I did the whole outside of our house 3 years ago. By myself. It was bloody hard work but it looks way better now and am still pleased with the results. 3 years later it is showing no signs of discolouration or any flaking, staining etc.

My tops tips would be:
-Don’t bother washing, I found it to be unnecessary.
– Do give it a thorough brushing witha stiff brush to remove loose pebbles and dirt.
– Do use stablising solution first e.g. http://www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-Exterior-Masonry-Stabilising-Solution-1L/p/214144?CAWELAID=120135120000006501&CAGPSPN=pla&CAAGID=37524966292&CATCI=pla-72073524379&gclid=CJvV4-zT-9ICFUgW0wodWD8KeQ&gclsrc=aw.ds
it makes the paint go on sooooo much easier.
– I had no luck with a roller, just by a few decent brushes and accept you are going to trash them with aggressive stippling.
– Use a quality paint. I got a good deal on Sandtex and it’s still looking good 3 years on.
– It’s going to take a while and will knacker you out!

For my money the river is a bit more “interesting” further up. The river is much more windy so more corners to navigate. It’s also a bit more peaceful and scenic IMHO.

I’ve kayaked and canoed the river multiple times, Glasbury all the way to Chepstow, including non stop on one occasion. I’ve mailed you a couple of things which might help your planning. A list of campsites, albeit a few years old and a list of distances between various put in/out point and landmarks to help you plan. Hope you find it useful!

I have ridden both locations a number of times. I would suggest not bothering with the Nevis range uplift this weekend if the SDA is on. Even if the red run is open, it isn’t really worth it on it’s own and the lift might be busy.

I wouldn’t ride Glencoe DH if you’re having an off day. It is a lot more technical than fort bill even in the dry. If it’s wet then it’s way harder. If you enjoy steep and techy, you’ll love it.

I haven’t ridden the red run at Glencoe for 2 years. It was pretty dull then but it hadn’t been open long, I believe it has had a lot of work since but can’t comment.

Ebay. Medical grade isopropyl alcohol wipes. 100s of them for around £2. Work a dream. Really small, weigh nothing and are individually packed so you can easily take a couple with you.

Worth noting that after a clean the brakes will take a mslla amount of time to get back to full power. I think the “science” behind this is that they are more effective when some pad material is deposited on the rotors

There’s a group of us heading up this Saturday to do the Rangers followed by telegraph (?) track back to Llanberis.

I’ve only ever done the bridleway down to Llanberis, is it easy to spot where the Rangers track comes off this? I can’t recall having seen it (or a signpost for it) in the past.