth to this yes. More frequently than coincidental on road rides round here then the people we have trouble with are driving some form of flashy SUV or 4×4. Often it’s as simple as an inappropriately close pass, on a couple of occasions it’s been abuse hurled and deliberate blocking of the road, intimidation from behind or a cutting up.

That’s not to say we’re perfect cyclists – we’re not. I’d like to think that the close passing is just a size thing, the fact that SUV’s are generally wider/higher than some other cars. Sadly I thing it’s more down to the type of people who drive these things who seem to fall into one of two camps:

It’s either the ‘look at me’ and full of self importance and status brigade. Funnily enough these are usually not people of high status but often school mums competing to get one over on each other or frustrated short, small, older men with an angry temper. Or it’s the people who are just bad drivers, they feel unsafe so they buy a big SUV because it makes them feel more protected on the busy road.

The practicality excuse is bobbins. Most family hatchbacks have more room inside than your average ‘fashion’ SUV. We brought our kid up during her early years in a 3 door VW Lupo. No problem getting her in and out of the car even with no rear doors and I’m so glad we didn’t waste £30k on an SUV just to make this task a little easier!

Apparently the only people who think SUVs are large status symbols are the ones who hate them!

Yes clearly that must be the case ;)

Meanwhile over on tasteless SUV track world:

Mmmmmmm, lovely!

I think it’s a perception thing. For a family or a person who needs to carry a bit of stuff then logically an estate car is the best choice. If you enjoy driving rather than just getting from A to B then there are many estate cars these days that are as fast as proper sports cars with handling to match.

SUV’s by comparison are normally heavier, less fuel efficient, less practical, worse handling etc, etc. Often they are not real 4×4’s, just styled to look like them. They’re not sports cars but often have shouty extra fake exhausts etc. They block visibility on the road for anyone following them. So not really a good choice then – but then people seem to love them – go figure?

Guessing that the glitzy marketing and blingy accessories offered by SUV manufacturers kind of appeals to a certain kind of person. The higher up driving position creates a fake sense of safety and superiority. The people who buy them are probably generally the sort of people who don’t enjoy driving for drivings sake, don’t really know much about cars or driving, but the opportunity to cruise round in the latest crass bluetooth chariot (on lease or PCP of course) kind of appeals? Guessing it’s probably the same type of person who follows fashion and who changes their iPhone to the latest model every 6 months.

Don’t get it myself, give me a well sorted estate car any day.

Porsche are superbly made cars with outstanding engineering.
I want a 4wd drive
I really need a 4 dr 4 seat car with decent luggage space

But it’s not a proper Porsche, just an Audi Q5 with Porsche styling. Nothing like the engineering masterpiece that is the 911.

Agent you need to drive one, the performance on the road between the Macan and the Cayman is inditinguishable.

Okay fair enough I haven’t driven one. I can’t imagine it would handle like the Cayman though, the Macan is over 1/2 tonne heavier 8O The Cayman is also RWD if you didn’t notice?

I have driven several 911’s however and have always been deeply impressed.

The trouble with status cars is

That if you’re playing the status or ‘look at me game’ (which lets face it 99% of Macan buyers probably will be) there will always be someone with a better car than you.

No-eyed_deer: Just out of curiosity what is it about the Macan that you find vulgar? (taste is a personal opinion so I’ll ignore that). Do you think any >£40k car vulgar? And why is it a hairdressers car?

The Macan, whilst it might be nice to drive and get some good reviews is a completely pointless vehicle. It’s not practical, it’s not cheap, it’s not expensive, it’s not a proper 4×4, it’s not a sports car, if you want sporty then there are much better cars out there. There’s just no logical reason why you’d buy one.

The only possible reason to buy one would be that you see it as some sort of status or ‘look at me’ thing – something that the perma-tanned hairdressers round our way (Cheshire) are known for, made all the easier by popping it on the old ‘never never’.

Okay so men buy them too, but rightly or wrongly I always make the assumption that a man driving a Macan (or similar generic flashy SUV):

a) Values style (or in this case brand) over substance.
b) Really cares what others think about him.
c) Actually believes that buying one makes him a better person.
d) Was probably bullied at school.
e) Will probably post pictures of his new Macan (in white) all over his Facebook profile.
f) Probably has a little willy which doesn’t work as well as it once used to.

As I said, all assumptions, probably totally wrong, but there you go :)

That Porsche reminds me of these:

Except the Citroen looks better, far more practical and is less than 1/2 the price.

£50k for a hairdressers chariot? Personally I’d save myself £10k and go for a nice BMW 335d Xdrive, quicker, sportier, nicer to drive and people won’t laugh at you.

Depends what you want in a car I guess, but I suppose if it’s import that you show other people that you have the ability to waste money on a car that’s ‘showy’ rather that practical, (but still not quite enough money to buy a 911), then I’d say go for the Macan every time.

Absolutely no probs with Bosch integrated dishwasher so you don’t have to go IKEA. We sourced all the Bosch stuff all from AO, at a cost roughly comparable to IKEA’s own stuff, but it looks and feels much better quality.

We emailed the specs of what we were planning to buy to the fitters prior to the installation date as a double check all would fit. All went in seamlessly and without issue, including the dishwasher.

Looked at many other options and went with IKEA in the end. Been in a year now and can’t fault it, their appointed installation team were top too, really helpful. Went for all Bosch appliances rather than IKEA’s own and again no hassle. Word of advice though, when you go through your consultation at IKEA speak to someone senior who knows what they’re doing. Having someone really anal about the spec of ours helped no end, he picked up several specification errors the original girl had made which would have been a hassle to sort on site had they got that far. Luckily he picked them all up and corrected at order stage. Glad I didn’t try to install myself seeing how the installation team worked. Took then 3 days, would have taken me 3 weeks!

All getting a bit confusing now, even the governments own list doesn’t mention VW’s. So a T5 van, with deeply tinted rear windows and an fold down bed allowing load area to be used (bed for use to save in on/site accommodation costs when working away) – car or van? Surely in any flavour, a T5 is a van? No one if asked would say it’s a car would they?

So why the massive shortages of teachers then?

perhaps if teachers whinged less then maybe the profession of teaching might attract some better quality candidates to fill it’s vacant posts

Perhaps your surfing ability has been affected by the massive chip on your shoulder?

Haha, yes perhaps?

Yes many have and many then leave teaching. If it was so easy we would be able to fill our posts or get people to apply for them even!

I wasn’t implying that teaching was easy – far from it, just that there are many more professions out there with far longer hours, far more stress etc.

All careers have their down sides yet many teachers seem to genuinely believe that their job is the most demanding job in the world, and then whinge non stop about it despite the fairly obviously perks (compared to many in the private sector) of: a) reasonable levels of pay, b) great job security, c) descent pension provision, d) fantastic holiday entitlement, e) realistic expectations of career advancement.

I understand that teaching is a demanding job, made harder by paperwork and government interference but perhaps if teachers whinged less then maybe the profession of teaching might attract some better quality candidates to fill it’s vacant posts?

Plenty harder jobs out there than teaching, many with more stress, less career security and all with far less time off. Don’t know why teachers seem to think they have it so bad? Have many tried working in other industries?

Only teacher I know has gone from complete surfing beginner to quite advanced in only a couple of years, the rest of us in our group who’d love to surf far more, just can’t compete with the amount of time he gets on the water!

BMW 330d or 335d much nicer than the Octavia. If you like driving then I’d say buy the BMW.

To be honest I sometimes have reverse envy. I envy people who’s lives are simple, free of the need for excess material things, free to travel, free to enjoy nature, the environment and those things in life that really don’t cost that much money.

Often I look on in pity an feel sorry for those driving flashy Range Rovers, living in huge houses and the like. How hollow must they be if their confidence and sense of worth depends on these things? Think what they have sacrificed to get those? Either they’ve worked themselves all hours to the bone, missing out on a lot of life in the process, or they’re up to the eyeballs in debt.

Would like to see a budget where unproductive areas of the U.K. economy (e.g. Buy to Let, 2nd homes) are hammered hard, yet productive areas (e.g. Businesses that create jobs and export things) are supported.

Also to get the housing market moving again, how about abolishing stamp duty entirely (unless it’s BTL or second home) but instead create a new ‘sellers tax’, where the gain in house value (purchased value v sold value) gets taxed a certain percentage?