rOcKeTdOg on the way to the pub earlier today….

Sorry… that should have been a Vango Equinox! I also have a Vaude Mk III kicking about somewhere (retired) which obviously sneaked into my concious thought (it got replaced with a Lightwave XT which is larger, stronger and lighter… and a fair chunk more cash too!)

The Vango is this one:

Vango Equinox

Go for the 350 and it would be ideal

For car camping – get the 3 man Vaude Equinox (can’t remember the number – the biggest one with just one sleeping area though… may even be 4 man)

It is marvelous – you can sit in the bell end in chairs, get a double matress in with acres of space to space… the bell end out front has a floor bit so you have a huge space for chilling out if the weather turns nasty – we usually have a few folk in the front with a few chairs and a coolbox of beer ;-)

They are also, unlike the cheap shitey familly tents, 4 season rated – you get em up right and they are damn solid! I have learned from many nights camping in the Highlands and Islands never to take anything less than a 4 season tent… collapsing canvas on a stormy night is never a good thing ;-)

Love mine, it has done us well over the last 5 years or so!

I always found the 1×10″ amps a little… thin. Not bad, but just lacking the depth and rounded tones of a good 12″ speaker (or 8). I may give one a try if and when I get the ‘leccy guitars refurbished! Too many gigs and too little TLC left the wiring completely shagged out.

I tried a Laney some years ago, and it was certainly a nice amp. Keep thinking about getting one, and perhaps a Les Paul to plug into it one day (never quite got around to scoring myself one of them back in the day, used to use custom built Gordon Smiths and Hammers)

I used to use the JCM900 stack, but the neighbours used to complain ;-)

I downgraded to a Mesa Boogie .50cal – only got a 1×12 on that and 50w… still makes yer ears bleed though!

Actually I am considering starting to play again myself after 10 years of not playing after “the incident”, and keep toying with the idea of getting a small valve amp – got to be valve though, and a 1×12 speaker… cos smaller ones just sound a bit shite IMO.

I had been toying with getting an OM adaptor on the 5D mk II, and some old manual Zukio lenses to use with the video mode – think they stop the lens down (or some do) as you turn the aperture ring…. would be grand that!

Not really played with the video functions on that beast yet mind… not had much call for it so far!

I pushed the film too far on this one, alas…. (yep, film – oldskool like)

That should do it ;-)

Park Coppice is Caravan Club, so probably not going to be an option! Don’t think I have seen any tents there… Pretty sure that Old Hall (the one below Park Coppice) will be full, but not popped in to see em lately (will be in there over the Bank Holiday no doubt with a call out!)

Did you try Cartmel? Be suprised if they are full – also look at other places on the periphary of the National Park rather than in it. It gets quiter once you get to the western half of the county (far side of Coniston / Bassenthwaite) – and there is some ace riding that side (from memory – been a complete lazy git since moving down here!)

Ooooh – just thought of another, which was always good. Fisherground in Eskdale! Again, bit of a long way from the motorway which keeps the crowds down a bit!

Didn’t think the NT at Langdale took bookings? They didn’t used to – was a first come first served kind of arrangement!

Brotherswater is a good option – they have a (good) pub more or less on site. Limefit Park at Troutbeck is walking distance to The Mortal Man and The Queens Head (which is ace)… erm… there is a good one in Cartmel if you start struggling too – with some ace pubs in the village (the campsite is actually in the village, so it aint far – the riding is suprisingly good too!)

No chance of getting into the Old Hall in Consiton I wouldn’t think – but worth a try just incase. Wasdale *may* be worth a try too cos it is sooo bloody far away from the M6 that a lot of people never make it there ;-) Try the NT site and the Wasdale Head (though that had bugger all facilities last time I used it… which is probably 10 years ago!)

Can’t think of any more off the top of my head… there was one down in Borrowdale that I forget the name of, and was usually quiet due to no facilities there either (well – basic washing facilities in a shed, but that was about it – ace site though!)

It’s okay – I am sure that the Australians will be along soon with a counter claim, like it makes women lose weight and look more attractive if they swallow… the Antipodean scientists do seem good at these kind of things.

Bet the Mormons sponsored this latest research :evil:

Bollocks – wish I had known about this!

Arse and, indeed, cock :-(

Triumph triples at full tilt – you get a wierd worbling banshee scream of an engine note, overlaid by a HUGE induction roar… then as the throttle closes an entirely addictive deep bass note enters the equation. Utterly magnificent!

Those and V-Twins just do it for me – the larger the capacity the better. In cars, got to be a V8. But once you start with bikes then cars are just all trousers really – lot of noise and not that much action ;-)

I forgot to explain why the North of England starts there – south of Lancaster it is deeply congested, flat and boring. North of there you have ace pubs, hills and proper people. Mostly. Except ex-pat Southerners who move up and buy “quaint” cottages then throw a wobbly at everyone for living how they always have in the area cos it isn’t how they expected people to live/work/behave/drive/talk/drink etc etc etc.

The North of England starts at Lancaster/Sheffield (draw a line across, anything south of that is the Midlands… where the South starts I have no idea, I don’t go there!)

From where I live the south of the UK starts at the Pentland Firth ;-)

They will go up, but I would imagine slowly. So long as they are still in the 4 – 5% region that is still pretty damn low in historical terms.

Besides – qualify in Medicine and it surely isn’t going to be that big a deal at the other end is it! ;-)

Just remember that the speed limits for vans are not as high as for a car eh… there are a few plod these days targeting van drivers. Me… I would probably just get a big estate car instead myself.

I started with a 1989 Vauxhall Cavalier 1.6l with a 4 speed box ;-) Man, it was pants, but so basic that the thing just kept going! Didn’t bother with fully comp insurance and repaired anything that needed repairing by popping down the scrap yard in Clydebank!

Get something old, cheap and BASIC. Electrics are bad! Look at insurance groups and keep below Ins 10 (think that was where it started getting expensive when I was young), then go 3rd party insurance.

Used Conti 2.5 Diesels on mine for a while, though they were a bit tight in the Yeti’s rear stays! Generally I stick to 2.3/2.35 ish and never had a problem :-)

Yep, buy a new one – that way you know everything is working right (and there are no issues such as scratches or gunk all over the sensor). As to what to get – go and get her to play with them in the shop and see which model is the most intuitive for her. Performance wise they are all much of a muchness at each price point.

Personally I wouldn’t really bother with a flash. Got a reet posh one myself (Canon 580EX mkII) and don’t use it much at all… needed it for a wedding shoot, but managed to use almost exclusivly ambient light which gives much nicer results (and this was in a castle, at night, which was dimly lit). Also stick with the kit lens to start off with, no sense blowing mega money on the outset ;-) I also buy new lenses only these days – had too many hassles with second hand ones that it just annoyed me!

Don’t get it on the square filters at 17mm (full frame) using the Z Pro, so long as I reverse the holder. The polerizer does cause some vignetting at that focal length, but push it up a bit (around 18 – 19mm I think) and there is no issue at all!) That should allow you a 10mm-11mm focal length on a crop sensor ;-)

The old 93 was bloody ace – I had a HOT version for a bit, throw a bike in the boot with the wheels off, camping gear for 2 folk for a long weekend and still have the parcel shelf in and back seats up (by camping stuff I mean proper “mild” camping stylee with airbeds and slabs of beer!)

It was plenty fun to drive, could be hustled reasonably well and bloody hell was it quick. Did have “quirky” handling in that it tended to torque steer like a bastard mind ;-) Probably the most comfortable car I have ever had too…. Since most my driving is rural I was getting mid 30s mpg out of it usually. Miss that car sometimes, but replacing the rear suspension every 6 months was expensive (apparently they aren’t designed to have a few hundred kg of stuff in the boot and driven across fields on a weekly basis – which is why I now stick to 4×4 things.)

I would push the boat out and get either a Lee or Cokin Z Pro holder and filter…. will cost you somewhere north of £200, but it gives more flexability going ahead (screw in filters just started pissing me off as I would want to throw in an ND Grad too)

It also means that you only need to buy 1 filter rather than replicate it for every lens!

Only 33… but in the last year I have been through the ringer. Got all very messy and so I went out and booked the CBT, Theory, Test – bought an old TDM 850 and ran around on that at the end of summer. Life got better, then went a whole lot worse in December (properly bad – about as bad as it can go badly to be honest), so when the dust was starting to settle I went out and bought a Triumph Speed Triple ;-)

I don’t think it was a mid life crisis… I plan to live longer than my mid 60’s… so I have that fun to come yet!

Bring on the dancing girls, that’s what I say ;-)

As a hardened islander I would say that Overproof Rum is for amateurs. Real men drink Forres Park Puncheon Rum from Trinidad and Tobago.

Personally I am a big fan of Demerara rum, such as El Dorado, the more common OVD is not in the same league. This may be due to spending way too much time in Guyana though ;-)

Anything with an Audi badge on it, and VW Golf/Passats seem to be the ones most often trying to kill me. Oh – and BMW X-series monstrosities.

I feel somewhat out of place here… only yacht I would have at the moment…

Just love clinker built folkboats – so the most I would pay… probably about £14k, but possibly as low as £3k ;-) Yep… I know it’s a floating caravan, but I don’t care!!!

Quite a lot of places seem to be staying stagnant on prices, but when you find out what they have sold for it is a long way below asking.

Sold mine in December (took a fairly sizeable hit on that) and am sitting out for a bit renting. I suspect we are going to see another 15% off this year, and possibly another 5 – 10% in 2010… this year is shaping up to be broadly similar to (or possibly worse) than last. Really all depends what happens in the wider economy as well as with lending. If we dive into a long deep recession then I think we are going to see a considerable fall in prices to come. For a lot of people the recession hasn’t actually started to bite yet. As we see more repossessions that is also going to drive down the market as why pay over the odds for a house when the one next door can be had at auction for 30% less???

Put it this way – I am planning on putting very, very low offers in on houses in the next couple of months, and if folk don’t bite I will sit back and wait to see what happens! Nothing much is selling afterall.

Oh aye – Saunders only sell direct. If you want to see one then they are often displaying at Mountain Marathons and the like.

Don’t like the spacepacker myself – I had one a while back and if you are over 6ft you tend to sleep with a face full of inner tent fabric (you are inline with the pole).

My suggestion – Lightwave. They do an excellent range of tents which are light, spacious and damn robust. Got a T2 XT myself which gives a massive porch for storeage and cooking (if that is your bag) – you can even get mountain bikes in there, yet it weighs and packs smaller than my old Vaude MkIII by about 1/3. The non-XT version is smaller and lighter again.

They also do a semi-geodesic version for folk that way inclined, and the sister company Crux do a full on geodesic that weighs bolloxall.

My Yeti was probably worth about as much as my Triumph Speed Triple when it was new (and my Speedy cost me second hand), but since that is getting on for 4 years old now… no.

My car is a company job, and was brand new last year… so very unlikely despite my epic mileage.

Actually… I don’t think it’s anything to do with what you ride or how you ride it. It’s like mountain bikes really – you get it cos you want to. I can’t ride my Yeti to it’s limits by any extent, but I still love the thing. And there is no way on Earth I was riding my TDM 850 to it’s limits… didn’t stop me chopping it in for a Speed Triple though (which I won’t even scratch the surface of it’s abilities).

I would be tempted by a thou if I was into the whole sports bikes thing simply because they are physically a bit bigger, and that would be a bit more comfortable for me.

That said… big nakeds is where it’s at ;-)

Personally I remain fairly unimpressed… they reps all drive around in Porsche Cayennes which instantly put me on edge*

I would be more inclined to look into one of the Lakes or Dales options myself unless there is a particular draw to spending a weekend near Blackpool/Fleetwood.

*I have never stayed there, but work there on a regular basis. Seems to be filled with people that think quite a lot of themselves IMO.

Was chatting about this t’other day… apparently a decent chain tool is £90 or something. I suspect I will just get my lmbs to do it for me… that way they can (hopefully) make sure that the wheel alignment is okay at the same time!!!!

Soft boil em for breakfast – magnificent! They take a bit more cooking than chicken eggs though.

Understanding Exposure – do a search on Amazon for it ;-)

Very good at going through all the technical concepts IMO.

The tree is there to keep me on – just slot it on up yer arse and you aint going to fall off the back ;-)

Sorry… did I take that too far…

ut, tut fair weather riders!! [:wink:]

Don’t you believe it ;-) If it’s raining/snowing/cold/miserable… I have a car to get me places. If the sun is shining and I am feeling somewhat more sprightly then the bike is the answer ;-)

I so need to get back on the wagon (with this and my epic alcohol consumption of late!)