Just started using a merkur 34c and it gives a great shave- much smoother than the typical disposables. Takes a little longer for the shave and then a little bit of cleaning of the razor but a more enjoyable experience. Looks economical in the long run. Want to try out various blades so got a 25 blade mix bag for £5 which will last me a fair while!

Doesn’t do hot chocolate but makes a mean double espresso.

A few places to try:
1. House of trembling madness. Bonus of great local beers. Burgers, meat platters, etc… without the silly price tag. Great room. Near the minster on stonegate.
2. Meltons Too. This is the fossgate one, not to be confused with meltons (which is the expensive sister rsstaurant). Great regional yorkshire food.
3. Baileys tea room opposite the library at museum gardens. Looks nothing special but food is good. Open sandwiches are great and cheese portions are generous. And next door you can get free samples of bramble whisky, sloe vodka, spiced rum.

GBK might be alright, jamies is probably okay but expensive. The top 2 give good eating and include a bit of Yorks character.

A few from the recent collection. First bit of overseas travel for a few years!

First up, the honeymoon 🙂

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La Solane treehouse[/url] by Default Slipper[/url], on Flickr

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La Solane waterfall[/url] by Default Slipper[/url], on Flickr

Finland Archipelago(there’s a log cabin hidden in there):
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Faffas log cabin_b&w[/url] by Default Slipper[/url], on Flickr

Moonlight sonata finger style. Not sure who it is by but if you search for ‘moonlight sonata guitar tab’ you’ll find it and there’s a video on youtube. Really good fun for figuring out the full piece.

Ocean by john butler trio. Finger tapping acoustic brilliance. Not such a fan of second half. Careful when tuning or you’ll snap a string. Many versions out there.

Other ideas include looking at sungha jung, ulli bogershausen.

For much better players (than me):
Anything by andy mckee (mostly too hard but drifting, for my father or rylynn probably good starters)
Bohemian rhapsody (fingerstyle) by edgar cruz. Too technical for me but brilliant

Will be following this thread with interest. ..

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Patterdale Valley[/url] by Default Slipper[/url], on Flickr[/img]

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Bankend Cottage fire[/url] by Default Slipper[/url], on Flickr[/img]

Do I get extra points for STW mag content?

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Patterdale Valley[/url] by Default Slipper[/url], on Flickr[/img]

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Bankend Cottage fire[/url] by Default Slipper[/url], on Flickr[/img]

Do I get extra points for STW mag content?

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Patterdale Valley[/url] by Default Slipper[/url], on Flickr[/img]

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Icicles 2[/url] by Default Slipper[/url], on Flickr[/img]

From Dumfries mabie looked good. Ae uplift cancelled for this weekend so obviously enough snow / ice to make the road slippy enough. Not sure how cold it is looking for tomorrow but snow forecast for Sunday so there could be some icy patches at any of the Dumfries trails.

I was out walking over the weekend and the snow was from about 700m on certain facing slopes (mostly east i think). Hardpack and icy on the well established paths, rideable. Over on the mega photo thread there is a picture of high street from Saturday. There was a snow report from the raise ski tow that showed just about enough there to suggest places like sticks pass would have some snow on it.

Depends what tonight and tomorrow brings in terms of snow and wind, wind is shifting to the north so any snow falling tonight could move about. In any case, the winds are likely to be strong most of this week making it interesting on the tops.

Yes, i did it with one of the Pete’s in that link- he was the brother in law of a good friend and wrote the article that was in issue 36 of stw. Pete died a few years ago but they were just about the best weeks of riding I’ve done.

The route itself isn’t the most technical, a few corners might trouble you on the first descent. Some exposure but no more than the rest of the riding in the area. The short climb will probably feel tough on tired legs but you get a great view at the top. The second descent is harder than the first, one corner in particular (pictured in that article) used to be hard but was a little washed out when i was last there (2008 i think).

It all depends on your group and how competent they are. It’s big mountain riding far removed from the safety of trail centres so you have to look after yourself. On that route one of my riding pals dropped his front wheel,[*] smashed up his face and broke his wrist. Despite being only 10 minutes from the top it took an hour to get him back to the car and down to the hospital.

Here is the thread, about half way down there is a post about this (the title states 55 but the comment is about a set of 44). Searching on this forum there is a lot of praise for this fork (and even more for its bigger brother, the 55). And it has reminded me of the extra long warranty and that windwave do a reasonable service at £65.
Linky

I got a set last year and they’ve been working well. Think there was a thread on here a couple of months back about compression knocking noise but only over small bumps. The solution from windwave was changing one of the top washers i think. I’ve not been riding as much as i would like so not covered massive number of miles and can hear a quiet knocking but could just be the oil moving around. I’ll find out when they come up for service!

I’m in that neck of the woods so will keep an eye out. Saw that the police on their Facebook page had been warning of an increase in rural crime in the area particularly sheds and equipment going so might be all linked? Hope they are found, i always worry about this happening to me and have taken additional precautions lately.

Might be worth putting on the 7stanes Facebook pages and visiting the local bikeshops. This includes halfords, last year i heard a thief took a bike into them asking for it to be dismantled- the mechanic recognised it and called it in (not sure if that was the Dumfries store).

Thanks OP, I’ve been waiting to get a new one of these for about 4 years (the original has been torn to pieces and is still the most comfortable saddle I’ve had!).

Cheers!!!

EDIT: I’ve just checked and the stock doesn’t seem to have updated since I placed my order so hoping that I got in before somebody bought the last black / red one…

Glad someone was able to catch the sunrise this morning, it was really red! Didn’t have time to play so just took the camera out and pressed the button. Will have to wait to see how i comes out!

Grumm that’s the one, comes out of a crack in the rock.

Just looking at the map, we changed our plan because of the rain but i think it is at 317 092 on the southeast lakes OS map near the footpath, fairly easy to get to from Grasmere. Just behind the picture is another large boulder. Didn’t have much time when i was there so I’d be interested to see what you come up with! It reminded me of the famous rowan tree of glencoe. Looks like it takes some battering in the wind!

Some really interesting angles and creative ideas in the recent photos. I haven’t quite got round to that level of sophistication so I offer another relatively simple landscape!

[/url] Lone Tree under Helm Crag[/url] by Default Slipper[/url], on Flickr

Keep them coming!…

Tell her you like riding bikes and that you’d like to add another to the fleet if she’s interested…

More seriously, if you’re good at cooking then cook for her. find something you’re both interested in and do it. or arrange a sunset walk on the beach (if she’s interested she will get the hint!)

Another one from the Lakes for me- Sticks Pass last weekend, something about the colour of the sky I really like.
[/url] Sticks Pass[/url] by Default Slipper[/url], on Flickr[/img]

Been warmer in Dumfries today so mabie will be a safeish bet. It will probably be more wet than ice for tomorrow. Usually plenty there on a Saturday who might be able to give an accurate update but should be fin

Just received one of these from the future Mrs ds – she seems to understand the hints 😀 a very smart whisky despite the cask strength.

I would be happy to receive a lagavuilin 16, a good choice!

Been up helvellyn today and there is plenty of snow all the way up. Hard packed snow and sections of scoured ice. Went up keppel zig zags and back down sticks and its not biking territory. Drifts up to waist height on upper section of sticks, lower half just about rideable but slushy and could easily freeze.

If you’re considering it over the weekend then pass. It was snowing as i walked off tonight.

Last weekend on the bike there was a lot of ice about but also some good biking on the hard snow. If you can stay lower than the snowline then you can still get some good rides in but at a guess the snowline is about 300 or 400m on the northern fells and would be more enjoyable on skis or proper walking gear. I’m not an expert on lakes riding but borrowdale bash could be a good shout to avoid heavy snow.

Hope it helps someone!

A few from Sunday’s trip to the lakes
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Ullswater from Pooley Bridge[/url] by Default Slipper[/url], on Flickr[/img]

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Helvellyn Ridge[/url] by Default Slipper[/url], on Flickr[/img]

And one from a favourite spot
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Solway Coast sunset[/url] by Default Slipper[/url], on Flickr[/img]

Bit too much ice today coming down Sticks Pass today. Was really nice at the top though

[/url] Keppel Cove ascent[/url] by Default Slipper[/url], on Flickr[/img]

[/url] Helvellyn Ridge[/url] by Default Slipper[/url], on Flickr[/img]

Its a brilliant ride with some fantastic scenery. A couple of notes from me:
You can miss out the Honister road climb with a permissive bridleway just out of seatoller
You can easily miss the start of the allerdale ramble after you have descended a short distance from the top of the Honister climb
Take lots of inner tubes, the descent of castle crags is snakebite teritory
Road climbs are steep, some of the climbs are technical (watendlath would fall into the ridden by a very small percentage – i’m reasonably fit but can’t see how you would climb the top half without some trials skills
Descents are rocky and technical in places
If its a good day take a camera for the brilliant views

The classic view of Borrowdale

Allerdale Ramble

It would never work in this country because a) you wouldn’t find a parking space, b) you’d get mugged by some druggie in the tunnel and c) your tv would get nicked or explode in the rain. I would also agree that their friends looked weird in a mass suicide cult sort of way and the music suggests he is going to run off with a man called roger when he hits middle age.
Well done for effort though and i do wish them luck. I proposed at the bottom of a waterfall when recovering from a snapped knee ligament- thankfully she said yes or i wouldn’t have been able to get back up!

Andy was talking about this at the weekend. I am not sure who the cycling groups were / are but it sounds like they will be investing in a climb from the end of the edge up to the top taking out the long fireroad section at nil desperandum. There was also talk of a new section where the boardwalk is because of the recurring windfall problems.

It is good to see more investment at ae and hopefully someone will take on the cafe and shop soon, but i am obviously biased!

My first contribution to this amazing thread. Been playing with photography since the start of summer.

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Lake Pano[/url] by Default Slipper[/url], on Flickr

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Tom on Rivelin Needle[/url] by Default Slipper[/url], on Flickr

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Milton jumping[/url] by Default Slipper[/url], on Flickr

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Allerdale Ramble Pano[/url] by Default Slipper[/url], on Flickr

Another vote for GIMP. Takes a little getting used to but really good!

Best advice anyone ever gave me was “that everyone at the wedding is enjoying themselves and that you don’t have to try and be funny to get laughs. Just don’t say anything really bad!”

I’ve been best man at 2 weddings. Mine were not planned to be the funniest of speeches but they were honest- I didn’t borrow anything from the internet and wrote them the night before the weddings both times. At my brother’s wedding I was one of 2 best men and it was obvious the other guy had been all over best man websites stealing jokes; he still got some laughs but if you’ve been to enough weddings you will end up hearing the same jokes no matter how original you think you are.

Probably best to leave out any surprise stories that are likely to make you lose a presumably best friend (or in your case a soon to be family member). A friend here was on a recent do out in Bulgaria or something like that and the stag got beaten up with a dildo by a hooker the others paid for. Those sort of stories are hilarious at the pub, not sure the older generation would get it though…

Just enjoy it, have a few drinks before if you’re feeling nervous and get on with it!

Yeah I’ve had it. It’s the only whisky I’ve ever almost left on the bar after the first taste. It was awful. I’ve tried a few malts (but no specialist), but there was one from the clachaig that was described as tasting like pencil shavings that had a nicer taste! I’m in no hurry to buy it…IMHO obviously!

I couldn’t decide on a style or size but had initially carved up an old pro2 bearing as she is into her bikes aswell. It sort of looked the right size but she doesn’t wear much jewelry so it was purely a guess (i kept trying to take sneaky pictures of her hands against objects I could use as guides). I carried round the bearing / don’t for months and it kept me thinking about how, when and where I was going to ask her. I picked a time and place in the dales but the rain gods meant we were too wet so I decided that she wouldn’t enjoy being proposed to whilst starting to get hypothermia.

In the end I decided 2 things. By overcomplicating things I was losing sight of the whole point, so I made up a notebook of ring designs and made a list of places we could visit together and then popped the question later on the day I had previously chosen at hadraw waterfall. We both appreciate a good waterfall so it was an excellent venue. She was glad we could choose it together. It was a little tricky finding somewhere on a bank holiday but fortunately the antique shops were open. She wanted something with age to it, and the ring looks brilliant.

My advice would be get on with it, don’t overcomplicate it! And pro2 bearings come up surprisingly small, we had a good laugh about it after! You know her best so all internet advice is opinions of other people. I’m sure she will enjoy whatever you decide to do as long as you ask the right question.

I do the odd climb a year, less now than at uni even though I live closer to outdoor stuff than I used to. No local climbing partners and mtb taken over a little. Went to skye a couple of weeks ago and did loads of scrambling, I’m recovering from a torn knee ligament or would have considered doing the cuillin ridge again. A couple of friends headed out early one day but were forced off due to persistent snow.

Although I prefer mtb, given the lack of opportunities to climb I would choose to go scrambling / climbing over a day of mtb as I can go cycling most days of the week if I wanted. Getting married next year so may all change, I’m not sure there’s much climbing near where we are looking to move to!

30 minutes is pretty good, I’ve only managed 15, although 5 of those minutes were spent looking for the Windows start button because I couldn’t find it 🙂

I’m recovering from a Medial collateral ligament tear. Bruised bones on both side of the knee but no cartilage damage thankfully. Had x rays and MRI scan about 3 weeks after injury but only saw the NHS knee specialist after about 6 weeks. Wore a don joy knee brace for 4 weeks. It’s been 11 weeks with no mtb’ing for me, it took over 6 weeks before I was able to bend my knee enough to turn the pedals. Hoping to get back on the bike for the first proper ride this week.

I’ve had physio following their exercises but the best thing I’ve found is just get out walking, cycling very short distances up to the point where the pain starts, then back off.
It’s the longest I’ve ever been off the bike- I’m very impatient so its been hard. But the bike is clean with some new bits (fork, shifters, handlebars, and brakes on the way). I found watching Chris akrigg’s recovery video quite good aswell.

Take it easy and good luck!

Simon,

I really enjoyed that, the comedy crashes were brilliant, and it gives me an excuse to drag up my video of Ae / Mabie excursions last year:

which shows a few of the other trails, without giving away their locations (hopefully). (you’ll need to turn the contrast up for some bits!)

thebikechain- there are a few locals on the forum who would probably be willing to show you around at some point. Mabie isn’t big, so the trails could easily get trashed if too many people used them- if you can’t find anyone else then I could show you around.

They will still be based locally but as potts has said are concentrating on the e-commerce side of things. You should still be able to contact rob on rob@ae7.com and see if he can help you out or go through the website. I might be able to pass on a message if that is of any use?

Bettys does look good but it always has a queue about 200m long outside (especially at the weekends). Round the corner there is a nice little tea shop near the minster and next to the cocoa house (brownies are very good there). In this little cafe you can get meringues the size of your face (no joke). Railway museum good, city wall walk good. Cedar hotel near the train station if you fancy a giggle getting called sir/madam.

Could go visit the yorkshire moors or dales which aren’t too far away?